By Sean Leviashvili

Nintendo Wii may widen gamers’ workout horizons.

This past spring, a study in the United Kingdom reported that using Wii Sports, a game that comes with the $249 Wii system, can burn more than 150 calories an hour. The game keeps users active through arm and leg movements simulating actions in certain sports.

With the addition of a Wii to the Northeastern game room, located on the second floor of the Curry Student Center, students may now have an alternative to working out in the Marino Center.

S. Warley, founder of the website www.workoutwithwii.com, has proposed an exercise program that uses the physical and interactive qualities of the Nintendo Wii to help people lose weight while in their living room.

Warley, who does not list his first name on his website, said he developed the site to promote the health benefits Wii users experience.

“The goal of this site is to couple the physical activities required to play games on the Wii, with tips and techniques to enhance the game experience,” Warley wrote in on the site.

Warley began a weight loss challenge, which included a 30-day routine to shed seven pounds, by Jan. 2, shortly after Nintendo released the system in late 2006.

The routine includes 30 minutes a day spent using the Wii, an increased water intake and a decrease in carbohydrate consumption.

Warley also listed ways that Wii users can improve their workouts. Suggestions include moving your feet while playing and using your less dominant hand during games.

Nintendo will expand the options available for those who want to workout with the system, according to an announcement on the company’s website. The manufacturers will add new, health-conscious programs to the expanding line of games available for the Wii, like Wii Fitness, which does not yet have a release date.

Kristen Miller, director of fitness at Northeastern, said while she believes it’s beneficial that people are standing up and moving around instead of sitting down to play video games, not enough research has been done to indicate whether the Wii could provide an adequate workout.

“A good research project should be conducted to see whether the movements made are reproducible and similar to the movements made in bowling and other sports,” Miller said.

Kristen Kim, a freshman health sciences major, agreed the Wii could not provide an effective workout. She said the half-hour fitness test the system offers can account for a minor workout, but to her knowledge and experience, the Wii could not serve as an exercise routine.

“Guitar Hero is more of a workout,” Kim said.

Dave Courtney, a sophomore engineering student, also scoffed at the idea.

“Only if you’re going to be playing the Wii for hours upon hours,” he said.

Although many students doubted the Wii’s weight-loss ability, most agreed that the new system was innovative.

The recent addition of the Wii to the Northeastern game room attracted freshman business major Sheel Shah, who recently discovered the Wii.

While playing “The Bigs,”a virtual reality baseball game, a question arose about whether the sports games designed for the Wii could compare with the adrenaline and excitement involved in playing real sports.

“It’s something different since no other game system really makes you move around,” Shah said.