Obama mentions videogames!

By Tom Bramwell Published 16 June, 2009

Controversially suggests parents parent.

US President Barack Obama has argued that not letting our children play videogames all day might be healthier than letting our children play videogames all day.

Speaking to the American Medical Association, Obama had been talking about "preventive care so that we can avoid illness and disease in the first place", GamePolitics reports, when he said:

"That starts with each of us taking more responsibility for our health and the health of our children. It means quitting smoking, going in for that mammogram or colon cancer screening. It means going for a run or hitting the gym, and raising our children to step away from the videogames and spend more time playing outside."

This isn't the first time Obama has vaguely mentioned games in connection with suggesting parents do some parenting, either. Back in February he pointed out that video games aren't brilliantly conducive to kids doing their homework.

"In the end, there is no programme or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child," he said. "I speak to you not just as a president, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children's education must begin at home."

There's probably some broader point to be made here, but we're just so excited he's talking about us - even if he's mainly talking about how we're fat and stupid. Can he be our president too?

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (63) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MyPointIs #1 3 years ago

    I don't want to read about colon cancer on a gaming website. Maybe it's just me.

  • Tonka #2 3 years ago

    That fucker! HOW DARE HE!

  • Physically_Insane #3 3 years ago

    Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





    I don't care.

  • Tonka #4 3 years ago

    "US President Barack Obama has argued that not letting our children play videogames all day might be healthier than letting our children play videogames all day. "

    I mean WTF! Has he got any independent medical studies to back this up?

  • Tonka #5 3 years ago

    Bruce will have his head on a platter for this!

  • towser #6 3 years ago

    Tonka
    ""US President Barack Obama has argued that not letting our children play videogames all day might be healthier than letting our children play videogames all day. "

    I mean WTF! Has he got any independent medical studies to back this up?"

    It aint fucking rocket science mate. If you're a kid running around outside you are going to get far more exercise - mentally and physically than sitting in doors playing games. It's a fact.

    I love games and I have spent many many days sitting on my arse playing games when I should have been outside. So I speak from experience :-)

  • FireMonkey #7 3 years ago

    Towser - I think it was sarcasm

  • neilka #8 3 years ago

    Wii Mammogram and Wii Colonoscope, coming 2010.

  • Atropos #9 3 years ago

    Check your irony-meter, Towser :-)

  • Vice.Destroyer #10 3 years ago

    Towser probably thinks he is the smartest poster on EG.
    :)
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/09 @ 10:09

  • towser #11 3 years ago

    Gah! Too early, no coffee :-S

  • towser #12 3 years ago

    And Vice.Destroyer has just proved he isn't....

  • thestjohn #13 3 years ago

    While he's at it can he tell parents who buy their children age rated games not to complain when they realise there's adult content in them. When I worked in retail selling games I would frequently remind parents that they were buying an 18-rated game for a child, only for them to be "shocked, totally shocked" when they came back in to complain they had been sold it.

  • Sunyavadin #14 3 years ago

    "Wii Colonoscope, coming 2010."

    Thanks - I'll never pick up a wiimote again.....

  • mingster #15 3 years ago

    Just invent an outdoor simulator game..
    problem solved

  • mcbi4kh2 #16 3 years ago

    @ mingster

    Battlefield Live

  • Vice.Destroyer #17 3 years ago

    @Towser

    I see what you did there. Next time, Gadget. Next time.

  • El-Dev #18 3 years ago

    Colonscope on Natal.


    Has he ever watched The Wire, clearly playing videogames in America is a good way to stay alive... or maybe not:

    http://ww w.independent.co.uk/life-style/...

  • Domovoi #19 3 years ago

    Worst Eurogamer newspost yet?

  • penhalion #20 3 years ago

    People please don't give Nintendo any more peripheral ideas. I'd hate to see a Kawashima Mii demoing how to insert the new Nintendo Anal Probe +

  • autogunner #21 3 years ago

    the irony that wii fit is the second best selling game of the decade is not lost on obama then?

    actually he is right, kids who play videogames all day long arent going to be be healthy or good well at school, a balance is required, but fuck going to the gym, just buy the brats a bike.

  • Bigglesworth #22 3 years ago

    As a mother, I'm disgusted that this so-called "president" (if that *is* his real name!) dares to impose his religeous mumbo-jumbo on my children! Its an infringement of their basic human rights to express themselves in whatever way they want without such outdated concepts such as 'responsibility' or 'consideration for others'! I'll be talking to my MP about this.

  • raion #23 3 years ago

    what about all the kids that running around get hit by cars?
    or break a leg climbing a tree?
    or get a splinter wawing a stick?
    or *gasp!* catches a cold playing in the river, off-season?!

    are you people INSANE? keep the children inside!!

    (warning: this post wants to be a social commentary on children safety in general. you can't get outside without someone demanding you put on a helmet nowadays. they took away all the fun in being a kid, and so, they all turned to videogames)

  • kissthestick #24 3 years ago

    obama

  • jonsaan #25 3 years ago

    Well kids that spend all day, every day running around after a football are likely to end up pretty messed up too no? It's all about balance.

