“It’s surprising how much the game is like real bowling,” says Claudia Davis who placed second overall in the competition. “You can direct the ball for a curve, hook, or straight. Anyone can play anywhere as long as you have a television or a screen and the Wii game system.”

Easy to learn
Much of the success of the Riderwood Wii tournament lies in the fact that the Wii gaming system is so easy to learn. In fact, most of the competitors had little or no video game experience; just a week prior, they attended a how-to demonstration. But their successes prove they are all quick studies.

“The first time I played was last week,” McGuire says. “I was walking by and saw the demonstration, so I thought I’d check it out.”

Earl Davis admits that the last time he played video games was when Pong was popular. “No, I haven’t played [the Wii system] before,” he says, “but it’s very easy to learn.”

Even the tournament’s winner, Hal Winters, says, “I had never heard of the Wii before. I had no knowledge of or any experience with video games.”

Camaraderie and fun
As evidenced by the numerous high fives taking place throughout the tournament, Riderwood’s video gamers cite camaraderie and an overall good time as their reasons for learning this new technology.

“For me, the best part of playing in the tournament was interacting with the other players,” Winters says. “It was lots of fun.”

Davis agrees. “It was a lot of fun, and I met a lot of very nice people.”

The next challenge
Due to the success of Riderwood’s first Wii tournament, plans are currently under way for future Wii tournaments and the formation of a Wii bowling league. But we’ll have to stay tuned as new video game systems hit the market, because Riderwood’s video gamers will no doubt want to master those as well.