“Gaming kills!” – So says the British government’s Change4life
It feels as though we, as gamers, have to spend an inordinate amount of time defending our hobby. If it isn’t people such as Jack Thompson and Anne Diamond claiming that violent video games are the reason behind all crime, it’s the British government claiming that “Gaming kills!” OK, so I’m paraphrasing but that’s what it amounts to.
The British government is currently running a campaign called Change4life that is meant to inspire us all to eat more healthily, exercise more, and generally live a better lifestyle. The campaign is backed by superb charities such as the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK. All good so far. Nothing to complain about.
Until, that is, a print advert was run at the end of last week for the campaign which unambiguously links playing video games to premature death. The ad shows a young kid sitting with a PS3 controller in his hands looking bored under the headline “Risk an early death, just do nothing.” This advert has appeared in a number of print magazines in the UK.
This is a follow-up to an already aired television commercial which shows a plasticine youngster playing games. The camera zooms in and under the skin of the kid to reveal fat levels increasing in his body – supposedly as a direct result of gaming. He is then seen shooting himself in the game before the Game Over screen appears.
These adverts haven’t gone down well with the industry. According to Digital Spy, Europe’s independent games association Tiga has lodged a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority. While Sega, Atari, Codemasters, and Konami have all denounced the print ads as “accusatory” and “ignorant.”
The question has to be asked why gaming was chosen as the activity to focus on? Sure, some forms of gaming may be sedentary, but there are plenty that aren’t. Every motion-sensing Wii game, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, dance mat games and plenty more besides all offer physical activity. And even those which don’t offer mental activity which can help develop good hand-to-eye co-ordination.
But I shouldn’t even have to defend gaming in this manner. There are plenty of other activities which do much more harm to our physical well-being than the odd video game session. Drinking alcohol, smoking, doing drugs, extreme sports, and being a violent criminal are all ones which instantly spring to mind.
Gamers seem forever destined to be picked on for their hobby of choice. Whether it be through perpetrating the nerdy image, being accused of causing all manner of crimes, or trying to fight against claims of premature death, video games are seen as some kind of spawn of Satan. But only by people ignorant to the facts. Yes, that’s right – non-gamers.
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46 Responses to ““Gaming kills!” – So says the British government’s Change4life”
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March 9th, 2009
“The ad shows a young kid sitting with a PS3 controller in his hands looking bored”
He must be playing Lair…
March 10th, 2009
You could not resist eh Harry … lol I woulda too if it was an xbox controller
March 10th, 2009
tsk tsk… getting slow with the old age eh Dave?? You even missed Yahtzee’s Web of Shadows reviews.
March 10th, 2009
Here is news that’s bigger then that. Dave wrote a Flame free article. Congratulations Dave on your first flame free article. I read the title and thought Dave is going to blame Halo for this and I was pleasently surprised to read it and not one jab at the 360 or any stupid comments what so ever. As for gaming well I think that if your honest with yourself and not be bias there is some truth to it. The overall advet is really rubbish but I do think that young minds may be influenced by violent games. Jack Thompson want to have a fine for retailers who sell to minors. I don’t see anything wrong with that. There needs to be some control because parents are too busy to grow up their kids right. They learn from their peers, school, TV, the internet and Video Games.
March 10th, 2009
Its all true folks. It killed me yesterday.
March 10th, 2009
Spidey, temptation got the better of me!
March 10th, 2009
Welll i for one am screwed.
March 10th, 2009
LOL, Nice one Harry!
March 10th, 2009
Far be it from me to defend any of the nonsense talked about gaming in certain sections of the media but did “Jack Thompson and Anne Diamond” really claim “that violent video games are the reason behind ALL crime”?
I don’t think so.
Similarly the point being made here is that a sedentary lifestyle is undoubtedly a really bad idea (on average) if you want to live a long and healthy life.
That’s not “an attack on gaming”, sadly it’s just the truth.
They used to show kids sat around doing nothing but watching TV, I guess this is just a little sign of the times, nothing more.
