Nintendo Partners With American Heart Association

As Americans' lifestyles become ever more sedentary, Nintendo of America and the American Heart Association have partnered to show how video games can help raise physical activity, the companies said Monday. The partnership will place American Heart Association logos on packaging for Nintendo's Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit and the Wii system itself beginning this summer. The two parties also worked together to launch the website activeplaynow.com. The Nintendo Wii's motion-sensing technology has enabled gameplay that's more physically active than traditional console gaming, the American Heart Association recognized. "Our two organizations come from different worlds, but we share a common goal," said Clyde Yancy, M.D., president of the American Heart Association. He said that his organization's research shows that almost 70 percent of Americans are getting no regular physical activity. A 2009 poll from the Institute for Medicine and Public Health also found that Americans spend an average of eight hours a day sitting down. "As an organization we are looking for ways to change this," Yancy added. The partnership is encouraging people to "Get Informed, Get Empowered, Get Active." Aside from branding on retail packaging, Nintendo and the American Heart Association will convene a summit of representatives from an array of backgrounds including science, health care, research, physical activity, fitness and video gaming. The group will explore new ways to work together to encourage more physical activity. The American Heart Association separately recognized Nintendo of America as a Start! Fit-Friendly Company, a label employers earn by going "above and beyond" employees' health and wellness needs in the workplace.