A U.S. Army major blames the "Nintendo generation's" choice of leisure activities on increased injuries in basic training.
A blog post on the U.S. Department of Defense's official DVIDs media site (via Vice) more generally attributes the rise in injuries among recruits to reduced physical activity. However, Army major Jon-Marc Thibodeau, who serves as clinical coordinator at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, had a snappier way to sum it up in his quote.
"The 'Nintendo Generation' soldier skeleton is not toughened by activity prior to arrival, so some of them break more easily," Thibodeau observed. It's an unusual label to apply to the 18-to-25 year olds who are signing up for military service right now, given the fact that people of all ages have been tucking themself in front of a TV with some manner of Nintendo console plugged in for close to 40 years now.
All manner of technology shifts could be attributed to Gen Z being less physically active on average than its forebears, as well as certain global events which encouraged many people to spend more time at home in the last couple years. But sure, we could also point a finger at those dang Nintendos like we're a concerned parent group from 1988.
In any case, the post recommends that people who are considering signing up for the Army spend at least a few weeks preparing with a physical fitness program before they head to basic training in order to reduce their risk of injury.
Or if you aren't planning to join the Army any time soon, you could just spend some quality time with the best Nintendo Switch games.
