Styles: That's the Way Wii Do It

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IT'S 8:15 ON A FRIDAY evening in Fairfax. Cintia Runha, 30, and Win Raguini, 27, stand side by side on a backyard deck, their eyes intensely focused on the 50-inch TV screen in front of them, their arms furiously pummeling like bongo players hopped up on caffeine pills.

"I don't know which one I am!" Runha yells in exasperation as 25 partygoers look on, amused by her failed attempts to direct her player in Nintendo's Wii Boxing. She thrusts her arms in the air: "Stand up! Stand up!" It's too late. Raguini has delivered a knock-out punch, and Runha's virtual counterpart (known as a Mii) crumples to the floor. "I'm glad nobody had money on me," she laughs.

Host Sean Powers, 28, hesitates to call his get-together a "Wii party." "It's just a party with the Wii," he explains as he grills up steaks, burgers and sausages. "Wii parties are more casual and weekday-ish" — just friends playing video games.

Yet a glance around his backyard tells a different story. The atmosphere says "low-key barbecue" — strategically placed tiki torches, an ice-filled bucket of Coronas and Bud Lites, the Strokes' "Hard to Explain" reverberating in the background. But it's clear that the Wii is the star.

Not once in the entire evening's duration does the TV go dark. One guest, intent on not surrendering his turn, holds tight to his Wii controller as he grabs a sausage with his free hand, then continues his game of Wii Tennis while eating.

Wii party veteran Susan Linney has no qualms about basing entire shindigs around the game system. "I like to throw parties, but I always feel like I need to have a theme to it or it's not going to be a success," says the 32-year-old New Yorker. "Once I got my Wii, I realized it's really fun to play with a whole bunch of people. It's the perfect reason to throw a party."

Linney recommends four-player Wii Bowling for groups. (Wii Sports — which has bowling, boxing, tennis, golf and baseball — comes with the console). "You can play like you would in an alley," she says. "Everyone gets a turn."

Powers suggests multi-player games like "Big Brain Academy" ($42, Amazon.com). "It's a puzzle game that anybody can figure out in five or 10 minutes," he says. "It has up to 12 players, so you can have teams and pass off the remote. It's kind of like a relay race with a video game."

At his bash, however, the crowd definitely favors sports. Strangers pair up to play virtual tennis doubles; a gaggle of guys huddle to talk Wii Golf putting strategy.

After finishing a round of tennis, Andrew Walsh, 28, takes a breather on a bench, cracks open a beer and cautions potential players against overzealous Wii-ing. "I read about people who get injuries from playing Wii," he says. "I thought it was completely fictitious, like, 'Dude, you seriously can't strain an elbow playing Wii.' I came over and we played Wii for an hour or two … and the next day I woke up really sore."

Sure enough, there are a few moans of "Wii elbow" here and there, but otherwise the gathering is a success.

Ready for more variety? Linney just purchased Carnival Games ($39, Amazon.com). "There's a strongman game, another one where you dunk a guy. My next Wii party is going to be carnival-themed. You can make it cheesy, have cotton candy and make it like Coney Island."

Powers, on the other hand, will stick to the basics. Don't worry too much about amusing guests while they aren't Wii-ing (it's still a party, after all) and just focus on the essentials: "Four controllers, multi-player games and beer," he says. "That's about it."

Photo by Chris Combs/Express