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 a forum for the uses of videogames in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment
ABOUT About This Site - RSS Feed Ian Bogost (editor) Gonzalo Frasca (editor emeritus) SPONSORS
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CDC villifies games, gamers February 27, 2006 - by Ian Bogost
What a foolish move on the part of the CDC. Who do they think they're communicating with? If the goal was to replicate the shock value of, say the "truth" anti-smoking campaign, they'd do well to start with the social and class issues that produce the problem in the first place. If the goal was to create empathy with videogame-playing youth and to use that empathy to start a conversation, there's no chance of it happening now; the ad is too vilifying. If the goal was to startle parents into intervening in their kids play habits, chances are that the families with stable, structured two-parent homes invest in a wide range of activities for their kids. Don't get me wrong, I don't want my kids playing videogames all the time either. But they don't. Not even close. And neither do the kids who eat at McDonald's three nights a week because it's cheaper than buying fresh produce, or who drink soda every day because Coca Cola paid their school district millions of dollars in subsidies to place vending machines in their elementary schools. So, chalk this up as more anti-videogame discourse from our anti-videogame government's rhetoric: obesity and health are always caused by moral failings, never by the intersection of myriad social and political situations. Comment from Joshua Strully on February 27, 2006
This ad campaign comes nowhere close to replicating the shock value of the "truth" advertisements; as fas as I am concerned, there's no shock value at all. If they were smart they would try to do something with EyeToy, or some other game/technology that promotes physical activity. Or, of course, they could do the common thing and just attack games in general. Comment from Mariano Suarez Battan on February 27, 2006
I'm an active soccer, tenis and golf player. Every Saturday we compete on a club tournament with my beloved "Au Revoir". Now, the experience of winning two championships last year has NOTHING to do with the great nights playing Winning Eleven 9 with the same "real soccer" teammates. If they can't communicate that they understand the gaming experience, they can't bond with the gamer. Without that bond they're the enemy. Bad move CDC. Comment from Senny on February 27, 2006
What a waste of money. I'd rather not think about what that money could be spent on instead...it's too scary. Apparently, the CDC did not bother to perform any marketing research before launching this campaign. Comment from bigbear on February 28, 2006
You got this backwards. The videogame characters are getting fat because the videogame players are doing things in the real world. Comment from Elizabeth Losh on February 28, 2006
As yet another example of taxpayer-funded social marketing that subverts the deliberative processes of the public sphere, it's worth being skeptical about this kind of campaign on general principles. Ironically, the program's website has a selection of signature online games! Comment from Hussan Rahiem on March 6, 2006
Comment from Marcus on March 7, 2006
Comment from Craig on March 30, 2006
Comment from lortab side effects on July 1, 2006
Comment from gereg on July 5, 2006
Comment from ali on July 6, 2006
I know the game isn't new, but we never covered it properly here, and I'm rather glad we waited so we can benefit from a bit of perspective on the unusual yet popular title for Nintendo DS. Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day was released in mid April by Nintendo as the first salvo in the … Comment from John Anderton on July 13, 2006
This can't be from the real CDC; looks like someone ripped off the CDC logo. The official title of the agency is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not the Center for Disease Control, and that is the incorrect tagline for the agency, too. Comment from Djons on July 15, 2006
VERY SORRY Comment from Rok on August 7, 2006
very sorry paris-hilton Comment from spanky mcnulty on August 14, 2006
these ads were created at ad factory of Saatchi&Saatchi in NYC after the original creators of the VERB campaign left for better jobs. the ads were never approved by the CDC, are an insult to gamers, and (considering they are targeted to 9-13 year olds) are down-right filthy. the only reason these ads were created was to win some kind of award, which they never did. Comment from Roni on August 23, 2006
VERY SORRY Comment from Robi on August 23, 2006
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