Wii bowling has been all the rage at retirement homes pretty much since the Wii started selling with Wii Sports packed in, which was day one.
But instead of fading away, the Wii Bowling movement seems to keep growing. In a recent piece in the Chicago Tribune, Alicia Fabbre talks about a particularly popular Wii Bowling league in a Chicago suburb.
The league started 3 1/2 years ago (Nintendo says it was the first in the country) and soon expanded from 12 teams to 30. The league now has 96 bowlers and 47 subs.
"It gives you a lot of exercise," said Alice Lukaszka, a 72-year-old bowler who has been in the league since it started at Carillon Lakes.
Like others, Lukaszka noted that Wii bowling is easier for her than going to a bowling alley. For starters, her score is better. (Her average is 213. At a bowling alley she would score in the low 100s, she said.) And while a remote can have its technical (or operator-induced) difficulties, at least it's not as heavy as a bowling ball.
"This is a lot more fun," said Florence Davis, 74, who has been playing since last year. "There's a lot more pressure in a [regular] league."
I'm curious what sort of impact Wii Sports Resort and it's more accurate version of Wii Bowling will have on this movement. Are the controls, and it's ability to detect flaws, going to mean aging virtual bowlers won't upgrade or will they simply up their game?
Wii bowling leagues right up seniors' alley [Chicago Tribune]