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BBC wrote:The games industry has condemned a government advert suggesting children who play computer games may die early.

The advert from the Change4Life campaign shows a boy playing a game, with the slogan "Risk an early death, just do nothing".

The industry trade magazine - MCV - has complained to the Advertising Standards Authority about the advertisement.

The Department of Health said it is important be aware of the benefits of an active lifestyle.

A spokesman added that the government is "not saying children shouldn't play computer games".

Speaking to the BBC, MCV's associate editor, Tim Ingham, said its complaint to the ASA was fair and it had the backing of the games industry.

"This is a hugely inaccurate portrayal of an industry whose activity is far less sedentary than, say, watching TV.

"To say that video games are the main culprit in the UK's current obesity crisis is ridiculous," he added.

Industry backing

James Binns, director of publishing at Future Publishing - which produces many of the UK's games magazines - was also critical of the way gamers were portrayed in the advert.

"There's no arguing that the underlying objective to improve our children's health is incredibly important.
Obese child (Science Photo Library)
Rates of obesity are increasing among children

"That said, the message is misleading, and it is difficult to imagine this advert showing a child sitting still reading a book with the same hard-hitting message attached," he said.

Michael Rawlinson from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (Elspa), which represents the games companies, said the advert contradicted earlier talks with the government.

He said he was now trying to meet the charities which were supporting the campaign: the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, and Cancer Research UK.

Mr Rawlinson said he wanted to tell them about the "responsible position" taken by the industry "as demonstrated on our Ask About Games website".

Andy James, director of relationships and marketing at Diabetes UK and spokesperson on behalf of the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK Change4Life partnership, said: "We're surprised at this reaction to our campaign to tackle childhood obesity.

"Obesity is a massive risk to our nation's health, and a growing problem for children in the UK," he said. "If current trends continue, a staggering nine out of ten of today's children will be overweight in 2050 - leading to an increased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and certain cancers in later life."

"Of course we are not saying that children should not play computer games - but we are saying that children need a balanced and active lifestyle.

"Our campaign aims to increase awareness of the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle and give parents the information they need to make informed choices," he added. "Designed with input from parents, our adverts examining diet and exercise inform parents that children need an hour of physical activity every day to reduce their risk of becoming overweight or obese as an adult."

I have a couple of friends doing teaching at university and their lecturers have repeatedly said how games could be used to involve children better in classes and teach them. Encouraging children to play games would of course be anathema to so many even with so much research showing how it can be beneficial

Nephtys wrote:Really now, Games are rarely educational in the slightest, slightest bit. Twitch-fests like most FPS are not really going to teach anyone anything.

At best, games like Civ or Sim City promote analytical thinking, but that's a different sort of story and hardly what's popular with kids these days.

Zixinus wrote:Sorry, but I don't particularly see most games as educational and those that do, only come across as half-baked and shoehorned. They could be used as such, but I haven't found or played anything like that.

In the old days, they had games without computers, like board games, card games, role-playing games, etc. They weren't really educational either; people just like to play games. It doesn't mean they're harmful, unless someone spends all day playing the game. And that's just an issue with balance.

Andy James, director of relationships and marketing at Diabetes UK and spokesperson on behalf of the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK Change4Life partnership, said: "We're surprised at this reaction to our campaign to tackle childhood obesity.

Zixinus wrote:

In the old days, they had games without computers, like board games, card games, role-playing games, etc. They weren't really educational either; people just like to play games. It doesn't mean they're harmful, unless someone spends all day playing the game. And that's just an issue with balance.

I'm not saying those are harmful either and I'm referring to computer games in particular. I'm just pointing out that they do not have inherent educational value.

99% of the things people do in life do not have inherent educational value. That's why we have to create special institutions to provide educational value. Unless something claims to have educational value, it's a pointless criticism to say it doesn't.

Zixinus wrote:

99% of the things people do in life do not have inherent educational value. That's why we have to create special institutions to provide educational value. Unless something claims to have educational value, it's a pointless criticism to say it doesn't.

That's true, if I were making a general statement. However, my statement was aimed at one specific quote that Genii Lodus illy-phrased.

I'm sorry, how was I unclear about that?

If it was, then it was stupid and wrong. He was paraphrasing someone who said games COULD be used in an educational manner, which you stupidly interpreted to mean that ALL games are educational in your rebuttal.

Here's a hint for the future: smarminess works better when you're not horrendously wrong.

Genii Lodus wrote:I wasn't trying to suggest that kids play Gears of War or Tomb Raider in schools. I don't see what's wrong with using games like Civ or Sim City to teach analytical skills. You could use Little Big Planet to let kids try out physics problems etc. A few years old but this survey shows pretty strong support for using games in education among UK teachers.

Yeah I overreacted a bit to the poster, I'd just read another article about someone blaming games for violence and was just annoyed at games being scapegoated. They are no worse for a child then any other sedentary activity and arguably because they are interactive do more to engage the child's brain then just watching tv. Obviously children should be more active but I don't think kids not doing any sport/physical play can just be blamed on tv and games. Maybe if parents didn't feel (unrealistic) terror of paedophiles and there were better parks and playgrounds then kids would play outdoor more.

Video Games: Help or Hindrance to Young Minds?

We’ve all heard the warnings against the prolonged use of video games. Some say video games stifle creativity and promote violence. Others say video games are as addictive as drugs and alcohol and those who abuse them will become pale, obese, vampire-like creatures with no friends and no future.

But, more and more research is emerging to show that video games might not be as bad as we think.

By the time today’s kids reach the age of 20, they will have logged over 10,000 hours playing video games. According to a report by the market research firm NPD Group, 45% of heavy video game users are between the ages of 6 and 17. That means, for the majority of their formative and brain development years, video games are impacting the brains of kids.

But how? A 2003 study done by the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the University of Rochester compared avid action video game players with non-video game players. It found that action games improved visual processing—meaning gamers could track several items at once and were far better at processing a rapid stream of visual information than non-gamers. Overall, video game players have better vision than their non-playing counterparts.

Don Tapscott, author of Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World, says that better vision isn’t the only benefit of video game playing. “It improves hand-eye coordination, quickens reaction times, and benefits peripheral vision,” he says. “It improves spatial skills, the ability to mentally manipulate a 3-D object, which is helpful for architects, sculptors and engineers, and might be associated with improved results in some fields of mathematics.”

Researchers have even found that video game playing helps laparoscopic surgeons hone their skills.

Not everyone is as enthusiastic about the benefits of video game playing. Dr. Michael Merzenich, a leading brain plasticity expert, agrees that video games are entertaining and do offer some learning opportunities, but he advises to proceed with caution.

“What aren’t they achieving? They aren’t reading. They don’t provide very significant sources of content about the things or ways or the histories of real things in the real world. They are not sources of valuable conversational input, and they certainly do not evoke conversational responses. They rarely evoke complex thought. While they are rich in cleverness, they’re impoverished in wisdom,” Merzenich writes in his blog.

Tapscott agrees that even though video games have benefits, they shouldn’t dominate a child’s life. “Every kid needs balance in their life. If your kid is playing video games 50 hours a week you have a big problem. But assuming that they have balance, gamers have developed all kinds of skills and capabilities that other people don’t have.”

Because video games have so many benefits, educators are taking notice. Games are being introduced in the classroom to help students struggling with math and reading. Britain is considering adding video games to the curriculum after a study following 700 children showed simulation and adventure games developed strategic thinking and planning skills.

In the U.S., several states are piloting games in classrooms, and others, like North Carolina, have made them part of the curriculum. In Canada, projects like Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History are using gaming technology to get kids excited about what they’re learning in the classroom.

Educational games for preschoolers are also getting the green light from experts. “The new frontier in this age range is computer educational software for preschool children,” says Dr. Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician and lead researcher at the Children’s Hospital in Seattle. “I think that the preschool brains, we’re talking about 2½ to 5, are increasingly well suited to using high quality technology as a means of furthering their cognitive development.”

TVOKids.com has a wide range of educational games for preschoolers and school-aged children. Education has always been the number one focus at TVOKids and all games and programming are created and vetted by educators and educational consultants in specialized fields. “We start with the nugget of education first,” says Stacie Goldin, educator and research advisor at TVOKids. “The learning objective lies at the heart of each and every online activity and remains intact at all levels of development. And just to make sure we're really hitting our mark, we test our online activities with kids to make sure they comprehend the learning expectation.”

So remember, if your child loves video games they just might be sharpening their skills as a future engineer or surgeon. However, it’s your job as a parent to choose appropriate games and limit their gaming time.