Most game industry press events I go to are attended by throngs of overweight, bespectacled game journalists wearing bad t-shirts. So imagine my surprise when, upon walking into a Nintendo media event in a downtown Toronto art gallery on Thursday afternoon, I found most of my fellow reporters to be decidedly un-geeky adult women.

These journalists' age and gender are representative of the market that Nintendo is targeting with Wii Fit, the Japanese company's new physical fitness game, which, when it is released on Wednesday for $89.99, will come with a high-tech balance board on which players are meant to stand, squat, and step while playing.

“We're not really after core gamers here,” said Nintendo of Canada's Matt Ryan. “With Wii Fit we're looking at families—moms especially.”

And indeed, with activities including a variety of yoga exercises, aerobic workouts, and balancing games, Wii Fit seems tailor-made for working-age women.

Here's how Wii Fit works: The board has four sensors that pick up weight, movement, and shifts in a player's balance. The game then translates this sensory data into character control, so that when a player, say, shifts her weight to the left while playing a slalom skiing game, the avatar on screen shifts her weight to the left as well (and, consequently, skiis in that direction).

It's remarkably intuitive and well calibrated. I tried a ski jump game the objective of which was to keep all of my weight on the balls of my feet while squatting as I hurtled down the hill, then quickly stand up at lift off, shifting balance to the centre of my feet and holding it there through the jump until landing. The game did a flawless job of registering even the smallest shifts in pressure applied to the board by both of my feet. It even provided a dynamically updated on-screen display that showed how I needed to shift my balance for better performance.

To help demonstrate the game Nintendo brought in freestyle moguls world champion Kristi Richards. “My coach is always getting me to work on my balance, and I've found Wii Fit is a great addition to my regular training routine,” said Richards, who, unlike most celebrity game demonstrators I've seen, actually seemed to have a deep understanding of, fascination with, and respect for the product she was promoting.

“It's like I've been training my whole life to play this game,” she joked.

Of course, Wii Fit isn't all about skiing. There are more than 40 activities in total, said Nintendo's Ryan, including running, tightrope walking, pushups, lunges, and even heading soccer balls.

As players progress they can track their Wii Fit Age, which, theoretically, should get lower the more they practice and work out, and earn Wii Fit Credits that can be used to unlock new game features and events.

Still, Nintendo is shying away from claiming that Wii Fit will provide sufficient exercise for a healthy lifestyle. “It's not meant to replace a regimented workout schedule, but instead to compliment your existing exercise routine,” said Ryan.

So, the jury is still out on whether Wii Fit will be the game that ends up improving the physical health of a generation of couch-bound gamers.

However, if Nintendo's marketing campaign is a success, it may just be the game that brings a whole new demographic—namely, 30-something women—to console gaming.