Wii Sports is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. It was included as a pack-in game with the console in all territories except Japan, making it the first sports game included with the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy in 1995. The game was later released on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection of games.
European box art depicting the game avatars, Miis, playing the five sports: (clockwise from top left) boxing, bowling, golf, baseball, and tennis
A picture of a Wii Sports disc
The player uses the Wii Remote to mimic the motion of putting a golf ball in a game of golf.
Two people playing boxing; the Wii Remote and Nunchuk are used here to control punches.
A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with video games, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize playing the sport, whilst others emphasize strategy and sport management. Some, such as Need for Speed, Arch Rivals and Punch-Out!!, satirize the sport for comic effect. This genre has been popular throughout the history of video games and is competitive, just like real-world sports. A number of game series feature the names and characteristics of real teams and players, and are updated annually to reflect real-world changes. The sports genre is one of the oldest genres in gaming history.
Pong (1972) arcade cabinet
Punch-Out (1984) arcade cabinet
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007), a Wii game played by miming sports activity