On the TV screen in front of her, a virtual bowling ball eased down the lane and struck the center pin.

The pins scattered.

"Is that your first strike?" Julie Daub asked her.

"For today," Hammock answered with a smile.

Hammock, 79, and about 15 other residents at Clemmons Village are participating in a Winston-Salem State University study that will examine the effects of Nintendo's Wii bowling game on the lives of senior citizens.

In particular, the study will look at whether Wii bowling affects the participants' quality of life and social skills and gives them confidence to prevent falls.

Faculty members and graduate students from the school's occupational therapy department are gathering data this semester and will spend next semester analyzing it, said Dr. Cynthia Bell, an assistant professor of occupational therapy.

Wii is a video console that transfers a person's movements onto a screen. Wii games include soccer, boxing, baseball and golf.

In bowling, players press a button on the back of the remote and swing their arms back as they would a bowling ball. The button is released as the arm swings forward, which puts a virtual ball into play.

Bell said she started hearing anecdotal evidence last year about the benefits of Wii bowling among senior citizens in long-term care centers.

"There's not a lot of scholarly research and quantitative evidence out there," Bell said.

The Clemmons complex was chosen for the study because it didn't have a Wii system. The participants will get to play Wii bowling once a week for six weeks. After that, they will be asked about how playing the game affected them socially and physically.

Wii bowling was chosen for the study because it has proven popular with senior citizens.

Cindy Rehmeyer, the executive director for the retirement home, said that at least one participant in the study has become more socially engaged.

"He's out of his room a lot more than he was. You can tell a big change, and it's because of having the Wii system back there," she said.

Sue White, 83, said she joined the study because of the happy memories associated with bowling. She and her husband used to bowl twice a week for several years many years ago.

"We got so we were pretty good," she said.