News: McDonald Says Videogames Make Children Fat

Posted by João Lopes - Jan 8th 2008 16:45

McDonald's UK CEO has a rather... unique take on the child obesity problem...

Steve Easterbrook, McDonald's UK chief executive admits that the food and drink industry is also to blame for child obesity, but the main culprits are videogames:

"Then there’s a lifestyle element: there’s fewer green spaces and kids are sat home playing computer games on the TV when in the past they’d have been burning off energy outside.”, says Steve Easterbrook to The Times.

Videogames are more and more successful, but then again, according to The Times, McDonalds is having its best year in two decades. Who's the main culprit? You decide.

And until Wii Fit comes out, you can always try and find a copy of the McDonald's videogame M.C. Kids for the NES.


Source: MCV



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Comments

Rob_BWFC Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 11:20 || Total Comments: 43
He is right in a way - there are much fewer kids out playing nowadays than there were 25 years ago when I was a kid.

What about the parents? It's far too easy to take your kids to McDonalds and plonk them in front of the TV afterwards nowadays. Making a proper meal and playing with your kids is too difficult for Wayne and Waynetta Chav.
Llewdebkram Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 11:22 || Total Comments: 237
Anything that involves long periods of time staring at a screen can make you fat.
eating fast food too often can also cause this, and just because 'McDonalds is having its best year in two decades', doesn't mean they are not also to blame.

Actually neither are to blame, it should be the parents primary role to consider their children's health and wellbeing.
Twilightlink Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 12:07 || Total Comments: 139
While I see the logic, I cant help but feel the very slight contradiction here. I mean let's face facts.

McDonalds food is HARDLY healthy. Games are actually getting more active as we go on. The 360 is probably least active, but EVEN with games like guitar hero driving the way (which DOES involve activity), there is actually some health taken into account.

PS3. Not too bad. The sixaxis sometimes requires a bit of standing up, sometimes needs to be more active.

But with games like Mario and Sonic at the olympics, Mario Party 8, Warioware, and of course Wiisports...I would say the wii can HARDLY be named as unhealthy, which to me spells out that Easterbrook is looking for SOMEONE ELSE to blame.

Parents, yes ARE to blame. They allow children to do as they wish. We're a nanny state now. It's a HUGE shame, but at the same time, attractions such as fast food DOES NOT help. While games are proven to get more healthy...is fast food proven to be more healthy than before? Not really. The only roughly healthy part of a mcdonalds meal is salad after all, and no-one goes to a fast food restaurant for a salad.
Emasher Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 12:12 || Total Comments: 197
Obesity is more about food and beverages than playing games. Games keep our brains active, and not just brain training.
Ld560 Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 12:29 || Total Comments: 81
I find the fact that any of the Wii series games as sports and play and even WarioWare Smooth Moves dont come into play here, they give u a very good bit of a workout while playing games.

Sitting in front of the screen isnt the same as it used to be these days...also what bout the DDR / Dancing Stage games as well...although this is of course no subsitution.
Narpas_sword Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 13:27 || Total Comments: 40
simple fact:

If you eat more than you burn, you get fat.

neither are to blame.
Ganepark32 Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 13:37 || Total Comments: 610
A lot of the comments here arebalming the parents. However, it really is the fault of the children more because they don't really understand the effects of fast food and excessive gaming on the body. Both can be bad for you and with all games comes a warning and safety guidelines should you fell ill or encounter pain while playing.

Fast food doesn't contain any health warnings, which I believe it should be as more people are being lost due to over consumption of fast foods than smoking. It's all good putting dietary information on fast food, but kids don't understand what it means. It does fall to the parents and school teachers to inform children against the dangers of continually eating unhealthily. However, kids need to be willing to look at what they can become and change. However, with advertising, not only in the real world but in games, kids are basically being brainwashed into either eating fast food or playing video games.

Video games can be enjoyed in moderation. Fast food however shouldn't be eaten in moderation. If possible, it shouldn't be eaten more than once a year on a professional's advice. The movie 'Super-Size Me!' really should be put on the biology curriculum for all children so they can see the health implications of constant eating of fast food. And don't give me any crap about eating disorders. Yes, there are eating disorders but kids not wanting to eat healthily has nothing to do with that. It's them not being disciplined properly and being given the change to eat the stuff.

