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Wii fitness trial "surrenders to laziest pupils"

Campaign For Real Education spokesman Nick Seaton has battered a Worcestershire school trial which uses Wii games to encourage pupils that consistently miss sports lessons to be physically active.

"I think most sensible parents will think this is surrendering to the laziest pupils, it cannot possibly be any replacement for serious games and competition between peer group," he told the well-balanced, un-mad Daily Mail.

The scheme, so far taken up by five schools in the UK county, is offering Wii Sports in tandem to the real thing in order to get the cool kids, like, you know, moving.

A spokesman for Droitwich and Worcester City School Partnership said: "The use of computer games to increase physical activity levels and raise attainment to some would seem contradictory but with rigid structures in place and by using specific games students soon found themselves being active and engaged almost without realising it."

Nintendo UK marketing director, Dawn Paine, said at the time: "We now want to turn the living room into a fitness centre for the whole family. Perish the thought, but video games can now make you fit."

Now the Mail's on board, don't expect this to go away any time soon.

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Patrick Garratt

Founder & Publisher (Former)

Patrick Garratt is a games media legend - and not just by reputation. He was named as such in the UK's 'Games Media Awards', the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. After garnering experience on countless gaming magazines, he joined Eurogamer and later split from that brand to create VG247, putting the site on the map with fast, 24-hour a day coverage, and assembling the site's earliest editorial teams. He retired from VG247, and the games industry, in 2017.

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