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Here's why! (Important parts are underlined, but included the entire article just in case someone was interested)

Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Karen Farkas
Plain Dealer Reporter

Westlake -- Forget about that robe and slippers -- Grandma wants a Nintendo Wii for Christmas.

But Grandma, just like her grandchildren, is going to have a nearly impossible time finding the hot-selling game system. Part of the reason is that seniors are snapping it up with as much fervor as teenagers.

The interactive game system has crossed generations -- allowing men and women who bowled in their youth to again feel the thrill of throwing a strike. Except now the 10 pins are knocked down by a ball "thrown" by a controller aimed at a television.

"I bowled three times a week in leagues," recalled Mary Jane Morey, 93, a resident of Brighton Gardens of Westlake, who gathered Tuesday with about 20 seniors around a large-screen television.

"At first this was confusing because of the buttons, but once you get the coordination, it became just as easy to throw a gutter ball as [regular] bowling," Morey said.

Morey, who lost her right leg to an infection, bowls from her wheelchair. Such access is one of the beauties of the game, said Kathi Greco, director of community relations for Brighton.

Greco helped Margaret Sheppard, 86, guide her walker behind the duct-tape line on the carpet, put the controller strap around her wrist so she wouldn't accidentally throw it during her swing and showed her how to hold a button then release it as she swung her arm toward the lane on the screen.

Sheppard received cheers from the screen and those in the room after she threw a strike.

"It's fun," she said.

Not only does the Wii provide a change from bingo and crafts, but it improves hand-eye coordination and mental skills, said Dr. Robert Palmer, head of geriatric medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.

"I think it has a physical and intellectual component," he said. "It encourages them to take on a new and challenging task. It may be very, very good for keeping seniors active and feeling good about themselves."

The popularity of the Wii in senior centers and retirement communities has taken everyone by surprise, including Nintendo of America, which initially marketed it to the young and middle-aged but quickly adjusted when it realized older people were playing.

The company had booths at the last two AARP national expositions and has partnered with retirement communities.

"The Wii is attractive to seniors because the controller, which looks like a television remote control, is easy to use and movements by the player are translated into action on the screen," said Kelli Horner, Nintendo's director of public relations in an e-mail response to questions.

"Previously, many game companies focused almost exclusively on the young male gamer demographic. Now baby boomers and seniors are realizing that they can get in on the fun," she wrote.

Finding the popular Wii is a game in itself. Most stores are sold out of the system, and they are expected to be hard to come by this holiday season.

Greco got one for Brighton about a month ago through the connections of a employee's son. The Mentor Senior Center got one after a summer intern made numerous calls before snagging one at a Mayfield store.

Greco and Kim Nolan, the Mentor center's recreation director, said seniors initially had to be encouraged to participate. But once they started playing, they began clamoring for more game time and leagues.

"It's not like a lot of the video games and there's not a lot of fast button pushing," said Nolan, 49, who asked her 21-year-old son to show her how to use the system. "It's very cool. If you're 88 and can't hold a 15-pound bowling ball, they can still do it and have the fun and camaraderie of interacting in sports."

Nolan said the best part about Wii is that it opens a new line of communication between seniors and their grandchildren.

"They play the game together," she said. "It brings two generations together."

Greco, who takes her Wii to the Fairview Park Senior Center once a month, said seniors are telling their children they want one for Christmas.

Betty Temesvari, 66, of Fairview Park, said she would love to have one at her home. She visited Brighton Tuesday and bowled as if she was at a local alley, using body language to try to will the virtual ball away from the gutter.

"My family wants to get me a computer, but I can use the ones at the senior center or library," she said. "I'd rather have a Wii."

REVENGE OF THE SENIORS!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!