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Has Wii Fit failed in Japan? Not in financial terms, but in terms of people actually using it. Japanese media outlet +D Games conducted a survey five months after Wii Fit's launch to see what people were doing with their Wii Fits.

The big result basically everyone is reporting on is that 64% of buyers report that they stopped using it after purchase. 6% report using it once a week, 6% every two to three days, and 22% report that they still use Wii Fit every day. Most outlets are just reporting on the survey results and that failtastic 64% figure. Ah, but you need to read the rest of the article to put these results in perspective...

The article suggests that these results are more positive than one might think, stating that this still means that 1 in 5 people who bought the game are still using it 5 months after purchase, which is impressive on its own right given the game's huge install base. Do some quick math based on estimated Wii Fits sold in Japan to date, and that means 120,000 people are still reporting to their Balance Board daily.

Wii Fit still sells about 30,000 units per week in Japan, and is still supported by ad spots. This is unusual longevity for just about any game software. The article points out that most people just buy games and play them until they've beaten them or for at most a few weeks, and very few people are dawdling with one particular game for over five months at a time.

What you should be taking from the survey info is that Wii Fit is an "all or nothing" proposition. You'll use it every day and it'll be fantastic, or it'll be a tremendous waste of your money. In Japan, Wii Fit probably has more longevity in store. For one, the article dates from May and mentions that it may see more use with summer swimsuit season on the way.

For two, there's the Japanese weight loss law to consider. That's right! Just before Wii Fit's Japanese launch, a law was passed that made it basically illegal for people between the ages of 40 and 74 to be obese. Check out some coverage of the law from the New York Times:

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Those exceeding government limits - 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks - and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.

Wii Fit is already geared toward the coveted 35+ non-gamer demographic, and a legal obligation to watch your waistline is only going to make keeping a copy in the house seem more worthwhile. While it's true that a lot of Wii Fit buyers are going to lapse and leave their Balance Board gathering dust, nearly an identical lapse rate applies to basically everyone in the US and elsehwere who tries to start up an exercise or diet program. Check out some statistics for comparison here:

Did you know the fitness industry structures their entire business banking on the fact that you will not exercise? Actuarial studies have found that the average gym user will go less than twice a week. With the average monthly cost of health club memberships reaching $55, on average more than $39 worth of the membership goes to waste, each month! In a study of over 25,000 people in England by BMRB's target group found that 67% of people who have gym memberships don't use it at all!

Basically, Wii Fit isn't doing nearly as badly in Japan as some people would like you to think... and also, probably, won't do nearly as badly in the US as some people would want you think, too. Just think carefully about your ability to commit to a daily exercise regimen before you spend money on it.

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