Miyamoto: Gamers need to get outside

Tim Ingham Apr 28 2008, 3:15pm

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Nintendo legend says that consumers need to mix playing on Wii Fit with real exercise

Nintendo development legend Shigeru Miyamoto has said that spending too long playing a video game is “not good” – and encouraged his consumers to get outside.

Speaking in an interview with The Times, Miyamoto said that he makes sure his own children get out in the sunshine as well as playing on Nintendo consoles.

“Spending too long, staying in and playing any video game is not good,” he said. “I always tell my children to get out on a sunny day and I, myself, went jogging in Central Park yesterday. But I do my stretching on Wii Fit. They work together.”

Miyamoto added that the philosophy behind Wii Fit was to show that  “computer games can be… good for you, can enrich your life”.

And when asked if people are getting so angry with Wii Fit that they end up throwing their balance board out the window, Miyamoto replied:

“We thought they might, but the evidence from Japan is that they get cross with themselves — not the machine. They don’t blame the game.”