Granny Got Game

And while bingo still attracts a larger audience at Riderwood, over the past several months, a weekly Wii bowling event has been drawing a growing number of players. Next year, organizers intend to put together a more-formal bowling league. This week, Riderwood kicked off a three-day event called the "Wii Holiday Sports Extravaganza," featuring Wii versions of hockey, bowling, shooting, fishing and billiards.

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"Some people haven't done anything since they got here, except sit there and watch television," said one Riderwood resident, Brooks Mahoney,, after playing a round of the Wii fishing game. "This really brings people out."

"A lot of people around here would buy one for Christmas," Mahoney added, "if they could find one."

Nintendo increased production levels twice this year but still can't keep store shelves stocked. Some analysts have said the company could sell twice as many as it is making available today, even as it puts out 1.8 million units a month.

To respond to complaints about thin supply, Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, yesterday announced a "rain check" program for Wii shoppers. If a store doesn't have one in stock, it might be able to sell the hopeful Wii shopper an IOU for a system in January.

Fils-Aime said that a shipment of Wii systems will be available this weekend at Best Buy, Kmart, Sears, Target, Toys R Us and Circuit City. Wal-Mart will get "massive amounts into their stores all week long," he said.

Nintendo had always wanted to appeal to a large consumer base with the Wii, Fils-Aime said. The idea to specifically reach out to retirement homes came after Nintendo employees took early versions of the system home -- and found that their grandparents often got as much of a kick out of using the system as the rest of the family did.

Andrew Carle, an assistant professor at George Mason University, said Riderwood isn't the only retirement home with a Wii affinity. Among retirement communities, he said, the Wii is "the hottest thing out there."

"We've been looking for 20 years for something that goes beyond bingo in terms of activities for seniors," said Carle, an expert in elder care who had an earlier career in the retirement-home industry.

Though Riderwood just bought a third Wii system, Dunne said he already wants a fourth. "Getting another system is just going to prompt more interest, and we're going to end up needing another one," he said.

A half-mile away, a video game store can neither support nor debunk the story, when a reporter shows up and mentions the video game fans in the retirement community.

"We get a lot of elderly people, yes," said the 20-something clerk behind the counter. "They always say they're buying stuff for their grandchildren" -- he shrugs -- "Now, whether that's the case. . . ."