Fitness ‘Expert’ Prepping Class Action Suit Over Wii Fit
One of the hottest gaming products of the holiday season was, without a doubt, Nintendo’s Wii Fit balance board. Most people have seemed pretty pleased with the game on the whole, and have praised Nintendo for coming up with a creative way to get gamers of all ages off their couches in more physically active. Of course, “most people” aren’t self-proclaimed “Health and Wellness Expert”, Michael Torchia.
Torchia, who claims to have been the personal trainer to stars such as Kevin Spacey, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, and Kim Cattrall, has spent much of his recent time speaking out against childhood obesity through his “Operation Fitness” program, which has been designed to teach kids how to properly work out and eat right, culminating in a healthier lifestyle. One thing that Torchia doesn’t seem to have room for in his program, though, is video games, with Nintendo’s Wii system in particular being particularly disliked.
In an op-ed piece, Torchia complained that people are overusing the Wii and Wii Fit as exercise tools, leading to more sustained injuries to their wrists, knees, and back. Torchia cites an increase in the number of cases of “Wii-itis” in UK, as well as cases of “Wii-knee”, which he blames on the bending of the knee during the yoga and strength training exercises included in the Wii Fit program. Torchia also derides the system for teaching gamers improper form in sports games, “which can potentially effect [sp] their ability to excel in those specific activities later in life.”
Yesterday, Torchia took his criticism of the Wii and Wii Fit to a new level, announcing that he has retained “a prominent law firm in Beverly Hills” to prepare a class action lawsuit against Nintendo concerning the products. According to Torchia, “Nintendo is contributing to the epidemic of obesity. Young and old are putting away their gym clothes and shying away from going outdoors to play sports, because the addictive appeal to the Wii game products. Just as the tobacco companies created such a false image of their products and hid the potential dangers, so is Nintendo.”
Torchia feels Nintendo is misrepresenting their Wii games “as a replacement for sensible exercise and sports activities.” He wants the company to include warnings on its products stating that the games are “intended for entertainment and not to replace actual physical activity.” The suit is looking to have the products yanked off store shelves until Nintendo complies.
Of course, this could just be a matter of Torchia getting upset that Nintendo is moving in on his turf. On the Operation Fitness website, Torchia is not only selling his personal training and motivational speaking services, but also his “Lean Body Caps” at a cool $55 per bottle. Considering that Torchia claims the Operation Fitness program is designed specifically to combat childhood obesity, I can’t help but find it ironic that he’s accusing Nintendo of misleading the public. Well, at least his tablets don’t come in assorted fruit flavors and shaped like cartoon characters.
