Balance Board Boredom or Wii Fit Failure

Wii Fit turns out to be more like a real exercise program than most people expected. Everyone starts off with great intentions but only a select few succeed at really turning over a new leaf. It's actually kinda sad. Wii Fit is a great game/program and the Balance Board is really nothing short of brilliant, yet there they sit, next to those little white consoles that could, just collecting dust.

It's actually not that strange or surprising when you really think about. It's not news to any one that the Wii attracts casual gamers and by the very definition, casual gamers take their game time rather "casually". In order for any exercise program to really work it takes commitment, a lot of commitment. Commitment to work-out when you don't want to, eat right when you are craving some sinful pleasure, and commitment to keep at it even when you face set backs.
Wii Fit has already been a success in terms of copies sold and it would have helped sell more Wiis if there were any Wiis anywhere to sell. But Wii Fit is not going to succeed as a weight loss program, at least not for the majority of casual gamers that managed to pick up a copy. It's not that it couldn't succeed, I'm completely convinced that Wii Fit could help me get in better shape, it is just that buying a novel exercise device, or program, does not provide the kind of motivation that it takes to get people to truly commit.

The Balance Board itself is a completely different story. It works and it is fun to use. If developers stick to their decisions to release more Balance Board compatible games and continue to come out with creative ways to incorporate the technology it is going to succeed. Of course Balance Board success means Wii Fit success and vice versa because Nintendo has already promised not to sell the Board separate from the game.

It's a win - win - win situation.
Casual gamers pick-up Wii Fit to experiment with casual exercise, even though they are not likely to continue long enough to really see any lasting benefit; the massive number of Balance Boards out there draws more developers to find ways to use them; and new Balance Board compatible games are going get picked up simply because gamers don't like to see the boards just sitting there not being used.

So is it Balance Board boredom that we face?
No, just casual gamers living up to their reputations and there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a casual gamer as long as you don't actually begin to think that a "casual" attitude will help you lose weight.

So it must be Wii Fit failure right?
Well, maybe and maybe not. Wii Fit's success as a product is already written in stone but as a weight loss program it will only succeed for people who commit to making it work.