Obesity Warning Labels On Video Games?
A North Carolina blog has called for obesity warning labels to be placed on video games. The ironically-titled Winston-Salem Fitness wants games to carry labels that say "excessive use" could lead to "inactivity and obesity:"
Overall, I give Nintendo credit for trying to make a game that tries to get people to be more active, which is more than can be said for other video game manufacturers. However, this will not do anything in terms of chipping away at the American obesity problem. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that the video game industry needs to follow the route of the tobacco and alcohol manufacturers, and state that excessive use of their product could lead to inactivity and obesity, rather than try to make a half-hearted effort at increasing American activity levels...
I'm not sure you could draw such a direct line between "using" a video game and body weight - I think a label that says "Don't forget to live!" would be just about as effective. Calling for obesity labels on products that can actually make you obese - like non-diet soda and fast food - makes a lot more sense.
Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on Video Games [GamePolitics]
tiny dancer
Posted to Miscellany, Video Games on 6 July 2009
· Comments (7)
Other stuff like this: obesity warning labels, video games
Only if they put these warning labels on books too.
There should be a warning on all couches: "Warning! Excessive use may lead to obesity and inactivity!"
Seriously, where are all the conversatives piping in with personal responsibility when this sort of crap pops up?
The difference, stupid blogger person, is that it's not a video game's fault is someone is lazy... it -is- a cigarette's fault if you get cancer.
Nintendo's Wii is hardly the "half-hearted attempt" as they say it is. There has been a lot of financial and marketing effort put towards the Wii and using the Wii Fit and personal trainer and whatever else they have - not to mention starting a whole trend and sparking interest in more active(and interactive) gaming.
"Don't forget to live!" sounds like a decent idea if there ever WAS a law mandating labels on video games.
Nintendo's Wii is hardly the "half-hearted attempt" as they say it is. There has been a lot of financial and marketing effort put towards the Wii and using the Wii Fit and personal trainer and whatever else they have - not to mention starting a whole trend and sparking interest in more active(and interactive) gaming.
"Don't forget to live!" sounds like a decent idea if there ever WAS a law mandating labels on video games.
As long as all books, DVDs, couches, chairs, cars, etc have the exact same label then it would be fine. There are so many other things that have people sit still for extended periods of time that the videogame connection is really just silly.
People still found a way to get excessively fat before videogames were invented, maybe they should be a little more concerned with the source of the problem.
Love the spelling errors on the books.. lol.
*Lose* not loose.
I am so damn sick of video games getting such a fat reputation. You're all right about putting the same labels on fatty foods, books, the internet, cars, anything that prevents exercise in any way.