The Wii game console blew past competition last year like a winning skier on its balance board. NPD Group says Nintendo sold 10.2 million of the consoles in in North America last year, or more than the combined sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3.
Our house is swept up in the trend, having bought consoles for both sets of our parents. They expressed interest in the Wii before we brought it up. That was a new one: They've not pined for a game console before. They're part of a bigger movement, reports Bloomberg:
Last year, 26 percent of people over the age of 50 played video games, up from 9 percent in 1999, according to the Entertainment Software Association, a Washington-based trade group. The figure is expected to rise because of the games’ growing popularity with seniors, the association said
You can bet most of those seniors are on the Wii. Plus, our boys are even more enthusiastic about visiting grandma and grandpa.
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