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Europe's independent games association Tiga has lodged a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority following the Government's 'Change4Life' campaign, which links playing video games to an early death.
The campaign's print advertisement, which is backed by Cancer Research, the British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK, depicts a young boy holding a PlayStation controller beneath the words "Risk an early death. Just do nothing".
Tiga CEO Richard Wilson said that the ad is insulting and offensive to the 30,000 people who work in the UK's video games industry, citing titles such as Brain Training, Buzz and Wii Fit as examples of games that offer mental and physical stimulation.
"With nearly a quarter of men and women and almost a fifth of two to five-year-olds in England obese we clearly need to encourage a more active lifestyle and healthy diet. It should be possible to achieve this objective without misrepresenting a creative industry of 30,000 people," he said.
The Department of Health responded to the complaint by telling MCV that the advert gives an example of inactivity that could lead to obesity.
"We are not saying that children shouldn't play computer games or eat treats, but parents and children need to be aware of the benefits of a balanced diet and an active lifestyle. The activities portrayed are examples of poor diet and lack of physical activity," a spokesperson said.
