A couple of weeks ago I was sent the “must have” video game system of the year – the Nintendo Wii. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I was sent the Wii, a few games and several controllers, at no charge, but also without obligation or financial compensation.)

There really wasn’t a question whether Steve and I were going to enjoy the Wii. We had both grown up playing video games – I can still remember when my father bought an Atari system for our house – and during our relationship Steve and I had owned a PlayStation (1) and, most recently, an X-Box. When I was a teenager my brother owned a Super Nintendo, on which I loved playing Super Mario Brothers, a game that influences all my game choices… all my favorite games are of the “jump and hit” variety (versus the 1st person shooter games that my husband prefers).

Since receiving the system we’ve tried a variety of games – Wii Sports, Zelda, SSX Blur – and, predictably, we love the system. The games are fun, the controls are fairly intuitive and unlike the traditional video game system, you are rarely still for very long. There was one down side, after two days of intensive game play, I fell victim to what we called “Wii-arm” – my arm and shoulder were so stiff and sore from the unfamiliar activities that I actually cramped up during spin class. My husband said it was reminiscent of“Atari thumb” from the 80’s”

I shouldn’t have been surprised. How often do you play 60 frames of bowling, 15 rounds of tennis and 3 baseball games in a 48-hour period?

There was one thing I didn’t predict – as much as we enjoyed playing the games, so did all of our friends.

As I explained, Steve and I have always enjoyed playing video games. In a recent survey by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), it was discovered that 35% of American parents say they play computer and video games. That doesn’t surprise me – I know there are many parents who, like Steve and I, who have been playing video games since our teens (over 20 years). But I also like watching cartoons with my son on Saturday mornings (we enjoy the line up on WB which are largely superhero-based), science fiction, comic books and comic book-based movies – and in most cases, I’m alone within my peer group in my enjoyment of these things.

Last Sunday three couples and their children (ages 4 and under) joined us for brunch and Wii-related activities. We handed each of the four, 4-year olds a “remote” (the Wii’s controller), and taught then all how to bowl within Wii Sports. The kids all got it pretty quickly – within 2 or 3 frames each child had figured out how to roll the ball, how to move their character, and how to control the ball speed. We even had a few unassisted strikes and spares! As I watched the action, I was struck by something special – not only were our kids enjoying the game (and getting along) – but all the parents were engaged in the activity as well! We were cheering, chatting and coaching as each of our children took turns (again, without arguing). When the kids got tired of playing – we actually reached a point when the kids were lying on the floor, worn out by the activity – the parents took over, It was a mix of gamers and non-gamers, and all seemed to enjoy it equally!

Fast-forward one week to our monthly neighborhood Bunko game. I had struggled all week to gather the requisite 12 members to play the game, only to be thwarted by a early Spring Northeaster that dumped nearly a foot of heavy, wet, slush all over our neighborhood. Our group of 12 was down to 9 – no Bunko. What is a girl to do?

After a couple of hours of chit chat, drinking and food, Erin (my non-gaming partner in podcasting) suggested we pull out the Wii. Did I mention I enjoy playing video games? Obviously I was “game” (ha!). Women who were about to leave for home decided to stay to check out the action. Again, we chose to give Wii Sports – the game that comes with the system – a whirl. We pushed aside all the furniture and played 2 rounds of bowling (Erin and Aimee kicked my butt) and then 3 rounds of tennis – it is wild to watch 4 grown women waving remotes around as they play doubles tennis. And surprising no one got hit in the head!

Besides a killer case of Wii-arm, the Wii has caused two more problems in our house. First, Anders was given a V-smile game system for Christmas. I’m afraid the console, which already is gathered in a bundle on the top of our entertainment cabinet upstairs, may never again see the light of day (I’ve taken to calling the Wii our “V-smile killer). And, my own enjoyment of the Wii is making me re-think our “video games only on weekends” policy.

The fact is, Steve and I probably would have bought the Wii - eventually. But we had actually decided to wait a little while because a) the X-Box was doing fine, b) although the game system is fairly inexpensive compared to other machines released this year, the games are retailing almost $50 each (while used X-Box games cost around $6, and c) the system and accessories are still impossible to find in stores. In fact, even with receiving all the free stuff, we've probably spent over $100 on a couple of new games and accessories.

But now it is my house, and quite frankly, I'm addicted. So if you'll excuse me - it's a snow day and I have hours to master SSX Tricky before we go out to dinner.

Want to see the Wii in action? Check out: