Games Kill - Stupid UK Gov Ad

[Genii Lodus]

BBC

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 would like to see the alternative version of that ad with the kid reading a book and see how well that goes down with the games-hating useless government. Perhaps someone should compare energy expended reading a book against waggling a Wiimote ineffectually -I'm sure the latter would be marginally better and thus prove that gaming can be better for you than reading.

It would be nice if the UK government actually provided tax credits to our games industry in the same vein as France and Quebec do. They croon about how important new digital media are to the UK economy but are quite happy to do sweet fuck all to support them. 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. Still many in government whose only understanding of games is whatever generic hyperviolent shit is squirted out with a mass ad campaign.

[Zixinus]

So, they made a bad campaign picture for what's otherwise a good idea?

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

Which games? "Lara Croft: The search for a F-sized bra" or "Medal of Honour: Let's kill Hitler one more time!"?

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.

[Nephtys]

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.

[Crazedwraith]

In the end, the ad has a perfectly valid point. If children spend all their time on computer games and don't exercise they get fat. Of course computer games aren't the sole reason for obesity but they are certainly a contributing factor.

Change4Life aren't trying to ban computer games, it says so right there in your article. They just want kids to do things other than play computer games and balance it out. So they don't die from obesity. You have a problem with this?

[Genii Lodus]

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.

[General Zod]

Instead of trying to find yet another medium to villify, why not take the blame to the source? You know, the parent? The one who's letting their kids sit on their asses 24/7?

[The Romulan Republic]

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

Is it possible that they improve hand-eye coordination? I don't know, I'm genuinely curious.

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.

No offense, but how do you know what's popular these days? Yesterday, a good portion of my political science class was talking about Empire: Total War. I think one guy was even playing it on his laptop. Not the most educational game perhaps, but surely much closer to Sim City or Civ than an FPS. Then again, you were probably talking about elementary or high school kids, not university students.

Their are games that try to be educational, but in my experience they tend to be children's products, condescending, and preachy. That's not to say that you couldn't make an educational game that was good. Just for the love of God don't let the public schools make them. Those people can suck the joy out of the greatest works of literature.

You could make an educational historical game for example, without it being overtly "educational." You'd just have to make it historically accurate. Of course, that might detrimentally effect gameplay.

Of course, theirs absolutely nothing wrong with playing games sometimes just for entertainment, even if they don't teach you much.

[Darth Wong]

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.

[Zixinus]

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.

[Lord Woodlouse]

The ad is dumb for the simple reason that they could have got their point across just as well, if not a hell of a lot better, by having a picture of the kid literally doing nothing. Sat on the sofa lounging around, or maybe staring at a tv.

I hate the way they defend themselves in the article by basically saying "What, I don't understand, you want kids to get unhealthy, fat and then die?" when the argument made explicitly said they agree with the underlying point, they just don't see why they should be vilified for it.

[pj1351]

"Risk an early death, just go outside" - Parody of Stupid UK Gov Ad

Did you know that going outside, rather than staying inside playing video games, can kill? You might get runned over by a car, get hit by a cyclist coming down a hill, get brained by a stray cricket ball, mawed by a rabid dog, knifed or gunned down in a mugging, crushed by a falling piano, turned into a red smear by a falling crane, struck by lightning, smacked by meteorites, or even have your arms torn off in an accident with a replica trebuchet?

In fact, did you know that 100% of healthy people die?


Seriously,

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.

Why not target slobs sitting on their arses all day watching sports? Or parents stuffing their kids with junkfood because can't handle the kids throwing tantrums until they get to eat McShit, or simply can't be bothered trying to give them a balanced diet? Oh, that's right, because complaints from those kinds of people are too loud to simply be ignored, like they do to the complaints of gamers.

[Darth Wong]

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]

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?

[Darth Wong]

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.

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. Your strawman does not address the underlying argument: some games ARE designed for educational purposes. Obviously, not ALL of them are, and he didn't claim they were, and your attempt to pretend that it's all or nothing is not only a strawman, it's a black and white fallacy.

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

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

[Zixinus]

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.

I'm sorry, I didn't pay enough attention.

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

I wasn't trying to be smarmy. I genuinely didn't see how I was wrong.

[pj1351]

For "educational" value of video games, well these are older articles, but anyway...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2943280.stm
Summary: Players of action games are better at spotting details in "busy, confusing scenes", and is better at coping with "attentional blink".
... Though it doesn't have any comparison with players of fast paced sports.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.05/view.html?pg=1
Summary: With education moving more towards learning by rote, video games can help gamers understand and adapt to different situations, and "learn to micromanage an array of elements while simultaneously balancing short- and long-term goals".
... Though this doesn't involve any actual tests between students who are gamers and non-gamers to see how they compare.

[Broomstick]

When my mother had her stroke the rehab people actually incorporated computer games into her therapy. In her case, because the stroke affected her reading skills, they encourage her to play Scrabble a certain amount of time per day. The fact mom used to play Scrabble on line prior to her stroke was a bonus. By playing a game she enjoyed that rebuilt her language skills she certainly benefited from them. Sure, there's a board game Scrabble but by using a computer version she could play anytime convenient to her whether or not anyone else was available. She could also scale the difficulty to meet her skills as well.

Others people at the rehab center were encouraged to play FPS type games with the hand that had been badly affected by the stroke, to encourage and stimulate the brain to relearn how to use it.

So there is definitely a role for computer and on-line games beyond just mere entertainment, and if they build language and motor skills in the brain-damaged they probably also benefit the normal. But as Mike says, a lot of it has to do with balance - it's not healthy to spend all day playing ANY game. Or performing any activity, really.

But people also need to just play occasionally, to indulge in fun activities without some educational or other "higher" goal in mind. It's a balance to all the non-fun stuff we have to do. As a general rule, the more intelligent the animal the time it spends playing both as a juvenile and as an adult. Why should humans be an exception.

[Aaron]

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.

My kid’s school here in Ontario uses computer games to help teach math and language, they are very simple. Almost like the old shareware games from a decade ago. I'm not sure what they do or use at levels higher then grade 2 but games are used and have been used going back as far as when I was in grade 1 (1984/85).

So no, I don't think you'll ever see them play GoW or Fallout 3 in a school. Especially with the stance they already have on firearms and violence in general, at least around here.

[Jaepheth]

Even non-educational games provide benefits to mental development. Quite awhile ago, I was hanging out in the math lounge at my university, one of the other mathematicians was talking about people statistically more adept at mathematics and he mentioned video games having been shown to help. So I did some searching and found this:

Article

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.

Hand-eye coordination, quickens reaction times, peripheral vision, visual processing, spatial skills, strategic thinking and planning are what the article claims video games help develop.

[Mayabird]

The usefulness of video games is probably overrated, but it's gotta be better than just watching TV all day. At least when playing a game the brain is somewhat active and the body is doing some moving, if only mashing buttons.