The Nintendo Wii is the best console for dorms

Carley Sonju
Staff Writer

Gaming consoles are found in almost every college student’s room, whether they live on campus in the dorms, off campus in apartments, or commute from home.

Some students even have more than one console in their room. Xbox and PlayStation are the two main consoles that more serious gamers own, but for the students who want to play games to socialize with others while in college, these are not the best option.

Nintendo came out with the Wii in October 2011. That being said, it is a much older gaming system, but the games for Wii are the most user-friendly for people of all ages. Anyone can catch on to the controls very quickly, whereas on a PlayStation or Xbox they can be a little bit more tricky. They also encourage you to interact with people in person, making them much more entertaining. The Wii is the best gaming console for college students to have in their dorm or apartment.

One of my favorite games to play with my friends in the dorms is Wii Sports. Playing baseball or bowling against one another with some friendly competition is so much fun, and it brings us together as friends and helps us escape from our same daily routine.

With most multiplayer games on Xbox or PlayStation, split screen is not an option, so they are just played online in separate rooms. Most Wii games can be played with up to 4 players using 4 remotes, which is perfect for allowing large groups of people to all have a chance at the fun.

I asked a couple students their opinions on what their favorite gaming console is. Jorie Ziegeldorf, a freshman, disagreed with me. She said, “My favorite gaming console is a Play Station because I like the games Play Station offers over what the Wii offers.”

Another freshman Hannah Sorum answered, “I prefer the Wii over any gaming console because the Wii has many games that can be played with multiple people in the same room. Some games involve being active and competitive which make it really fun.”

Another entertaining aspect of the Wii is creating your own Mii. Miis are the characters you create that are then featured as the players in games like Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Wii Sports Resort. You can create a Mii that looks like yourself, or you can create other characters who may not look like anyone you know. This brings even more of a connection into the game, and when you’re playing against your friends, you can see their Miis in the game too.

I grew up playing the Wii with my family, especially my younger brother. Some of my fondest memories are playing Mario Kart, Just Dance, and Wii Sports as a family. I appreciate how socially focused the Wii was designed to be and having friends in college who all grew up having a Wii makes it much more fun to play.

If you don’t have a Wii, get some friends to pitch in and buy one with you. It is a great investment to make and is a great way to create lasting memories in college.

Header photo courtesy of Flickr.