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"Gaming is death" ad kicks up a row: Tiga files complaint, Sony considering legal action

Posted Mar 9, 2009 at 9:34AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 Tags: Atari, Sega, Sony, TIGA, UK

The recent ad from the UK government's Change 4 Life campaign that links gaming to an early death is attracting a lot of hostility from the video game industry, and from where I'm standing, only rightfully so.

The UK and European trade body Tiga has joined the likes of Sega and Atari in criticizing the ad's unfair portrayal of video gamers. Says CEO Richard Wilson:

This advert is absurd and insulting in equal measure.

To imply that playing a video game leads to a premature rendezvous with the Grim Reaper is a non-sequitur of colossal proportions. Alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, obesity and involvement in violent crime are forms of behaviour that risk an early death.

In contrast, many video games are mentally stimulating, potentially educational and social and some involve physical exercise. Brain Training, Wii Fit, Civilisation, Singstar and Buzz are cases in point.

This advert is offensive to the 30,000 people who work in the UKÂ’s video games industry, particularly the 10,000 who work in games development. Game developers are typically intelligent, very qualified and creative individuals who work to produce high quality games for peopleÂ’s entertainment. They are not in the business of driving people to an early grave.

With nearly a quarter of men and women and almost a fifth of two to five year olds in England obese we clearly need to encourage a more active lifestyle and healthy diet. It should be possible to achieve this objective without misrepresenting a creative industry of 30,000 people.

Well said. Tiga has joined MCU UK in filing for an official complaint against the ad. On a related note, Sony is also considering suing the UK government over the ad for not being consulted when they used what looks like a PlayStation controller.

Via MCV UK

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i would like to see their statistics and data of how they came to this conclusion. Also, how is someone profiting off saying this? whats their agenda? I think its redicilous to even try and link gaming to early death, i see no way to make any connection other than some dumba%$ kids trying to blame gta for something bad they did and make it not look like it wasnt all their responsibility....

go suck a D change for life, glad i live in US where they aren't advertising this crap

# hmmm — haxor 2009-03-09 11:36

hmm so playing video games will cause me to die earlier than if i took drugs and drank alchahol?... i dont think so

playing video games is something i do when i am bored, its not going to kill me

# mm — emcp 2009-03-09 11:38

thing is,

theres very little in the scene and so is focus is put on the thing in the chids hand a controller

the should have made it a dark scene, with tv remotes beside the guy, a unbranded controller (we all know thats a ps3 controller now dont we), the child clutter with food and a bong beside him

not a blank white scene with only two things of interest

# also — haxor 2009-03-09 11:44

also does anybody have a link to a larger pic of that ad? i wana read what it has to say

# An early death — TLC_Nyk 2009-03-09 12:28

Wait did they forget to put in the report, "Risk an early death playing video games while driving on the wrong side of the road". Well at least it may have been in the earlier report but the politicians got to rewrite it.

# Counter advert — Bunjabin 2009-03-09 12:35

"Risk and early DEATH... just do nothing!

[Picture] Guy reading a book [/picture]"

# That little kid looks like me when I was young. — Relys 2009-03-09 12:51

Why am I not dead yet?

# heh — haxor 2009-03-09 13:03

they clearly say "risk an early death, do nothing"

does playing video games count as nothing? wow thats harsh

# hmmm — fearlubu 2009-03-09 13:47

but then again, all these states and whatnot are trying to put laws up for games, and Obama i was all like: put down the Wiimote (damn Wii, why couldnt it of been anything non-nintendo?)

But it does seem like alot of things in the media that pops up are attacking the gaming industry....watever happened to just plain crazy or stupid/lazy/ugly (lol)/fat?

# .....orly — Volomon 2009-03-09 16:26

This comment is almost to dumb to reply to. How about promoting I don't know exercise? How about promoting and coming up with alternatives for time besides games and tv. Why bother with pinpointing or finger pointing at all? Use the money to create parks and perhaps clean up some of the crime. Then maybe kids would be outside instead.

It's nothing but a government agenda that is why everyone is pissed. Some have the common sense to see it some don't. You fall in the latter.

# I've been gaming. — DJ PON-3 2009-03-09 16:41

Been gaming for 10 years and still have not died

# LOL — hypercoyote360 2009-03-09 17:04

and the UK makes fun of the US.........other things that have been linked to early deaths: reading, mathematics, science, art......

# Got to admit, Hypercoyote's got us there — Charlybob 2009-03-10 01:21

We do. And usually with good reason, but this is up there with some of America's dumbest too.

They'll stick any old idiot into goverment now.

Though Sony really is just pushing it. That won't get anywhere.

# Haha.. — failtorespond 2009-03-10 01:30

Yeah I am still hanging in there myself. Starting to get a gaming cough though in the mornings. lol.

# On the other hand... — Scribe 2009-03-10 01:59

Studies show that individuals that don't play games are more likely to commit violent crimes...

So whilst the death by couch potato rate may drop, you'll probably end up being killed or at least robbed by your new enemy, Mr Wouldhavebeen Gamer.

Sony should bloody well sue, they'd make better use of the UK Government's money even if they threw it into their incinerator.

# I think — Genotype 2009-03-10 05:03

Some people are missing the point. Although I don't agree with them at all, what there saying is you'll die a metaphorical death. As in if your doing nothing of use you may as well be dead. Which is bull crap since many of our leaders in science and tech, plus I'm guessing a fair share of doctors play video games on a regular basis. Gamers aren't a bunch of losers living in our parents basement who do nothing, yet the media and government keep antagonizing us.

# Ridiculous — Josh1billion 2009-03-10 10:16

Simply a ridiculous advertisement.

# actually. — ElfyEikkal 2009-03-11 09:12

quite true what you are saying. metaphorical. but they're missing the point too. they're probably thinking about the many people who died cause they play too much game like 3 days straight without sleep and without eating. of course you'd die. but then again. no gamers in here actually do that rite? then again. i can't agree with this ad too. cause i am still alive after 12 years of gaming. and the only thing that is gonna kill me is me smoking. and not gaming. what if i died? i think the govt's gonna blame games "Playing games and Smoking results in Lung Cancer." bloody hell

# This is idiotic — a007rs 2009-03-11 20:36

Sony has a right to sue. It isn't about the UK Government making money out of the ad it is more of the fact that they are committing slander against Sony by using THEIR controller in the ad. When people see this ad they think of the PS3. You don't consider the wii or the xbox 360. Sure they were aiming towards all gaming but the majority of modern parents are completely oblivious to these facts. An uneducated parent of a child with a brand new PS3 may get up and sell their child's PS3 just because it is the same thing in the ad and then complain to other parents resulting in a loss of customers.

Gaming doesn't kill people. It is the choice of the people to do what they will. Just like smoking. It WILL kill you once you have done it for a long time. Gaming may not kill you but if you don't take it into consideration you may end up in a deadly situation.

# hmm — GAWDIE 2009-03-13 07:23

A syringe would have been a good one. Maybe a crack pipe, or perhaps a loaded pistol?

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