NBC broadcast features Sedgebrook gamers

By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Nintendo’s latest gaming system, the Wii (pronounced “we”), has been flying off store shelves since it was released last December. To the surprise of the national media, the game has become wildly popular with older adults.

Nintendo players make the news
People who live at Sedgebrook in Lincolnshire have become avid “gamers” since the Wii system was installed in the clubhouse in January. Earlier this month the trendsetters caught the eye of the Chicago media and were featured on NBC Nightly News.

Four of Sedgebrook’s top Wii bowlers held a tournament while a lively crowd of friends cheered them on for the NBC broadcast, which aired on this month.

Ginger Kotz, one of the competitors, has never bowled in a real-life bowling alley, but that doesn’t stop her from rolling strikes in the Nintendo version of the sport.

“If I picked up a real ball, it would probably take me down the aisle,” Kotz jokes.

No experience required
But with the Wii’s wireless handheld controller that detects three-dimensional motion, Kotz can bowl for hours and enjoy high-tech fun with her friends.

“For me it’s the social part,” she says. “Whenever I see them playing here, I come down and join in.”

As easy to use as TV remote
Nintendo representative David Young says the company is pleased with its newfound popularity among older adults. He says the Wii controller was designed to appeal to a broader audience.

“It looks like a TV remote. We wanted people to be able to say, ‘This looks like something I’m familiar with,’” Young explains. “It’s not about buttons and joysticks, it’s about movement.”