Eating disorder by Nintendo?

4th June 2008

Eating disorder by Nintendo?

posted in Arts and Music, Body Image, Diets, Eating Disorders, Fat Acceptance, Fat Bias, Feminist Topics, Fitness/Exercise, Food History, Food News, Pop Culture |

The new Wii Fit game has drawn heavy criticism (from obesity experts nonetheless!) for promoting negative body images and even eating disorders amongst its youngest vidiots. After its British debut in mid-May, a parent spoke out against the game after it labeled her healthy 4′ 9″ 10-year old athletic daughter as overweight. Devastated, the girl promptly wanted to start a diet. The girl and her mom appear in this BBC Health video.

The blog Understand Media poses the question if Wii Fit can result in Wii Too Fit:

…Nintendo is telling kids they need to work out to stay fit, effectively planting the seeds of body image issues for later in life. Nintendo would argue they’re trying to keep people of all ages in shape, especially in light of the supposed obesity problem in America (in fact, the American Wii Fit is rated to support 350lbs instead of the 300lbs for the Japanese version).

Rather than battling obesity, will the Wii Fit contribute to the ever-increasing eating disorder problem in America? The Wii Fit is selling the same thing that other diet and exercise products sell – a quick and simple way to fit within society’s body ideal. So maybe the product should be the “Wii Fit In”. Buy it, and you’re buying hope to fit in – to be as “attractive” as the models on the covers of magazines. And yes, even kids have young idols they look up to and want to be like.

I don’t want to simplify eating disorders, but I can see how that devastated 10-year-old, driven to diet after the game called her fat in front of her friends, might have the potential to later develop an eating disorder. After all, many an eating disorder begins as a simple diet. But why are these concerns raised only when a thin kid is told she’s fat? The assumption is that it is perfectly acceptable to tell a fat kid she’s fat because clearly she must not know she’s fat and must therefore be told for her own good, whereas for thin kids, that same label of fatness promotes a negative self-image and an eating disorder. It’s never considered that the pejorative — and it is widely perceived to be pejorative instead of a simple descriptor — could also promote a negative self-image and potential for eating disorders amongst fat kids, too.

From the reviews, the game sounds fantastically fun and as the empty shelves in nearly every store attest, kids (and adults) love it. I doubt that most young kids are playing the game to “fit in” and lose weight, but rather because the game is fun, new and engaging. Perhaps Nintendo ought best stick with its role as entertainment provider and leave out its well-intentioned, but misguided lectures on weight.

Your thoughts?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 4th, 2008 at 10:48 am and is filed under Arts and Music, Body Image, Diets, Eating Disorders, Fat Acceptance, Fat Bias, Feminist Topics, Fitness/Exercise, Food History, Food News, Pop Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On June 4th, 2008, KarenElhyam said:

The part that shocks me is that your in-game avatar, your Mii, changes to match your BMI, apparently.

So, in other words, when the game sees your actual weight, it changes the avatar’s weight accordingly.

Mind you, the Mii creator doesn’t even have many body type options in the first place. But when I saw that little “feature” I knew the game was a bunch of bullshit.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 11:19 am

2 On June 4th, 2008, Rachel said:

In the messageboard thread started by the mom, several people also mentioned that the Wii game isn’t even accurate in determining weight and that the game can even by off by 12 pounds or so. The commenters suggested carpet to be the reason for the inaccurate weights. Wanna guesstimate how many families have carpet in their living or family rooms where this game is most often placed?

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 11:42 am

3 On June 4th, 2008, Bree said:

I want to warn that some of the comments on the BBC story could cause you to use up all of your Sanity Watchers points. Many on there seem not to have a problem with shaming children for being fat.

The problem with Wii Fit is that it uses BMI as the main tool to indicate health. So of course if your BMI is not in the so-called healthy weight range, the game will label you as fat even if you’re not. Surely there could have been other ways to chart “progress” than something so questionable.

Exercise video games should not be about weight loss as a goal. DDR has an exercise mode but overall the game is about body coordination and just having fun moving around.

