MEDIA ADVISORY: WII GAMES: SUMMER 2010 COMPETITION KICKS OFF IN LIBERTY STATE PARK

Olympic Champion Shawn Johnson Joins N.Y.C.-Area Consumers in Celebrating First-Ever Nationwide Wii Tournament

WHAT:
In one of the coolest cooling centers around the city, local residents are welcome all weekend long to participate in Wii Games: Summer 2010 activities at Liberty State Park. Nintendo of America today launched Wii Games: Summer 2010, a first-of-its-kind tournament inviting consumers to get up and get playing with motion-control video games for the Wii™ system. New Jersey’s Liberty State Park was the site of a large-scale kick-off event, featuring an opening ceremony and an appearance by Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson. Kids, teens, adults and seniors participated in team challenges in games such as Wii Sports Resort™, Wii Fit™ Plus, New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii and Mario Kart™ Wii.

Serving as the official Wii Games: Summer 2010 Ambassador, Johnson encouraged attendees to enjoy the social, physically active fun of the Wii console and cheered on video game legends Mario and Luigi in a live Hula Hoop® challenge with the game/software Wii Fit Plus. Tournament entrants competed for top scores, prizes and a chance to participate in a national championship event in Los Angeles in September. Spectators also enjoyed playing other Wii games such as Punch-Out!!™ and Super Mario Galaxy™ 2.

In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, iconic Nintendo video game characters Mario and Luigi, along with Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars champion Shawn Johnson, lead the opening procession of Wii Games: Summer 2010 on July 16, 2010, at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J.

A series of Wii Games: Summer 2010 qualifying events will be held over the next several weeks at select Six Flags theme parks and shopping centers across the United States. More information about Wii Games: Summer 2010 can be found at www.wiigames2010.com.

MEDIA ALERT: N.Y.C.-METRO AREA FAMILIES GET UP AND GET PLAYING AT WII GAMES: SUMMER 2010 COMPETITION

First-Ever Nationwide Wii Tournament Kicks Off July 16 at Liberty State Park with Special Appearance by Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson

WHAT:
Nintendo is hosting a kickoff event at Liberty State Park on July 16 to celebrate the first-ever nationwide Wii™ video game tournament. Participants will get off the couch and on their feet for a chance to win great prizes while having fun playing Nintendo's motion-control video games together – whether they're kids, adults, teens, seniors or families. Olympic gold medalist and Dancing with the Stars champion Shawn Johnson, the official Wii Games: Summer 2010 Ambassador, will make a special appearance to greet participants and fans.

Wii Games: Summer 2010 events will also offer fun activities for consumers and families who aren't competing in tournament play. Attendees and spectators can participate in noncompetitive demos and sample other Wii games, such as Super Mario Galaxy™ 2 and Punch-Out!!™. Subsequent events will be held throughout the summer at Six Flags theme parks and select shopping malls across the country. Qualifying winners will win a trip to Los Angeles to compete in the Wii Games: Summer 2010 national championship in September. Full details, rules and regulations can be found at http://www.wiigames2010.com.

WHO:
Kids, adults, teens, parents, seniors and video game fans of all kinds

WHEN:
Friday, July 16, 2010
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.

WHERE:
Liberty State Park
South Lawn
Jersey City, NJ 07305
201-915-3440

AHA AND NINTENDO JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE HEALTHY LIVING THROUGH ACTIVE-PLAY VIDEO GAMES

Consumers Motivated to 'Get Informed, Get Empowered, Get Active'

NEW YORK, May 17, 2010 – The American Heart Association and Nintendo of America today announced a first-of-its-kind, multifaceted strategic relationship aimed at helping people create healthy lifestyles through physically active play. The two organizations will work together on multiple fronts to help consumers discover how active-play video games contribute to healthy living. Their joint efforts will arm consumers with information, provide people with hands-on experiences and arrange a summit of representatives from different backgrounds to discuss the benefits of active-play video games.

"Our two organizations come from different worlds, but we share a common goal," said Clyde Yancy, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. "Showing people accessible ways to stay active has been a part of our mission for decades, but our research tells us nearly 70 percent of Americans are getting no regular physical activity. As an organization we are looking for ways to change this. Nintendo has demonstrated clear leadership in active-play video games with the popularity of the Wii system, and I'm confident that together we can encourage Americans to become more physically active."

Recent research indicates that the average person spends more than eight hours of each day sitting down*. The American Heart Association has been conducting its own studies to investigate the reasons why many Americans aren't more physically active. In a recent survey, more than half of respondents identified lack of time as one of the main obstacles preventing them from enjoying regular physical activity. Of those who almost never exercise, nearly 40 percent said that "exercise is not fun." The American Heart Association and Nintendo aim to help eliminate these common barriers with a call to action that motivates people to "Get Informed," "Get Empowered" and "Get Active."

American Heart Association-Nintendo Relationship

"Nintendo has been helping people get up off the couch and get playing since the Wii system launched in 2006," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "By joining forces with the American Heart Association, we further our commitment to bringing fun and accessible active-play video games to a broader audience."