March 10th, 2009
Damnit!!!!!…. I knew I should have owned a wii and wii fit……..
March 10th, 2009
Yes – Eating unhealthy food and living a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy, but the advertisements do imply that gamming is unhealthy and will kill you. It’s funny how they used Video Games to make there point… why don’t they show photos of kids sitting around reading books? If you spend your free time sitting around reading books, that will lead to an inactive lifestyle as well.
March 10th, 2009
Barnabe,
Great point. I know more than one person who struggles with a sedentary lifestyle because of reading and writing as opposed to gaming.
This is a valid concern for any gamer, but the ads are still tastelessly inflammatory. It’s up to each individual to take steps to stay in shape. I play tennis a few times a week. My roommates use a treadmill. I’ve been gaming for over 20 years, and I always catch jokes about how skinny I am. Surprising that games haven’t magically added that fat layer under my skin.
-Arvis
March 10th, 2009
@Happyhockum
Ever think that kids that have an evil tendency are more attracted to violent games therefore it looks like the games are making bad kids?
There is no proof those kids would not be violent without games in their lives.
Kind of like more people who like cars and racing grow up to work with cars and people who like animals grow up to work with animals.
People do what they are interested in not what they are told they are interested in.
March 10th, 2009
“People do what they are interested in not what they are told they are interested in.”
BAM! That’s one of the smartest things anyone has said on this site.
-Arvis
March 10th, 2009
The ad is promoting the PlayStation brand free. And no one cares about what they trying to accomplish gaming is here4life thanks to Sony Corp.
And yes i will kill anyone that doesn’t love PlayStation… Fanboy
March 10th, 2009
Ivan I offered that Fight a Long time ago and you never responded. Pussy!
March 10th, 2009
Careful CAD. Ivan has gats and chrome hubcaps.
(Nice tache too)
March 10th, 2009
CAD:
A pussy is someone that worships Xbox 360 or someone that has no PS3. I don’t back down from a fight. PS3 owner are smarter better looking have skills unlike Xbox 180 owner they not qualify for shit.
We PlayStation elite gamers are visionary rich mercenaries. We stick together and together we will dethrone the so called competitors.
Bored<<<http://www.ioffer.com/offer_transactions/show/9029211?message_id=185380469
March 10th, 2009
*facepalm*
looks like these two retards may actually break your record Mick…
March 10th, 2009
Careful CAD, he’s hardcore. He’s got Hannah Montana listed as one of his favourite shows on his website.
March 10th, 2009
jesus fucking christ… dont forget ROCKET POWER!!!
March 10th, 2009
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL………………………………
March 10th, 2009
ncaissie
I think you completely missed what I was getting at.
Personally I don’t see any credible causal linkage between video games and some children’s violent behavior.
But, I’m pretty sure Jack Thompson and Anne Diamond never did not go as far as saying “violent video games are the reason behind ALL crime” either.
They made a lot of noise (some very exaggerated and extreme in my opinion) on the perfectly reasonable proposition that not all video games are suitable for young kids and that parents ought to take more care and give more attention to their children – and in particular not to assume that the description ‘video game’ means everything available is ok for a child to play.
That’s quite a different matter to pretending they said all games were responsible for all crime.
Making comments as silly as some of theirs is no way to answer to their daft claims, if gamers wish to be taken seriously in any kind of debate about this then we ought to at least stick to discussing what they actually did say.
Similarly with this topic the UK Gov is making a perfectly valid point.
It’s not saying gaming will kill you but it is perfectly reasonable to inform people (particularly at a time when this is a widespread probelm seen increasingly in the health service) that a sedentary life (one spent on your @rse all day too many, if not actually every, day playing games?) is very likely to lead to you shortening your life.
March 10th, 2009
Harry:
CAD:
Wow you are so stupid you make idiots look like genius. You 2 bums are the Xbox 360 dick fanboy here losers lmfao get a life and no Xbox Live does’t qualify as a LIFE.