I’m going to take a wild guess that Wii Fit’s creator thought this game would be bought by only adult women and not used by kids.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 11:51 am

4 On June 4th, 2008, Stephanie said:

I have a friend who supposedly gained 18 lbs in one day, according to her Wii Fit. So the scale isn’t terribly accurate — but I also know that for a lot of people, 18 lbs is the difference between the Wii Fit telling you that you’re fat, or not.

I have another friend who was told that she’s ‘normal’, but offered her a weight-loss goal of 15 lbs. Yeah, if she loses 15 lbs, she’ll be underweight. (She displays a lot of symptoms of disordered eating already.)

I’ve got one on order, but I feel like I need to use it with the world’s biggest grain of salt.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 12:02 pm

5 On June 4th, 2008, Rachel said:

I’m going to take a wild guess that Wii Fit’s creator thought this game would be bought by only adult women and not used by kids.

I don’t think so. If you go to their website, you’ll see that they’ve marketed it to people of all ages, and especially to families.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

6 On June 4th, 2008, spacedcowgirl said:

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard that sure, eating disorders are a problem, but fat kids are KILLING THEMSELVES (or their parents are killing them) so desperate times call for desperate measures. I would be willing to bet that a majority of Americans would see basically no problem with shaming a fat child, destroying his or her mental health, and possibly triggering an eating disorder, as long as these steps put the kid into the normal BMI range.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 12:52 pm

7 On June 4th, 2008, Mercy said:

I wish I could remember which blog post or news story I saw this quote on, but there is a doctor in the UK saying that NO kid should be playing Wii Fit because of this “feature”–and that kids can be (as close as I can remember the quote) stocky and fit at the same time.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 12:55 pm

8 On June 4th, 2008, Ryan said:

One also has to consider the cultural implications that exist in it’s creation – WiiFit was created by Nintendo’s head office in Japan, from what I’ve read (and announced by Miyamoto himself).

Japan’s own understanding of body image and self-worth is it’s own unique creature; one that deserves study in and of itself (not to mention the fact that Japanese aesthetic taste and cultural body image are reflected heavily in Anime & Manga aesthetics, which is becoming a larger and larger force in the socialization of Western youth).

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 12:59 pm

9 On June 4th, 2008, Rachel said:

Spacedcowgirl: Yeah, the fact that I was morbidly obese when I embarked on my eating disorder is one of the primary reasons I feel it was misdiagnosed and minimalized by so many doctors. I even had a psychiatrist once tell me, after I had lost about 140 pounds in 10 months, that I still needed to lose weight. This is, after I spent 20 minutes to him describing how I alternately starved myself and then binged and vomited all while overexercising.

And let’s not forget… many of the so-called dieting advice liberally disseminated to fat people are the same tips and advice also passed out on pro-ana boards.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

10 On June 4th, 2008, MrsDrC said:

In the world view a thin person gets an eating disorder, and a fat person is just on a diet. If the fat person should develope an ED then GOOD FOR THEM, the “diet” is working. ARGHHHHHGGGG! Thin by any means is still all too prevelant.

This is not the first I’ve read of the Wii Fit causing an uproar. If parents are so fired up about theirs kids spending too much time infront of the Wii…UNPLUG THE DERN THING! I refuse to let a console game system be brought into this house.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

11 On June 4th, 2008, spacedcowgirl said:

Yeah, the fact that I was morbidly obese when I embarked on my eating disorder is one of the primary reasons I feel it was misdiagnosed and minimalized by so many doctors. I even had a psychiatrist once tell me, after I had lost about 140 pounds in 10 months, that I still needed to lose weight. This is, after I spent 20 minutes to him describing how I alternately starved myself and then binged and vomited all while overexercising.

In the world view a thin person gets an eating disorder, and a fat person is just on a diet. If the fat person should develope an ED then GOOD FOR THEM, the “diet” is working. ARGHHHHHGGGG! Thin by any means is still all too prevelant.

