UK Government to tackle obesity via games

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 28th January 2008

The UK Government is wanting to encourage parental timers as a way to help reduce obesity, but there are other ways...

The UK government has pledged to tackle childhood obesity by dealing with computer game companies again. It seems like they try to do this every few months.

Regardless, the UK Department of Health has pledged £372 million as part of an action plan to prevent obesity in children and young adults, according to MCV.

As part of the plan, the Department of Health will work closely with the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association to make sure that games continue to promote use of parental timers for restricting play time among children.

Personally, I've never even heard of anybody using a parental timer in a game. In my experience parents get divided into those who play games themselves and are capable of monitoring their children directly, and those who are tech-illiterate and wouldn't know how to use the timer properly anyway.

Director General of ELSPA Paul Jackson has said in a public statement that “We look forward to working with the department on strategies to help in the education and support of parents and children. We as an industry wish to encourage healthy lifestyles and will therefore also take the opportunity of informing the government of the huge amount of active gaming devices and games which offer more active and interactive play."

Are there other ways the government should would to try and reduce obesity in children? Let us know your ideas in the forums.