Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

March 17, 2009 -

With no end in sight to gaming press coverage, Change4Life’s "Early Death" ad campaign  seems at little risk for a premature demise of its own.
 
In the latest development, Business4Life, a coalition of companies formed to support the U.K. government health campaign, released a statement to GoNintendo which would appear to debunk last week’s speculation that the now-infamous ad was payback for a lack of game industry donations:

Business4Life has not donated any money to the Department of Health or the Change4Life movement. The coalition has pledged a £200 million in-kind contribution to support Change4Life through marketing, branding and advertising activity.

A glance at Business4Life’s website seems to support this view. The B4L statement also refutes any editorial influence over the imagery used in the campaign’s adverts.
 
Perhaps more significantly, the well-known video game version of the "Early Death" ad, in which a young boy grasps a game controller, also has a junk food counterpart:

In fact, there is another poster as part of this campaign of a girl eating a cupcake with the strapline “is a premature death so tempting” which is running side by side the ad with the boy playing a video game, and we were only made aware of this once the ads were launched.”

Look here for full motion versions of both ads.
 
-Reporting from San Diego, GamePolitics Correspondent Andrew Eisen...


Comments

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

Two words for GamePolitics concerning this seemingly never-ending story: Dead horse.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

The cupcake one is a question. The game one is a statement. The first one doesn't impress me at all, the second is a shocker.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

Instead of bringing awareness to healthy eating and exercise, they want to show that junk food and entertainment are causing the problem. Nevermind the fact that cupcakes taste good and thus are a good compliment to a birthday party, or that video games promote problem solving and exploration, among many other things.

Not to mention I don't see any mention of moderation on those ads.

Ultimately though, any campaign that uses negative advertising is a waste of money. Period.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

DAMN!! These cupcakes are killing me!!!

*Looks up dictionary for -Common Sense-*

______________________________ Because I have NO Life... :P I introduce the following. PSN User ID: FirebirdXR (Yes, I use that moniker often) Xbox Live ID: FirebirdLR (Don't bother, It's a Silver Membership) *Limited Time Only* I put both because I

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

That boy is risking an early death.  From extreme boredom.

Seriously, someone get him a more entertaining game, stat!

 

Andrew Eisen

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

Both these ads are misleading and stupid. I'd like to see someone make an ad talking about how many people have been killed because of the bible.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

Although I notice it's a cake they chose as junk food, not a hamburger (the REAL symbol of junk food and childhood obesity) such as you might get from a McDonalds, one of the financial backers of this campaign.

I guess Mr. Kipling was behind on his payments! :-P

--------------------------------------------------

I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.

-------------------------------------------------- I LIKE the fence. I get 2 groups to laugh at then.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

I think Valve should sue. Come on, "Change4Life", "Left 4 Dead", you can't escape the similarities.

---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.

---You are likely to be eaten by a Grue.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

 So is their defense that they unfairly demonize other things, so it's alright to do it to video games?

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

While it's nice they have another point of view on a poster it still irritates me. It's ads like these are designed to scare the public into a belife that almost alway ensures the government will be making some sort of cash out of the deal in the long run.

You don't need to do either of these things to get into an early grave. You'll end up going when you are supposed to even if you aren't ready.

I'm really sick of all these hand holding nanny states/coutries that just won't let people live their lives.

Someone once told me to "eat, drink, and be merry; for tomorrow you may be gone", maybe they should tell it to these special groups and government suits.

Praetorian

"I've been told I'm the resident skeptic, but I wouldn't believe that."

http://www.myspace.com/pree_tawr_ee_uhn



Praetorian

"If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of your enemy floating by."

http://www.myspace.com/pree_tawr_ee_uhn

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

My main problem with the advert was that it did seem to single out only games, as if (like all the paranoid scaremongers tend to think) anyone playing games was risking obesity and an early death, rather than a mixture of factors and lifestyle habits. I'm glad to see there is one counterpart, though are there not any more?

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

This is disgusting. Who are these sickos that claim cupcakes are bad? I knew the government was anti-cupcakes and this ad just proves it. Cupcakes are always blamed for society's ills, apparently in the last school shooting the shooter was found to have eaten cupcakes the night before.

This is a rather biased ad by the government, didn't they consider other aspects that may cause death (or rather obesity which leads to death) such as video games? But they won't because they are anti-cupcakes and have been trying for years to ban cupcakes. The ad clearly equates cupcakes to death, it doesn't even back itself up (although there is accompanying text to explain fully and clearly what it is about). I hope the cupcake industry sues the government over this because they say cupcakes = death. This is just plain wrong I mean it's not as though eating lots of cupcakes would led you to becoming fat, I mean they could say that eat and cupcake and do 20 hrs of exercise is okay but they don't because they are anti-cupcakes. What next? Anime (you know the government hates this too don't you, I've no evidence for this of course but they are).

I bet that this is blackmail because the cupcakes industry didn't donate to the cause (even though they weren't asked to, but that's not the point). We should all protest at this portrayal of cupcakes. The amount of taxes that the cupcakes industry brings in to the country and they do this. I bet they wouldn't do that with smoking or alcohol (you'll never see the government criticise those things, would you?).

The government is anti-cupcakes and this just proves it.

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

We risk an early death every time we get up in the morning...

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" ...

Seeing those ads makes me want to eat a cupcake while playing video games.

 

Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cook-book! Little Red Cook-book!

Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cook-book! Little Red Cook-book!

Re: Lack of Game Biz Contributions NOT Behind "Early Death" Ads

I guess it is kind of ok if they're showing more than one angle of this, but they don't need to pull this prophet of doom "eat it/play it and you WILL die" bull crap. Makes it seem like axing it from your life entirely is the answer, not moderation.

 
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TechnogeekIf the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am
Montetrolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm
MontePapa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm
Papa MidnightMonte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm
AvalongodI think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm
Avalongod@Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm
WonderkarpZippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm
MonteSeirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm
MonteWe have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm
ZippyDSMleeWonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm
MaskedPixelantehttp://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm
Matthew Wilsonthe sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm
MechaTama31So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am
MonteI feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am
quiknkoldand we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkoldThe whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm
quiknkoldI thought it was a good article. Jeff is right. I feel like GamerGate did destroy its message. I am for Ethics in game journalism, but man. so much hate. and its on both sides. I've seen some awful stuff spewed on twitter. Its a big reason why I exited..10/17/2014 - 7:34pm
Matthew Wilsonwhile he focused on gg, he did call out both sides crap.10/17/2014 - 7:18pm
Papa MidnightThat was a damn good read offered by Jeff Gertsmann.10/17/2014 - 7:17pm
Matthew Wilsonhttp://www.giantbomb.com/articles/letter-from-the-editor-10-17-2014/1100-5049/ deferentially a nice write up.10/17/2014 - 6:44pm
 

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