So true. The first time these points really hit home for me was about 10 years ago when I was battling with some dude on a web site–I had cut my teeth on Fat is a Feminist Issue, Overcoming Overeating, Fat!So? and similar books–telling him that in some ways negative body image for thin women, negative body image for fat women, and the prevalence of eating disorders (both anorexia/bulimia and binge eating) all stemmed from the same issues. (Of course this is an oversimplification, but there is a connection.) He could not be convinced that they weren’t totally different issues (i.e. it’s OK for fat people to hate their bodies because their bodies deserve to be hated and they need to lose weight, therefore body hatred is fundamentally different and comes from a fundamentally different place for fat people than thin people). Occam’s Razor much? The lack of logic just completely confused me at the time. Of course I then gradually learned how prevalent this viewpoint really is.

I know it has been said many times, but if disordered eating is bad for thin people, then it’s bad for fat people too. Period. Sadly 10 years doesn’t seem to have made much difference to public opinion on this topic.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 2:17 pm

12 On June 4th, 2008, meghan said:

I just had a Wii Fit delivered yesterday and I think it’s really fun. However, I do think kids should have a separate thing on that, when it comes to height & weight. You enter in your birthday, for example, so the game would know you’re under 18. I don’t think it’s wise for a kid to enter in the information asked for and get a BMI spat out at them – kids are constantly growing and changing; they could be underweight and then overweight in the span of six months.

I’m not exactly sure WHY the Wii Fit needs to know your weight, unless you specifically want to set a weight-loss goal. It’s too bad there isn’t a part on it where you can disable the whole “fitness plan” aspect and just play the games. I’m sure there are adults out there who don’t really care to know what their BMI is and who don’t necessarily want to lose any weight, but it seems the game kind of forces you into a goal.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 3:25 pm

13 On June 4th, 2008, Liz said:

have you seen the new Ninendo Wii vs Playstation commercial? its disgusting. go to youtube and type in “hi, im a wii” in the search field.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 3:34 pm

14 On June 4th, 2008, littlem said:

I don’t know how close to the point this is, but it seems that a lot of fat hate is gendered – I’ve heard a lot of men say things like “I try to loathe myself because if I hate being fat then I have a reason to work for something better”. And a lot of women, as a survival strategy, try to buy into what men think.

So that may serve as a foundation for the cognitive dissonance that “eating disorders are OK when fat kids have them, but not when thin kids do”.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 3:50 pm

15 On June 4th, 2008, SugarLeigh said:

As an avid gamer, I was really excited about the Wii. And it’s neat. We’re getting that much closer to VR, and one day I’m going to be able to “really” swing a magic sword at a monster or ghost! If that’s not cool, nothing is.

I thought Wii fit looked fun when I saw the first preview. Seemed like an interactive way to be sure I was hitting a pose right in yoga, for example. Biofeedback! Coolness. And I figured as far as the fitness part of it, it would be more like Dance Dance Revolution where it just tells you how many calories you burned or whatever. I mean, everyone on the commercial is scrawny as all get-out so it’s not about fat, right?

I’m really disappointed to hear it calls people fat and tells them how much they “need” to lose, instead of focusing on actual goals that might do something, like improving how far you can extend a certain stretch or measuring heart rate or something. Those are actually, you know… potentially USEFUL. A number on a scale? Not so much. Or hey, what about actually LISTENING to YOUR goals, instead of giving you one as if you’re an idiot who doesn’t have a clue about your own body or what you want to do with it? Sheesh.

Will not be purchasing Wii fit. Anybody for a rollicking game of statues instead? Spinning in a circle probably burns like at least 6 calories or something. XD

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 3:59 pm

16 On June 4th, 2008, Rachel said:

littlem: I think that fatness is absolutely gendered. A recent study showed that women experienced weight-based discrimination at just 13 pounds above their “ideal” weight whereas men didn’t experience the same discrimination until they were 60-something pounds above their “ideal” weight. Both men and women experience weight-based discrimination, but the standards seem to be higher and stricter for women than men. This is one of the reasons why my graduate work looks at weight and beauty ideals as a form of social control for women. Obsessing over calories and weight doesn’t leave you much time for anything else, like say, participating actively in politics or economics.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 4:19 pm

