Tom Neville (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a quick question. I am going to brainstorm a bit, if the committee will indulge me. I am going back to 2008 or 2009, if I remember correctly, and the advent of Wii technology. Can people remember Wii technology and computer games? I do not know if anyone does but someone may. The smart phone is taking everything over and it is leading to people not interacting, engaging or becoming physically active. Wii technology, however, came out in 2008 or 2009 and this was the silver bullet to address anybody who may not have been into sport - he or she could interact with computers physically. It was done for a number of years but it seems to have dropped off the radar, perhaps because the advent of the smart phone has made it redundant.

Have there been any studies around using this technology given that children and young people are so interactive in using it? I heard on the radio two or three days ago about how some people are talking about making the sport of playing computer games an Olympic sport. There is a vast industry around it. People come to watch others play sporting computer games on the television. This subculture is emerging throughout the globe.

Have there been any studies around bringing back or using Wii technology? Instead of taking the view that all electronics are bad, we could ask how to take and use the language and manipulate it to get what we want. One thing struck me about Wii technology when we worked with it in university. We used it for music. It was possible to make music with Wii technology through using the movement of our hands. The same thing could apply to children at school, especially those who may not be interested in, or may not think they are interested in, combat sports. It may be a way of generating interest. Have any studies been done in this area? It is simply a brainstorm question.