barrett.newkirk@heraldbulletin.com

The Wii isn’t your mother’s video game system.

Or is it?

Retail chain Meijer and Nintendo, the maker of Wii, are making a special effort this week to promote the gaming unit this week to moms, who they say are one of the fastest-growing groups of Wii players.

“I’ve had several moms come in and say they like playing it with their kids,” said Becky Davis of the Meijer in Anderson. “It’s not strictly a kid’s game anymore. A lot of adults get into it too.”

Anyone unfamiliar with the Wii will have a chance to try it Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Anderson Meijer store.

The store will also promote the Wii with coupon discounts on individual games and a drawing for a free system. Entries will be accepted anytime before the end of business Saturday.

Since it premiered last year , the Wii has managed to set Nintendo apart from other video game companies. With men making up the majority of the gaming population, game companies spend large sums of money creating games targeted to that audience.

But Nintendo seems to have discovered that women can work a controller just as well as men.

“Their audience, no doubt, is different than what Sony or Microsoft are going after with their console systems,” said Tim Baumgardner, video game buyer for Meijer.

The Wii is a more interactive system and offers party games, similar to board games, that are popular with families, he said. The Wii is also easier for novice players to learn.

“If you can make the remote control work for your TV, you can make it work for the Wii,” Baumgardner said.

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