17 On June 4th, 2008, Jessica said:

We got a Wii Fit, and I really like it. However, I am able to shrug off it’s pronouncement of “that’s obese” in regards to myself as a “duh, really?” moment. It isn’t really reliable as a scale, both mine and my hubby’s weights are all over the map, and that’s because of the carpeting. I think my Mii is stylin’ with it’s spare tire. However, the one thing I don’t like is the idea of weight/BMI measurement daily. Also, for the goals, you could set it to be zero change. I think it’s a game that would require some guidance from parents if children are using it (and the little girl doing yoga in the commercial has her mom watching her play). It’s not ideal, but the games, yoga, and aerobics are quite fun. Strength training… yeah, there ought to me more levels of ability, there is no way I’m able to doe some of these moves.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pm

18 On June 4th, 2008, Moderndayhermit said:

We purchased the Wii Fit, my husband suffered a brain injury in 2006 and uses a number of the Wii games as a rehabilitation tool. It works.

I am put-off by the commentary on the Wii but it *is* fun. I believe there is an option to not engage in the body test and you can password protect that information as well.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 5:19 pm

19 On June 4th, 2008, Liza said:

This kills me because until I head they were using BMI, I thought Wii Fit was a cool idea.

I guess it still IS a cool idea, and I’m totally for promoting exercise, but using BMI really pissed me off. Stupid!

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 7:53 pm

20 On June 4th, 2008, sarah-j said:

I strongly suspect that I am not alone among recovered ED sufferers who do not weigh themselves anymore, who don’t know what they weigh, don’t need to and don’t want to. Em, is that okay with you nintendo? with the society that suspects that I may be so much more passive and controllable if I have received a dodgy digital estimate of my BMI each day?

sure I can just not buy it… I will probably never play it, especially in someone’s house where a group of people are playing. Its a pity because it looks like fun but I’ll get over it.

However, in the meantime, kids as young as ? old will be learning to become conscious of their bodies in new ways. How they can stretch and twist into a yoga position, how fast and strong they can be: and how much they weigh and where that number places them within the problematic BMI scale on which they can be labeled as normal weight, overweight, obese or underweight.

what about the child who anxiously documents each pound she gains as she grows ten or so inches during puberty? what about the girl whose BMI reading is affected by temporary weight gain during her first period? what about the child who exercises and builds muscle using the game and then is confused at seeing their weight and BMI rise?

In a society where it is not possible for kids to remain unaware of the pressure to look ‘good,’ is it really necessary to provide them with a tool to use to determine how close to society’s warped and dangerous ideal of beauty they are? sigh.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 8:18 pm

21 On June 4th, 2008, sarah-j said:

I should say that I don’t want to know what I weigh. Fair enough if your doctor needs to know….. but I still wouldn’t want her to tell me unless, for some reason she needed to

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 8:35 pm

22 On June 4th, 2008, Arielle said:

I’m almost so shocked I can’t respond. Well, not shocked per say, but definitely disheartened…yet again.

What the hell does BMI mean anyway? It’s so ridiculously WRONG sometimes.

I agree that no one should be called fat, of course.

Does this game actually use the word “fat?” I certainly hope not.

posted on June 4th, 2008 at 9:55 pm

23 On June 5th, 2008, McMama said:

I’ve been wondering if we’d hear from you on this. I agree most kids won’t pay a bit of attention to the weight aspect of the game UNLESS they already have a reason to do so – such as the typical peers/parents/etc enforcing body image issues.

I personally bought the game beacuse I have trouble getting motivated to be active. Not just for weight’s sake, but for the sake of health. I’m always impressed by your activity levels, and inspired. But I needed something quick, easy, and fun. Guess what? I found it!

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 12:35 pm

24 On June 5th, 2008, McMama said:

I also want to add that, just as with ANY video game, tv show, movie, book, etc… The kids will take the negative messages with a grain of parental salt.

If we’re raising our kids to understand that killing and stealing is wrong, it’s unlikely Grand Theft Auto is going to make them into career criminals. If we’re raising our kds to have a healthy body image, it’s unlikely that Wii Fit alone is going to trigger an eating disorder.

