The gaming industry is in uproar over the UK government’s Change4Life campaign which depicts video games as a cause of premature death.

“Risk an early death, just do nothing” reads the latest print ad to be used in the government’s campaign against laziness and obesity in children.

Supported by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research and Diabetes UK, the print ad has appeared in magazines such as Reveal and Heat. The ad shows a young boy holding a video game controller beneath the controversial slogan.

Sega, Atari, Future Publishing, and other video game developers and publishers are angered by the ad targeted at the video games industry, according to MCV. Sony is considering legal action against ad agency The Gate for allegedly not contacting them over its use of a controller similar to the Playstation’s.

A formal complaint has now been filed by Tiga, the national trade association representing the business and commercial interests of games software developers in the UK and Europe, to the Advertising Standards Authority, slamming the ad as “offensive” and stating “drug abuse, smoking, obesity and involvement in violent crime are forms of behavior that risk an early death.”

CEO of Tiga Richard Wilson’s full statement:

“This advert is absurd and insulting in equal measure. To imply that playing a video game leads to a premature rendezvous with the Grim Reaper is a non-sequitur of colossal proportions. Alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, obesity and involvement in violent crime are forms of behaviour that risk an early death.

“In contrast, many video games are mentally stimulating, potentially educational and social and some involve physical exercise. ‘Brain Training’, ‘Wii Fit’ games or ‘Civilisation’, ‘Singstar’ and ‘Buzz’ are cases in point.

“This advert is offensive to the 30,000 people who work in the UK’s video games industry, particularly the 10,000 who work in games development. Game developers are typically intelligent, very qualified and creative individuals who work to produce high quality games for people’s entertainment. They are not in the business of driving people to an early grave.

“With nearly a quarter of men and women and almost a fifth of 2 to 5 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.”

A complaint against the advert can be made to the Advertising Standards Authority at: http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/how_to_complain/