I love
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Movies and Shows: My favorite TV Shows are this. H2O: Just Add Water Prison Break 24 One Tree Hill Gossip Girl 90210 Degrassi: The Next Generation Hannah Montana Wizards of Waverly Place The Suite Life on Deck The O.C. KYLE XY
Music: I love almost all type of music…
Website: http://home.earthlink.net/~ivan-plays...
I don’t care what bitches think iupload everyu see idiots
March 10th, 2009
@ Happyhockum, i currently play in the top league for water polo in australia and my brother is in the australian squad for triathlon… we both easily game for more then 20 or so hours a week… we both have full time jobs and we both have soical lifes… im 20 and we had a super nintendo since i was 3, i’ve gamed ever since (my brother is older then me) i wouldn’t say that gaming has made me fat/criminal/or that guy who never leaves his house just games games games (though there was that hooker that i ran over cause when i saw her in the alley way my mind went blank and all i could think was IM CJ BITCH AND I RUN THIS CITY)
people are who they are, you live your life how you choose, year its prob not the best of ideas to let an 8 year old sit there on gta4 for 7 hours a day, at some point the rents gotta own up to that and not blame the games.
if im standing there with a gun, and i pull the trigger, will people blame the fact i’ve just played a heap of KZ2? or will they blame the fact i had a loose screw and that something hasn’t been right in long while? (btw thats an e.g… theres nothing wrong with me)
@Ivan, ill pay to see the fight between you and CAD, air fairs and all
@ DWH, my record will stand for ever and ever and ever and ever….or until someone gets as bored as i was at work that day and spams like hell again
@ Arvis, you skinny bastard
@ kev, purple monkey dishwasher
March 11th, 2009
I’m going on strike due to that purple monkey dishwasher comment….
March 11th, 2009
nooooo not you harry, i want kev to go on strike
March 11th, 2009
wait what?? isnt that like a derogatory term for black people?? I doubt that kev is black… he comes off more as trailer trash…
BA DUM TISH!!!
March 11th, 2009
purple monkey dishwasher is derogatory to blacks? wtf is up with u.s.a if thats the case?
March 11th, 2009
I thought most dishwashers were white. Maybe some of them are stainless steel.
March 11th, 2009
Mmmmmmm stainless steel.
March 11th, 2009
My dish washer is white.
And I love her very much.
March 11th, 2009
BRIGANDS!
…sorry. Since we’re not posting anything of consequence, I thought I would ad to it.
-Arvis
March 11th, 2009
Well, when one man starts talking about stainless steel to another man, things kinda go off course.
I feel like Tim ‘The toolman’ Taylor. *grunt* *grunt*
March 11th, 2009
givne the sociopathic tendencies of ps3 fans, i can understand the connection….
March 11th, 2009
erm, purple monkey dishwasher is a reference to a Simpsons episode where the teachers went on strike due to Principal Skinner’s cost cutting measures.
March 11th, 2009
and i wanted kev to go on strike from blorge, so i said purple monkey dishwasher… no idea how you guys got stainless steal or a racial comment out of that?
March 11th, 2009
I don’t like the stainless steel appliances. A friend of mine has a fridge like that, it’s fingerprint city!
March 11th, 2009
where missing the main point here, Arvis is a skinny bastard!
March 11th, 2009
Arvis’ real name is Chris. hehe
March 11th, 2009
no its Jaggerman, after jagermister, one of the best alkies out there
March 12th, 2009
wait what? Howd you know? I dont even know? I know his credit card number though… FREE GAMES FOR EVERYONE!!!
March 12th, 2009
dwh – if anyone could recognize trailer trash, it would be you.
March 12th, 2009
wtf is bigmickyd? is this tool for real? she’s added nothing since she’s been here….
March 12th, 2009
Forza physics?
March 12th, 2009
wow, see DWH, i was right, how do 14 year olds pay people out? they call them a girl!
and your right kev, in no way have i added as much entertainment to this site as you and ivan have, though, i did bring a new comment record