To "Get Informed" about products that can be used to create a more physically active lifestyle, consumers will see the iconic American Heart Association brand on boxes for the Wii Fit™ Plus and Wii Sports Resort™ software and for the Wii™ system itself beginning this summer. Nintendo and the American Heart Association will also launch an online information center at www.activeplaynow.com, where visitors can read about the benefits of physically active play, conduct personal assessments and learn more about living a more physically active lifestyle.

Additionally, later this year Nintendo and the American Heart Association will convene a multidisciplinary summit of representatives from areas such as science, health care, research, physical activity, fitness and video gaming. The goal will be to bring together thought leaders, each with a unique perspective, to take a closer look at the synergies and potential benefits of active-play video games and physically active lifestyles. Some of the people involved in the development of the summit include Dr. Timothy Church, exercise physiologist and chair of the American Heart Association's Physical Activity Committee; Hank Wasiak, a communications industry leader and self-help author; and Michael D. Gallagher, president and chief executive officer of the Entertainment Software Association, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers.

"Video games' remarkable ability to inspire and motivate are keys to reaching new audiences. This alliance between Nintendo and the American Heart Association marks an extraordinary opportunity, not only for both groups but for the interactive entertainment software industry at large," Gallagher said. "At a time when most Americans could benefit from more regular physical exercise, these high-profile efforts to promote healthy entertainment help to make active-play video games even more appealing to consumers of all kinds."

In this photo provided by the American Heart Association and Nintendo of America, consumer Erica Maynard of Newport News, Va., demonstrates how active-play video games like Wii Fit Plus can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. At a May 17, 2010, event in New York, the American Heart Association and Nintendo of America announced they were joining forces to promote physically active play. (David Goldberg/AP Images for American Heart Association and Nintendo of America)

The American Heart Association and Nintendo also will help people to "Get Empowered" by making personal choices about creating a healthy lifestyle. People can find fun new ways to incorporate physical activity into their lives, such as participating in Start! Heart Walk events and using the American Heart Association's My Life Check test to evaluate their lifestyles. The relationship is also designed to help people "Get Active" through active-play video games like Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort, which also will be showcased at select Start! Heart Walk events around the country.

Separate from this strategic relationship, the American Heart Association has recognized Nintendo of America as one of its Start! Fit-Friendly Companies, a designation for employers who go above and beyond when it comes to their employees' health and provide opportunities for wellness in the workplace.

For more information about Nintendo, visit www.nintendo.com. For more information about the American Heart Association, visit americanheart.org.

*According to a December 2009 poll by the Institute for Medicine and Public Health.

MARIO HELPS KIDS SWING FOR THE FENCES AT 2008 CAL RIPKEN WORLD SERIES

In preparation for the Aug. 25 release of Mario™ Super Sluggers for the Wii™ console, Nintendo will be giving fans and players an interactive boost at the 2008 Cal Ripken World Series, the season's most anticipated baseball tournament for 11- and 12-year-olds. Featuring a roster of champion youth-league teams from across the United States and around the globe, the event will take place Aug. 8-16 at the prestigious Ripken Academy in Aberdeen, Md., where young players will compete on professional-quality diamonds in front of thousands of enthusiastic baseball fans.

Throughout this exciting series, players and fans are invited to experience Mario Super Sluggers, Nintendo's new Mario-themed baseball game designed exclusively for the Wii console. Interactive kiosks will be placed in the park's batting cages, where attendees can try out the game's imaginative baseball action and unique motion-sensing controls, swinging the wireless Wii Remote™ controller like an actual bat. Anyone who samples the game will be entered into a drawing to win a free copy of Mario Super Sluggers.

What's more, to heighten the excitement on the field, any Cal Ripken World Series player who hits the Nintendo banner on the outfield wall will win a copy of Mario Super Sluggers. During the series' semi-final game on Aug. 15, one lucky fan will receive a complimentary Wii console and a copy of the Mario Super Sluggers game. Nintendo will also award a copy of the game to each member of the team that captures the Cal Ripken World Series championship.

For more information about Mario Super Sluggers, visit www.nintendo.com.

Link: http://wiinintendo.net/2007/01/15/wii-sports-experiment-results/

Video gamers who'd rather battle virtual villains than fight the flab can take heart. Use of the new Nintendo Wii can lead to weight loss.

Playing the Wii is quite a different experience than the usual sit-motionless-on-the-couch scenario. Nintendo’s new console has gotten people on their feet and using muscles their bodies had forgotten about. One blogger in Philadelphia has lost nine pounds just from playing Wii Sports.

After six weeks of playing Wii Sports for 30 minutes a day, Mickey DeLorenzo dropped from 181 pounds to 172. DeLorenzo came up with the regimen after his first breathless Wii Boxing match against his wife.

His food intake remained the same and he didn’t deny himself the usual holiday indulgences, either. He tracked his progress at WiiNintendo.net, which includes before and after photos.

DeLorenzo told Reuters a fitness Web site has enlisted his help in creating Wii workouts, and he also recently bought the domain name WiiWorkout.net.

See: Wii Sports Experiment, Results! for complete story and results.