The guys is wrong here though. Fast food is more responsible for children becoming fatter and until something is odne about the availability of the stuff, the trend will continue.
Hellfire Says: 
January 8th, 2008 at 13:56 || Total Comments: 735
SUper Size me is a complete and ridiculous exageration. Also, only 4 year olds don't know fast food is bad for you. Also, at least in McDonalds, the burger boxes have the ingredients, calories, nutrients, etc...
Obesity is caused by a lot of things and a lot of people: parents, kids, fast food, gastronomic traditions, sedentary life-styles, etc... Trying to divert blame or point the finger to just one factor is wrong.
M-PG71C Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 14:07 || Total Comments: 52
Obesity is caused by a number of things but the most important one that needs to be emphasised is the seditary lifestyle. Which incorporates a large number of activities. To put the blame solely on video games is inaccurate. But, considering this IS coming from Mickey D's, I'm not too surprised.
Solitanze Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 15:05 || Total Comments: 1655
Predominantly high processed food intake in modern day society along with negligent parenting from parents that had their kids by "accident" or are unable to raise a child responsibily (due to not being what was expected and/or inexcusably too difficult, especially if having to tailor for a defect child resulting from their own reject genes) equals the end result of considerable weight gain, NOT the entertainment medium that is videogames...
TheTingler Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 15:50 || Total Comments: 213
"A lot of the comments here arebalming the parents. However, it really is the fault of the children more..."

No, sorry Ganepark32, (ignoring the spelling, I got the gist) children are the responsibility of their parents or guardians. If they don't know fast food is bad for them, they should have been told that by the parents. And it's the parents who buy them the food - if they're old enough to buy their own food, they should have learnt it by now.

And also they must be out and about if they're at McDonalds, rather than sitting down playing videogames. You can't get McDonalds delivered. If they're eating McDonalds at home, they must either a) have a car (in which case they aren't kids anymore) or b) their parents brought them some back (so it's back to the parents' fault again). Or possibly c) walked and got it and brought it back, which I've never seen any kid younger than a teenager do.
For_Gods_Sake Says:
January 8th, 2008 at 17:45 || Total Comments: 95
hell i play video games I did the london marathon last yr. so dont tell me its the games. ok they dont help but if a large big mac meal is almost a full calorie intake for a grown man then what is it for a child.

No one wants a salad from mcd's as they are always brown from the heat of the kitchen.

Sry mr mcd but dont try to pass the blame. I admit its not all your fault after all you only sell it but dont try to blame others.

My grandad ate a full english everyday for breakfast but he spent rest of day on farm burning that off and he lived to 85. its not what you eat but how you live it but mcd's are not there to fuel you up for the day but to make easy money

how many of you know a big mac meal costs 38p including labour etc
Eraser Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 01:58 || Total Comments: 505
The man is probably right about this, but he's the last person on Earth who could be taken seriously with such a statement. It feels like blame shifting to me.
Seamus_aran Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 06:23 || Total Comments: 249
cheap shot n-europe.

we all know that its both the fat feeding companies and Nintendo's fault for the obese nation.
Nintendo-master2 Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 11:46 || Total Comments: 1530
O.O wow, that is a bit hypocritical! I mean they sell FAST FOOD!? playing games wont make you gain weight but if you do nothing else it WILL be unhealthy but still!
Kurtle Says:
January 9th, 2008 at 13:17 || Total Comments: 268
CARS

TV/GAMES

FAST FOOD

They're all contributors in making people fat.

Age is also a factor, you grow out of going out and messing around during your teens.
Jobs are also a factor when it comes to adulthood.

If he's blaming games for child obesity, then he's certainly WRONG:

IF YOU SAT AROUND ALL DAY PLAYING GAMES WITHOUT EATING JUNK FOOD, YOU WOULDN'T GET FAT.
Leo Says:
January 11th, 2008 at 06:55 || Total Comments: 92
I have to say parents are totally to be blamed for fat kids. If people let their kids sit down and play video games all day long, it's not the kids' fault. I know people that eat at McD's every day of their life, but also go to the gym and do sports. Why are these people not fat if junk food is so bad for you? You just need to compensate a bit

Go back some 50 years, if you were fat it was cos you sat inside and read books and munched on mama's sandwiches. Now it's the same thing except you play Mario.

Of course you won't take it seriously if it's the main man of McD UK saying it, but still I personally believe eating junk food don't matter that much if you do something healthy too. In this case you could say it's like a relationship, giving and taking (junk food and sports, maybe?) equals to more than plusminus zero. But you get nothing for sitting on your ass not eating junkfood but playing all day long.
UKhellyeah Says:
January 11th, 2008 at 10:29 || Total Comments: 14
Thats coming from McDonalds? Can anyone see the irony?
Solitanze Says:
April 2nd, 2008 at 19:01 || Total Comments: 1655
Haven't eaten there in ages...

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