It's Official: Old People Love the Wii!

...at least, here in the U.S. The Chicago Trib is reporting that the Wii is a big hit with the geriatric set.




Evidently, old-timers are getting a kick out of using the Wii's much-lauded controller, particularly enjoying games like Wii Sports' bowling.  One nursing home recently set up a Wii in a common area, where senior citizens gather after dinner to geek out.

"I've never been into video games," said 72-year-old Flora Dierbach last week as her husband took a twirl with the Nintendo Wii's bowling game. "But this is addictive."

[...]

"We'll even have a fan for people to dry their hands before they bowl," said Dierbach, head of Sedgebrook's entertainment committee.

Nintendo seems to be embracing the attention given the Wii from the older crowd.  According to this piece in GameDaily Biz, Nintendo marketing executives approached AARP about demoing the Wii and DS at a recent convention.

EGM also recently ran a feature in which the writers sat down with several elderly folks to try out some of the games. The reception was generally lukewarm, if pleasant.