So…just like Lise is fairly certain the writers for The Office read our blog (see here, here and here) …I’m pretty sure Nintendo’s game developers are following us as well.

Earlier this year, I wrote about the health benefits the Wii can provide and now recent news has triggered a second post concerning the Wii’s role in health. This time it’s CPR-specific!

According to Newsweek, the American Heart Association has pledged $50,000 towards the creation of a Wii game that teaches CPR using only a Wii remote and a screen! The research team, four biomedical engineering students from the University of Alabama, have a difficult task ahead of them.

As an instructor, it’s my opinion that learning CPR solely from a video game (with a pillow or basketball as alternates to a manikin) won’t provide adequate training. I DO however, see this as an exciting opportunity to inspire Wii gamers to sign up for a class. It also would function great as a refresher for those already trained in CPR.