How any of the gaming press could say otherwise is beyond me.

This vitriolic campaign by MCV was bound to fail. When you have to resort to putting the ASA complaints page as a link in the article, you know something is wrong. MCV hoped to sway the ASA by weight of complaints, not the content of the advertisment.

I wonder if they'll be reporting this ruling as much as their indignation of the orginal add? Nope.. thought not.

This stuff is getting stupid.

I'm looking forward to the adverts featuring a kid sitting down reading the new Harry Potter book with the headline "Risk an early death..." and the subsequent outcry.

I notice that whilst playing computer games appears to kill; fatty, sugary food is not mentioned. I wonder if this is because the Change 4 Life campaign is sponsered to the tune of £200M by Business 4 Life? B4L is a lobbying group including Nestle, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, and Pepsi Co. All well know for the massive contribution they make to the countries health. Playstation must be kicking themselves for not getting in on the act.

http://www.ukresistance.co.uk/2009/03/advertising-agency-agrees-that.html

... that causes death?

This week's Private Eye makes the interesting observation that the commercial funders of this new Change 4 Life campaign are, for the most part, food (often junk food) manufacturers... and not one video game company.

Odd, then, that the advert about early death doesn't show a kid stuffing his face with chocolate, burgers, crisps, etc...

I love how we're all sensible people when it suits them...

Where's the parks and proper PE for the kids to play in? They get fat because they get shoved so long in school with less sports to do and less areas to play in when not. Add in the amount of crap prepacked meals etc. and high energy sweetie bars, so trying to pin this trend all on video games is pretty misleading. Usual government scare mongering and doing little to address the core causes it.

There's a newspaper advert doing the rounds now for Vodafone. It states GET UNLIMITED* TEXTS.

The asterix points to the shameless contradiction "Subject to fair usage of 3000 texts".

The ASA is fine with this dishonest manipulation.

This advert is part of the so called Change4Life campaign, a Department of Health supported campaign, which is actually being funded by (amongst others) PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Cadbury's, Mars and Nestle. Funny how they've chosen to target the games industry (not represented on the campaign board) and not mention the sheer amount of sugary crap (however delicious and tempting it may be) that they create. Or the TV heavy lifestyle which funds other board members such as ITV, Virgin Media and BSkyB. Private Eye brought this one up this week as well, but there's a decent article at http://www.mcvuk.com/news/33517/Is-this-the-real-reason-why-gamers-risk-death for those who want a quicker to get to article.

Yes we have a problem with weight in this country (myself included), yes something needs to be done, but can we please have information from experts instead of vested interests and can we please, please, /please/ have a little less hypocrisy?

it's saying that computer games kill. The kid's playing a computer game, the advert says the kid will die soon.

As the 1st commenter says, if they wanted to show someone being sedentary why not use a "couch potato"? Or some kids watching a TV that's projecting onto their faces (as all movie screens do)? How about kids being driven to school rather than walking?

How about "In 10 years, this child will walk around a corridor, shooting people."? It's not claiming it's because of the game, but it's certainly going to give that impression.

“most readers would understand that the ad was discouraging a sedentary lifestyle”

I sit at a desk for 8 hours a day while working in an office.

Sounds like a "sedentary lifestyle" to me.

Next Ad:

"Save your life... Quit your Job!!!"

A bit odd? Like how Counter Strike seems to be responsible for any and all shootings? The Beeb kindly threw in the Counter Strike line with that shooting in Germany, "the shooter was known to play Counter Strike" - yeah right, so was that dude who saved a copper during a heist, no mention of Counter Strike then!

Stop the anti-gaming campaigns already!

I don't understand how they could come up with that ruling.

They make an ad like this with a games console in it and they said isn't meant to imply anything about gaming. Of course it does!

..adverts showing joggers mown down by cars, power-walkers hanging a heart attack in the park, weight lifters crushed by falling weights.

Maybe even....dieing due to repeated beating from a PS3 controller for taking photos and getting in the way of the telly.

People like playing console game, it allows them to vent the huge build up of rage without having to go out an do it in the street.

If you don't play games, it isn't that you live longer, it just **feels** longer.

