Queen Bestows Marketing Gold Upon Nintendo

Still not completely convinced that parents are fanatical about Nintendo's new video game console, the Wii? Here's evidence that anyone will play the motion-sensitive device -- even the bloody Queen of England!

According to reports from British newspaper The People, the Wii was originally a present for grandson Prince William from long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton. After peeking over Willy's shoulder for a while, The People finds that Queen Liz "begged to join in."

Surprisingly, the Queen proved quite the video game talent once she did. "She played a simple ten-pin bowling game and by all accounts was a natural," the paper reported. (Source: wired.com)

Given the fact that Wii Sports ships with every new system, we can safely assume that the Queen must have been playing Wii Sports bowling, just one of several minigames included in the package. Wii Sports bowling is one of the least intense titles shipped with Wii Sports, requiring the player to merely snap their wrist in a straight but carefully managed motion towards the screen. Any major variation would cause a painful and embarrassing gutterball.

This isn't the first reported case of parents or even seniors getting jiggy with the wee Wii. Last year, Gizmodo reported the introduction of Nintendo's console to the Sedgebrook Retirement Community in Chicago. Coincidentally, the older folks at that establishment also preferred Wii Sports bowling. In fact, Sedgebrook held its own 20-person tournament around this time last year. (Source: gizmodo.com)

With sales of the Wii continuing strong into its second year in release, this kind of freebie celebrity marketing certainly can't hurt the Japanese company's bid to reclaim gaming gold.