Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Wii The People

I Guess I'm Game For Anything

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON


Can you identify what I’ve photographed? If you have kids, chances are you might recognise this object. If not, there is a giveaway clue in the post title - but I’m sure you’ll still be scratching your head as you examine the unique pattern on the left-hand side of the object in the frame above.

The weekend brought much-needed rain across Melbourne and the state of Victoria. Saturday, in particular, saw dreary skies, a leaden dawn and a formless sunset. Midway through the afternoon, the sun suddenly made a brief appearance the rough thick cloud.

At the time, I was in the rumpus room and I noticed that the shallow winter sun was casting a beautiful shadow, etching the pattern of the lace curtain across the Wii that the Authorbloglets use. I quickly reached for my camera and the sun, almost on cue, retreated behind the bank of cloud and the shadow disappeared.

For the next half-hour, it was like a game of cat and mouse. The same situation was repeated about six times, while I tried to capture the clearest possible representation of the shadow across the surface of the Wii.

Just for the record, I am a fairly decent but not spectacular player on the old Nintendo 64. I am not great on a PlayStation. But when it comes to the Wii, I am simply woeful. As a reasonable tennis player in my time, I have a wicked kick serve, a whipping backhand, a decisive forehand and I belt the ball as hard as I can. But any time you want an easy victory, challenge me to a game of tennis on the Wii. I’m like a very powerful vacuum cleaner. I suck.


But the photography exercise that afternoon (while the Authorbloglets giggled at my antics as the sun’s rays ebbed and flowed) gave me the perfect platform for a W post. Forget Winter. Forget Weekend. Go for Wii - and here are the pictures to go with it, to boot.

There is a very funny Wii-related story I’d like to share. Some months ago a very good friend of mine who has four children said her youngest daughter had a very sore elbow. Her mother explained, grinning, that it was probably a bad case of the classic injury, the get-out-of-doing-my-homework complaint. She said it tongue-in-cheek, but we could both see that the little girl was in a fair degree of discomfort.

I could see no bruising, no broken skin, no external evidence of any injury. The little girl then volunteered the information that she had been in severe pain since the previous evening. I got her point. As a father of three, I could see that she was telling me the injury pre-dated the homework.

The next day, I bumped into them again. The little girl had her customary bright smile back on her face. I asked her mother if the homework had been completed. Yes, was the answer. But there was an intriguing postscript.

They went to their family doctor. He inspected the arm and asked about the nature of the pain. He rubbed his chin. Then he asked the little girl what she had done that week.

"Lots of homework," was the defensive reply.

But he asked the child what she had done every evening before he made a careful diagnosis. There was not a doubt in his mind that the child had a really bad case of tennis elbow.

"So," I asked the mother, "she’ll be missing a few weeks of tennis lessons, then?"

The mother was genuinely puzzled. Then she explained the child didn’t play tennis.

But she had sustained the injury by playing three solid hours of Wii tennis against her older brother.

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

37 comments:

Daryl said...

Ahhh.. the wonders of Wii ... I am SO glad that Husband remains addicted to JigZone puzzles ... low high tech ...

:-Daryl

Scrappy said...

I love the shadows.
Tennis elbow from playing the Wii?... Funny!
The Wii is the first video game console that I allowed my husband to buy for my children. I like the fact that they have to get up off the couch to play. My boys play much better than I do, but I love Guitar Hero!

Max-e said...

Just goes to show David that you can get exercise in front of a computer :)

FOXY1969 said...

Wii is fantastic and my pudgy 12 year old is toning up nicely!
I have not plucked up the courage to make a fool of myself on it yet though!

Kat said...

I'm scared of the Wii. I'm afraid that if we got one I'd never leave the house again. From what I hear they are pretty fun.

Pat - Arkansas said...

Delightful!

Cath said...

I'm a mum. I knew it immediately. Brilliant concept to photograph the shadows. I would have just photographed the Wii. Great story about the little girl too - I can believe it. Those games are really strenuous!
I'm better at bowling on the Wii than in real life. In real life I bounce the ball off the buffers...

Very topical W! (And I like that the sun does not behave for you either!)

bcmomtoo said...

I love the shadow you worked so hard to capture.

I'm pretty bad at Wii sports, too, and the one time I tried Guitar Hero, my son told me I'm hopeless. I do know that it's possible to be sore the next day from too much Wii bowling.

just jamie said...

Why, the Wii, of course.