Oh, funny how they don't pick on other sedantary persuits like, for example, reading books?

OMG i better take it back and return WII fit and all the other crap the GF insisted on getting for it.

I'm always dying early, in call of duty I died 23 times in one game last night !

On behalf of sensible people every where: ODFO, some of us are capable enough parents that we don't need or want you nagging us or meddling in our affairs. Were quite capable of ensuring that our children get exercise and do other activities and still enjoy the video games they like. So please take you're self righteous scare mongering ads roll them up real tight and shove them right up your collective asses.

Hugs and Kisses, strong message follows.

A parent with a brain

Seriously, son, dont just sit there, Block, Duck, he's gonna hammer you!... aww, see, Fatality.

...anyway.

The shady funding is absolutely zero surprise, the junk food industry funds these little excursions, not to slap down marketplace rivals but as a backtop against the myopic-laser-like eye of the campaign focussing on them;

"we need to tell kids to eat less candy, drink less soda, eat less burgers, and go outside more"

Spokesman for Cadburys - Surely chocolate isnt the problem? we can always withdraw funding if theres a conflict of interest.

Spokesman for Pepsi - Soda isnt the problem, taken in moderation. But we can always withdraw funding if theres a conflict of interest.

Spokesman for McDonalds - We also sell a range of salads, but if you feel there's a conflict of interest, we can always withdraw funding.

Ah, so we're agreed, the problem is the little blighters arent going outside more!

The department of health probably has a mandate handed down to it, telling it to get serious and produce some fucking ads making kids go outside and not be fat. its given zero extra funds for this, and is told to "seek public-private-partnership for your funds" You, the campaign manager, hit up sports companies, sportsdrinks makers, red bull, etc. They refuse to play. why? they're already doing their own, individual, successful ad campaigns, and research shows that comitting their funds to something without their name on it is a waste of fucking time. You take your project to the enemy, and the enemy pledges money if you'll just focus on someone else. all of a sudden, you, the campaign manager, can hire a few hotel conference rooms, plenty of pretty interns, a couple of campaign-owned cars to drive around in. You've enough funding to make the campaign last for 5 years, which is welcome job security. You go and play golf with marketing execs from McDonalds and Pepsi. You submit a report to central office about how you've successfully attracted funding from a source outside the government. You get a pat on the back and a reacharound from your bosses boss.

Good job, bureaucracy.

The only thing that will cause a problem is the fact that he is playing a PS3 which will certainly induce suicidal tendencies when he realises all the great games are out on Xbox and Wii, not PS3!

Sitting around all day playing video games may be bad for the waistline, but it improves brain functioning. A few years ago some studies showed that FPS games improve reaction time and rapid decision-making. A recent study found that RTS games can improve multitasking ability and working memory.

http://news.illinois.edu/news/08/1211gamers.html

Lots more information about video game research:

http://vgresearcher.wordpress.com/

...that the advertising people didn't have the sense to at least give the kid some sort of Generic Brand (TM) controller. I'm sure if they were taking a shot of a kid eating crisps they'd not leave a giant "Smiths" label visible.

I daresay that the advert bods don't understand that technology has recognisable forms that the initiated can easily spot. They probably think, "a controller's a controller innit?"

I can imagine them making the same mistake in a campaign about hearing loss with portable music and using an iPod instead of a Generic Brand (TM) device. Then Apple would be all over them like a rash.

Everyone knows, the 360 is the console bought by kids (for which this advertising is aimed at).

But it still ALL comes down to the parents. Similar to the other posts I have seen under your moniker your points are fairly lame and ill thought.

Take your kid for a walk around a shopping centre if you have to, or down the road and round the corner and back. There are plenty of places for kids to go that are not parks or playgrounds, and using that as an excuse is lazy. Its just that it's too much effort for the parents to work this out isn't it... and who is forcing these kids to eat all of this crap food? Come on, I'll give you a starter for 10... it's the P A R E N T S.

That every other advert on these days is from the government telling us what not to do?

Is it some sort of bailout for the ad industry now that the banks don't have the funds to try to coax us all into debt bondage?

It makes me want to take up smoking.