A day boarding school at Malad has set up a Nintendo Wii, a gaming console, on the premises in the hope that students will get their much-needed exercise.
While schools across the city bemoan the lack of playgrounds and safe, open spaces for children, a day boarding school at Malad, Universal High, has found a way out of this problem. It has set up a Nintendo Wii, a gaming console, on the premises in the hope that students — who can take part in virtual games and sports like boxing, tennis, cricket, football and such — will get their much-needed exercise.
The Wii uses motion-sensing technology through a remote to detect movements such as a tennis stroke on a computer screen. The player has to use the Wii remote as if it is a tennis racquet, and he is actually playing a game, and the ‘swing’ movements will be replicated on screen. “This allows students to play tennis or any other sport the school does not have space for,” says Jesus Lall, CEO of the Universal Education Group.
Thanks to this technology, eight-year-old Arun Vaidya (name changed), who has muscular dystrophy, is able to play his favourite games. “He has progressive muscle weakness and cannot participate in any contact sport. Through Wii, he can play virtual tennis or cricket,” says Zarin Virji, principal of Universal High school.
Apart from helping kids with disabilities, Wii is being used by the school to encourage youngsters to take up exercise. “Today, nearly 10 per cent of students in a school are obese. With hardly any space for outdoor games, youngsters are becoming overweight and suffer from various ailments. We use this technology to get them into shape and help them burn calories even as they enjoy themselves,” says Lall.
Parents were initially worried that this would encourage a craze for video games. “I thought it was like a video game, but after the school demonstrated it separately for us, I am convinced that it will be beneficial in keeping youngsters fit,” says Andheri resident Vandana Walia.
The technology has been such a hit with parents that a Wii has been set up at nine Universal schools. “We wanted all our students to take advantage of it. And since it costs only Rs30,000, it is affordable for us too,”says Lall.
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