Nintendo Wii's in occupational Therapy

For part of Week 5’s work we had a look at how the Nintendo Wii is used within Occupational Therapy practice. These were the questions we have to answer for it:

1. Why do you think Wii gaming has appeal to people who are not traditional video game players?
Many people who do not like video gaming like Nintendo Wii because it gives them the opportunity to participate in leisure activities that they are not necessarily able to participate in due to decrease in function. Many people also like the fact that Wii is active so there is exercise involved, unlike the Video gaming. Wii is also interactive and has many social attributes whereas many video games can be isolating.

2. What is the relevance here to occupational therapy?
The Nintendo Wii is a fun tool which provides a fun alternative to normal routinely exercises which may become very boring. This is a very motivational factor because people would much rather participate in things that they enjoy and that don’t seem like that much of a task.
Wiis help with muscles getting stronger, fine motor skills (through using the buttons), gross motor skills (doing the activities), increases flexibility, strengthens torso, helps with transfers and is good exercise. These all help with occupations that people may want to participate in as well as being an occupation in itself. It also serves as a great motivator.

3. Investigate the other applications offered by the Wii gaming consol, how else could it be used as an OT tool?
It can definitely be used as part of intervention. As said before it is a motivator and an occupation in itself. It also promotes interaction with others which is fantastic because many people who need OT intervention become isolated.