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

25 On June 5th, 2008, Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures « Big Liberty said:

[...] Times Call For Desperate Measures spacedcowedgirl had a great comment on Rachel’s post on the Wii Fit: I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve heard that [...]

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

26 On June 5th, 2008, Annie said:

Regarding Liz’s comment (#13) that is not an actual Nintendo vs. Playstation commercial — it’s just a tacky piece of satire someone made at home.

My husband and I got a WiiFit when it first came out, and we really enjoy it — with some disclaimers. I grew up in a household with two parents who had wildly disordered eating and exercising habits. My father was obsessive about exercising and pushed me to be the same way. He was always trying to “encourage” me to exercise more, but usually just ended up telling me how out of shape/chubby/lazy I was. As a result, exercising stresses me out. I enjoy getting out and doing things like skiing, swimming, and bicycling, but going to the gym or just going for a jog? It actually induces panic attacks sometimes, as silly as that sounds.

I currently live in a city (downtown Detroit) and the skiing/swimming/biking isn’t an option as much as I’d like. The Wii Fit has been fun and good for me. I LIKE getting up and sweating for a half hour or an hour every day with the Wii Fit. It’s fun, a decent workout, and encourages good balance, improved posture, and increased flexibility.

BUT it also has that awful BMI factor to it, and if your weight goes up at all, it will actually question you on it and ask you to give a reason. One of the choices for weight gain is indigestion, which I chose the other day. Today, I stepped on the board and it said to me, “Have you been making sure to get enough fiber in your diet? We don’t want indigestion to be an EXCUSE, err… REASON for your weight gain!”

Uh, I don’t need a video game judging me.

I can totally see how this game wouldn’t be right for a lot of people — particularly people recovering from an eating disorder. It needs a lot of improvement, specifically in the way that it ties weight to moral fiber (“Have you been snacking?!”). However, I still enjoy it and have been getting a lot of use out of it.

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 12:51 pm

27 On June 5th, 2008, Rachel said:

Oh, no way, Annie. Really, it asked that! Is that verbatim?

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 1:10 pm

28 On June 5th, 2008, Kyo said:

I have Wii Fit, it’s pretty fun. They should have put up a warning or just made it so BMI isn’t used for children. It would have saved them a lot of problems. But the thing is, it’s just a game and people shouldn’t attack video games, game consoles, or Nintendo. Just like any game out there, Wii Fit isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t make the Wii or video games bad. In the end it’s really up to parents to do a little research before buying things for their kids.

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 5:13 pm

29 On June 5th, 2008, Jackie said:

Now, understanding that I am biased, being something of a Nintendo fan-girl. However, I belive the problem isn’t Nintendo it’s the BMI. This should be seen as further proof the BMI is BS, not that Nintendo did anything wrong. I mean, other than attaching the BS BMI standardd to their Wii Fit. I think though, given their long history of great gaming and stuff, they’re entitled to a mistake every once in awhile. I did remember to mention I’m a Nintendo fan-girl, right? LoL

posted on June 5th, 2008 at 6:10 pm

30 On June 6th, 2008, Michele said:

“Today, I stepped on the board and it said to me, “Have you been making sure to get enough fiber in your diet? We don’t want indigestion to be an EXCUSE, err… REASON for your weight gain!””

Holy crap, that’s horrible! Nintendo probably included it because we obviously don’t get enough “this food/activity/diet is good, and that one is BADBADBAD you EVIL person!” in everyday life. Crimeny.

posted on June 6th, 2008 at 6:19 pm

31 On June 27th, 2008, Quick Body-Positive Hits » The-F-Word.org said:

[...] discussion on the new Wii Fit from Nintendo generated a lot of overall disgust across the board for the way in [...]

posted on June 27th, 2008 at 11:32 am

32 On March 10th, 2010, Adam said:

Are people seriously complaining about a game telling their kids that they are overweight? I don’t understand what the big deal is, shouldn’t the kids know this already? I mean seriously people, no one is making fun of you, it is just giving you numbers and classifying you based on your weight. Now, if the classification was wrong then I would say there was a problem, but the problem would merely be a bug in the software.

posted on March 10th, 2010 at 6:36 pm