Video games were never a prominent part of my childhood. My mom refused to ever buy a Nintendo game system, and my sister and I just weren’t that into video games. Of course, everyone loved Duckhunt, and I can remember going gaga over my best friend’s Lion King Nintendo game, where players hopped across ostrich backs as Simba. I can also recall the extreme frustration of never making it past the last level of Taz in Space on Sega. I would never get too hung up on the games because I could always put the remote down and play outside, read a book or find something better to do. My feelings today are the same towards X-Box, Playstation 2, etc. As a result of my lack of interest in video games, I never exercised the part of my brain that controls the hand/eye coordination that these video games demand. I’ve tried several times and I always struggle. This just isn’t the case with Nintendo Wii. One of my favorite things about Nintendo Wii is that you can make your own character. You can design everything, from haircut to nose shape to accessories. Your Wii character can look creepishly similar to you. Another great thing about Wii is the remote. One never has to ingrain in their memory that “A” means jump or “B” means kick. Instead, you simply follow instinct by moving your hands and learning as you go. For example, when first learning Wii Bowling, I noticed that I always aimed a little to the left. I fixed this by shifting my aim a little more to the right. When I want to pop the bowling ball up for a straighter, less aggressive throw, I simply simulate the real motion of tossing up a bowling ball, and the sensor on top of the TV picks it up. Six hours later, I am a pro-Wii bowler and my Sunday afternoon has disappeared! I swear by Wii. In all honesty, I love the thing, and I have to make a true effort not to play it for six hours whenever I’m at my friend’s house. But if the choice is between playing tennis outside or playing tennis in my friend’s living room, I’ll pick outside! -Courtney Centeno, account executive