The comment "The activities portrayed are examples of poor diet and lack of physical activity." irritates me. Yes playinng most games does involve a certain lack of activity but couldn't they have just shown the child in his gormless looking state watching the TV. At pleast playing games children have to use the brains to think. Watching some of the mindless drivel on television must be heavily contributing to the unhealthy lifestyle the Department of Health are trying to combat.

Also where are the pizza boxes and discarded DVD cases etc? The ad only shows a PS3 controller.

They could have depicted a kid at school eating a turkey twizzler and then not being able to exercise afterwards as the school pitch was sold off by Tony and Gordon to housing developers years ago.

Why didn't they use a picture af a kid with a book?

If that's the extent of the letter from the DoH, then it seems like a 'fob off' response, probably written by an overweight and overpaid Government clerk!

'We're not saying children shouldn't play games' says Department of Health - well yes you pretty much are, how many parents will see that and think "hmm i'm killing my child by letting them play video games, when in actual fact

some children are fairly lazy because thier parents don't get them to exercise, they drive them to school even if it's walking distance, they give them sweets pretty much from the age they can eat, they don't make them try healthy foods, they don't encourage them to get use to healthy foods.

The problem isn't video games, books or any other activity that makes children sit still, the problem is a lot of parents (not all parents) don't/won't get off thier backsides and motivate thier kids to do stuff, or find it too easy to let thier kids do nothing because they don't discipline them so the kid tells the parent what to do not the other way round, so maybe the Department of Health should have an advert showing a fat lazy parent being told to shut up by thier kid instead of a kid playing video games

I haven't been this angry with the government since the Manhunt 2 fiasco. Where in that picture does it portray a poor diet? The kid looks perfectly healthy. The only activity portrayed in that ad is playing video games, DESPITE the findings of the government's own Byron Report.

Idiots.

Hope the ASA steps up and at least demands they have DVD cases, Pizza boxes and books in that ad as well. Of course I thing its the wrong way to promote their message anyway, but they could at least be fair about it.

"parents and children need to be aware of the benefits of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle".

Yes, they do, so why can't we have an advert purely showing the benefits of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle? Like the kind of positive imagery you get on the back of cereal boxes like Corn Flakes, Cheerios and Special K? I understand what he's saying, but the advert (particularly the print one) is still very misleading.

In response to the letter MCV received from the DOH.

Though there is no disagreement with what is outlined and indeed the overall cause of the campaign, but it’s clear that there’s a zero understanding of the games industry which is outstanding considering the work of Tiga and the Byron Report to constructively educate in a STRAIGHTFORWARD LANGUAGE!

With the financial difficulties faced by so many it really hurts that much more when you feel your government is actively working against your industry by using our very own tax’s to do so. The images in that poster/ad campaign are very strong to say the least and with the PlayStation rash of last week I wouldn’t be half surprised if Sony are loading their legal guns as I type.

This whole issue is an outrage and a disgrace and I also complained to ASA on Friday 6/3/09 of which it would be interesting to know how many did (of which if you haven’t already I recommend you do so!).

They should just show a child watching CARTOONETWORK for all weekend and the mum give McDonald..

I completely agree with the campaign! Gaming is to blame for a large amount of obesity throughout the UK.

Wii topselling game "Wii Fit"... disgraceful, come on Nintendo look what you are doing to Britain!

Ok, firstly, Jimbob, what on earth are you on about? How is Wii Fit possibly "disgraceful". It encourages kids to be more active through a medium that they are already familiar with.

If parents aren't going to encourage active lifestyles, this is surely a way to help kids in an 'exercise as fun' manner.

Secondly, if the government wanted to show how inactivity leads to premature death, they could have chosen anything which involves not moving. Reading, for example. But the government would never do that, because reading is much better for you, apparently.

As JD has said above, it is incredibly irritating, and indeed, just downright ignorant of the government to alienate the games industry, which currently brings a huge amount of money into the economy.

The stereotypical spotty kid playing games in a darkened room is as outdated as the dinosaurs, and the sooner people realise that, the better. In fact, on my University Games Degree, at the various companies and conventions I have visited, I have yet to see a single person I would consider to be 'obese'.

It's not the media that makes kids fat. It's poor parenting, or just plain old lazyness. No amount of games industry bashing is going to change that.

Pete, did you not detect a hint of sarcasm in my post!

The Wii fit has actually been a great help, since purchasing GTAIV I haven't left my house, now realising I have put on 15st I can woddle over to my Wii fit board and jiggy trying to hula and lose a pound or two.

*Currently 21st 4, and can see my toes again*

Hehe, apologies, I really didn't! *Embarassed* Anyhow, ignoring that part of my post, I'm glad to see that more and more companies are joining in the stand against this campaign.

I can't believe the government is still standing by it, it isn't doing itself any favours in any respect, public relations wise, financially or in any other way.

I just love the fact that this campaign received £200m from business 4 life, a consortium including Pepsico, Nestle, Cadbury, Coca-cola......
Oh yes, it's those computer games we need to be afraid of!

I just love the fact that the campaign get £200m from business 4 life, a consortium including Nestle, Pepsico, Cadbury, Coca-cola.......

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