A North Carolina fitness blog has called for obesity warning labels to be placed on video game packaging.
In a review of Nintendo's Wii Fit, Winston-Salem Fitness writes:
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...
By our count, this is the second call this year for warning labels on video games. In January Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA) proposed in Congress that games rated T and higher carry warnings linking violent games to aggressive behavior.
Obesity warning labels have previously been advocated in some quarters for consumables such as soda and fast food.
Comments
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Why settle for video games? If you're going to put warning labels on something at least hit the source. I want to see warning labels on food stating that excessive use can lead to obesity.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
I would think sitting down playing video games and doing nothing else for extended periods of time could, potentially causing you to become lazy and overweight would be a big part of something called common sense
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say that the literature 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 no effort whatsoever at increasing American activity levels...
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
How about this for a headline...
Extremely encensed nerdgirl calls for ban on fitness blogging.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
A woman after my heart, as well as my spleen
Hunting the shadows of the troubled dreams.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Hear, hear!
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
While we're at it, let's put an obesity warning label on my couch, computer, bed, television and my comic books.
Oh, and this sandwich sitting infront of me.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
God forbid people have different hobbies from you, gym jockey.
I say the videos and programs of fitness gurus need to come with the label: "WARNING: May turn you into an elitist douche"
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Hey, don't just reply here, reply to the article itself. It has a comment section. *first post woohoo*
-If an apple a day keeps the doctor away....what happens when a doctor eats an apple?-
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
It looks like comments there go into a moderation queue. If they go out on fragile limbs as thin and rotted this one on a regular basis, they probably need it.
-Gray17
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
I'm willing to agree to this if the bloggers and everyone that enjoys said above blog is willing to have a warning tattoo on their face saying Warning Stupidity Levels Increasing as Proximity Decreases.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
I totally agree with this!
Can we also have obesity labels on books, cars, beds, chairs, most jobs, educational facilities, libraries, chess…
Whew, this list is getting pretty big… perhaps we should create a board to monitor and manage the situation too, with a big fat paycheck and perks to boot?
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Oh let's not forget telephone, cell phone, internet, and other thing that we use in everyday stuff. you're right about the bed, I get more fatter everyday when I lay down on the bed.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Don't forget to add the board itself to the list. Everyone who sits around monitoring it will be at increased risk for obesity.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Nobody's forcing you to smoke, drink, eat fast food, or anything else at gunpoint. You do that yourself. God, people can't even live their lives they want without some people bitching and moaning.
When Jack Thompson runs his mouth, does anyone really care what he has to say anymore?
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
My thoughts exactly. If you're wealthy enough to purchase obscene amounts of food and eat it until you can barely walk, I say go for it. It's your life, not mine.
However, if you weigh 200 lbs or more you shouldn't be in a welfare line or the like (which I have seen before. Several very large women with a few kids in line for welfare in Pontiac, it was sickening to see where some of my taxdollars are going).
-If an apple a day keeps the doctor away....what happens when a doctor eats an apple?-
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
pontiac michigan?
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
They're probably overweight because they eat garbage. Junk food is pretty cheap, and fast food is even cheaper. Both contain copious amounts of calories but cost next to nothing, and you don't have to do anything to them before you eat them. They're perenial favorites of the lazy.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Or simply cheap since lots of people lack money these days.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
If you bargain-hunt correctly at the grocery store, you can easily make dinner for less than you'd end up spending at a fast food restaurant anyway. Fast food is cheap, but it's generally not cheaper than making it yourself. It's a whole lot more convenient, though, and that's a big part of the appeal.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Here's another little tidbit...My friend is not on Welfare lets start right there...She does not have a steady job, She does not have a car and thus walks -everywhere-, Unless we actively bring her food she does not eat because she can't afford it...and guess what She's not a small woman...why? Because some of us are genetically predisposed to being larger. Maybe some of those women you've seen are just that?
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Sitting around doing nothing and only reading that blog could make you obese. Time for a warning label.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
We should just have a generic label on everything that says "Doing/using too much of this product may interfere with a good lifestyle".
GameSnooper
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
I don't know if this blogger realizes this, but there's a difference between something that will cause harm no matter its usage (tobacco) and something that may only cause harm based upon a variety of contributing factors (video games). Why don't we just place an obesity warning label on all sedentary activities?
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"In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say that the video game industry needs to... state that excessive use of their product could lead to inactivity and obesity,"
The same could be said of the public library, movie theaters, television shows, internet capable computers, and homework. Where is your call for warning labels on them?
-Gray17
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
While I have no interest in Wii Fit and games of its ilk, I would not call such efforts "half-hearted."
Anyway, while we're at it, let's put obesity warning labels on chairs too. After all, "excessive use of their product could lead to inactivity and obesity."
Andrew Eisen
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Yeah. Let's put them not just on chairs and video games, but also on big-screen TVs, TV remotes, cars, computers, corded phones, textbooks, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc.
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"Warning: This esculator has been design to make you fat. Please use the stairs inconviently located, well out of the way of your destination."
Your typical, modern, USA, mall, is full of esculators and elevators, but very few, if any, stragetically placed, common, every-day.....stairs. The largest mall closest to me, has only one set of stairs that people typically use (and that's to the food court!).
While computer games maybe a contributing factor, they are not the sole reason. And that is the problem with most blogs on the web: keeping facts straight and being honest. Game Politics screws up every once in a while, and does try to correct the issues.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
We should put them on basically everything you sit down to use.
Re: Fitness Blogger Calls For Obesity Warning Labels on ...
Andrew's comment sums it up. Something like this would be a real slippery slope, since you could find vague, generic connections between obesity and any activity in the world short of marathon running. Why are there warning labels on cigarette packaging? Because there's a genuine health risk when it comes to cigarette smoking. The act of playing video games doesn't inherently make you obese.
M. Carusi
Capitol Gaming
http://capitolgaming.blogspot.com