Advertising Authority: Death Gaming Ad is OK

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has turned down complaints that the recent Change4Life advertising campaign should be withdrawn.

The campaign, which used an image of an apparently catatonic child holding Sixaxis controller, with the line "Risk an Early Death - Do Nothing" beside it was backed by a range of food and media companies - but had no video game industry input.

The ASA responded to complaints by stating, "The [ASA] council considered that most readers would understand that the ad was discouraging a sedentary lifestyle and used the example of playing a console game as an illustration of the type of behaviour which might lead to long-term health problems if no exercise is taken alongside more sedentary activities."

It continued, "Whilst the ASA Council understood the concerns of Tiga and those complainants who worked in the video games industry, it noted that the ad did not claim that playing computer or console games alone would lead to illness or premature death."

The ASA also included the following in its rejection, "One parent objected that the ad was offensive and harmful because it frightened her young child who became scared that she would die if she played video games.

"The ASA Council sympathised with those concerns and understood that the reference to future health might, for some, be upsetting. However, it considered that the ad was unlikely to cause undue fear or distress to parents or children."

^{Sources:
Brand Republic
MCV}