I worked up a true sweat bowling with that. Yup, quite the athlete here. ;)

Anonymous said...

yep...my hubby want to buy wii also :P

Mine in here at My Imaginary Travels. Thanks

Juliana RW said...

some of people can be addicted play with this Wii....

Please visit mine also in here Thanks

Petunia said...

We don't have a Wii but we have a Playstation 3. My housband and kids love to play all the time! It is ok for me because then I can visit my (blog)friends!!!!
Great choice for W:)

Texas Travelers said...

Interesting post. I have heard of several cases of this.

Coleco was my game.

On your earlier post, I could not think fo a thing I am afraid of, with the exception of a simultaneous computer and external hard drive crash.

Our W's are big.
Come visit,
Troy and Martha

Louise said...

Love the shadoes on the Wii. It's fine you suck at Wii and can actually play tennis.

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

This post gave me such a giggle, especially as I'm in the process of trying to talk Neil into buying one (for the sake of our health...really).

Katney said...

Okay, I will try this again. We are awaiting the return of the cable guy to complete the installation of everything at my son't new digs. I am tenuously connected to my son't wireless--or someone's anyway. As he was getting things ready for the initial visit of the cable guy this morning, he connected the TV, the VCR, the DVD, the stereo, the speakers, then asked, where does the Atari connect? Yes, a bit of a retro young man, he is possessed of an Atari instead of a Wii, Nintendo, or PS2.

esnorway said...

great w pics and story

A.Bananna said...

My husband and I played a Wii at a friends house and now Wii are hooked. These are so much fun to play!! Wii have not bought one yet but Wii will soon!!

Anonymous said...

What a craze this Wii is. I've heard of many accidents with it. It's kind of funny. One gal got her nose broken...
At least kids are up and active...

KaiBlue said...

Aloha David..
I have children.. I have Wii's, nintendos, X-box, Ds's, ataris, compies, hand helds.. teehee..

it's such fun.. PEace, Kai

me ann my camera said...

As Wii only visits my home on special occasions when our family gathers together, and it is part of my son's luggage, I didn't recognize it right away, but wheeee... it is fun when we all get playing.
varying seasons

Nessa said...

My Dad loves Wii bowling.

EG CameraGirl said...

Your post makes me feel so woefully far behind the times. LOL Luckily I do understand playing with light and shadows, though. And I don't think they'll give me tennis elbow. ;-)

Hilary said...

I love your shadowii image.. and the accompanying story. ;) Very cool.

Sandi McBride said...

My sons play the Wii games, my younger son buys games claiming they are for the G'daughter...yeah, right! She's into My Little Pony, not Saturday night fights! fun picture...odd how the controls look like a red cross done in white symbol...could be a hint of future pain
Sandi

Anonymous said...

I've never seen one of these, so this was pretty interesting!

Louis la Vache said...

If you are a Wii bit tired of playing with and losing to the Authorbloglets, "Louis" invites you to step right up to the Wheel of Life!

Maggie May said...

Virtual exercise! Hmm! No obviously a bit more than that! Lovely lace shadow pattern.

Unknown said...

My daughter is too young for a Wii just yet, and long may it continue!! I think the threat of tennis elbow might be used when she asks for one!! (Thanks for the tip!)

Gary
Bodge's Bulletin

Rune Eide said...

We have almost every games console ever invented, but not that one. I better not speak so loudly, though...

mrsnesbitt said...

Wii laughed at this! LOL!

Unknown said...

Great shots again David, especially the shadow one.
I`m not a big gamer, my first and last game consol(computer)was a Comodore 64 with cassette player and 5 1/4" floppy disk from 1984. LOL

Jules~ said...

Wow getting tennis elbow from playing a vertual game. That is cute. And cute also is the mental image of you playing cat and mouse with the sun and lace curtain shadow.

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Well, I've learned a little about Wii...at least, what one looks like...and really enjoyed your stories to go along with it. I can so relate to the photographic side of it...trying to capture the image while the sun plays hide and seek. I also like that this very 21st century object is graced with shadowed lace from a pattern that is surely from the 19th century at least, cast there upon its surface by the sun, most ancient indeed.

Also, I've not heard the term "rumpus room" since my childhood days and that early TV show which at the moment I cannot remember the name of! (It was five decades ago; perhaps that can be my excuse...)

Mima said...

I don't have a Wii, or children, so didn't recognise it, love the story about tennis elbow, a very painful condition, but it does go to show that kids are getting some exercise with the Wii which has got to be good news!

Liz Hinds said...

I had one go at tennis and that was enough for me!

Great shots.

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