  • Bigglesworth #26 3 years ago

    @Jonsaan
    What, they keep falling over?

  • AphoticCosmos #27 3 years ago

    Gobama

  • neilka #28 3 years ago

    lolbama

  • anomagnus #29 3 years ago

    if obama told us that he used toilet paper, it'd make the head lines across the world, like some how no one possibly could have imagined Jesus Obama Christ using actual toilet paper to wipe his ass.

    Seriously, i like the guy, he seems like a breath of fresh air, but i am so sick of the entire world pouncing on everything he says likes its world changing

  • Omroth #30 3 years ago

    10/10 to Bramwell for reacting to this sanely.

  • Skandalle #31 3 years ago

    If all the kids were out, Milo would have no friends?

  • Hexagon #32 3 years ago

    The man's a genius! Or is he...? I do, however, like the fact that he's telling parents that they should do their job. Maybe less parents will hate on video games from now on. Then again...probably not.

  • jonsaan #33 3 years ago

    Anyway, we all know he makes fun of disabled people, so he's hardly perfect is he.

  • superdelphinus #34 3 years ago

    fewer parents

  • Frumper #35 3 years ago

    It may be obvious, it may be common sense but clearly it needs to be said - and it's significant that he has said it - trying to turn the tide of the blame/sue culture America has. Don't blame video games for ill health and gun crime, blame the fact you let your kid play it for x no of hours a day. - take responsibility for your actions etc... etc...

  • MrJoeSnow #36 3 years ago

    Hey Bramwell! Get out there and get me a story worth my time!!!!!
    This isn't your twatter page!!!

  • Apostle #37 3 years ago

    I wonder if his kids play video games? Probably the Wii, right? Or the DS.

    What is your twatter page out of interest, Bramwell?
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/09 @ 12:00

  • kangarootoo #38 3 years ago

    @ anomagnus

    "Seriously, i like the guy, he seems like a breath of fresh air, but i am so sick of the entire world pouncing on everything he says likes its world changing"

    It will just be newsworthy for a while that the US has a president who has a brain in his head again. I'm sure will all get used to it after a while :)

  • GamesConnoisseur #39 3 years ago

    When you stop and think about it, actually not very newsworthy as the item is something even a 7 old kids know ie my boy who told me the other day 'not playing football with me outside and instead spending time on your game machine will only make you fat!'.

    Damn cheeky brat but only good thing is that too many parents are thick and while the mistrusts of outdoor is understandable, get them to join school football team ie our Jack and erm.... local ballerina dance club such as for our little terror Samantha!

  • IneptPercy #40 3 years ago

    I still remember a kid getting RSI due to the vibrations from a dualshock pad, the kid was litterally either:

    At school
    Sleeping
    Eating
    Toilet
    Playing Playstation

    It can't be healthy.

    With that it is down to parents, my nephew only gets about 1.5 hours a day to play games at most (maybe more if its raining),

  • shotgun44 #41 3 years ago

    I feel like it does need to be said. It sounds like common sense, but how often do you see people with piles of that precious commodity!?

    I remember back when I was quite young, maybe 12ish, I got absolutely hooked on Ultima Online and I became almost borderline recluse. If my mates at the time were the gaming type I think I'd be fucked right now. MMOs really are the crack of the gaming world!

    All ok now, the occaisional dip into WoW never hurt anyone...

  • Spekingur #42 3 years ago

    Play with your kids, do some real parenting rather than just sit them down in front of the TV or the computer. Looks like sound advice to me.

  • deadmonkeyuk #43 3 years ago

    "US President Barack Obama has argued that not letting our children play videogames all day might be healthier than letting our children play videogames all day."

    In other news Doctors have argued that not letting our children eat sweets all day might be healthier than letting our children eat sweets all day.

    Slow news day?

  • Palmada #44 3 years ago

    Slow news day?

    "Worst Eurogamer newspost yet? "

    +1

  • agparrot #45 3 years ago

    He made this statement from his cave in Afghanistan, did he?

  • Hexagon #46 3 years ago

    Eurogamer should report on this instead.

  • zedzee #47 3 years ago

    "can he be our president, too?"

    No, he can't and he shouldn't. We're in England/Euroland and he's in United States of Arseholes.

  • Gearskin #48 3 years ago

    Can You Smelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll What Barack is cooking?

  • miiiguel #49 3 years ago

    No... Obama's wrong, here in Europe we're much smarter, we don't care about what our kids do, and then we whine to the state and demand bans. Let's bash Obama.

  • mcmonkeyplc #50 3 years ago

    Parents should do some Partenting?! WTF do they pay you for Obama jesus figure! You must do it all!

  • SG #51 3 years ago

    I think for that (like he mentions about the books) adventure-based, text heavy games perhaps adults should be playing games with adults. Look at Monkey Island 1 & 2 amongst - it's basically an interactive book!

    Something people seem to be forgetting as that kids playing these games 20 years ago are now the people in highly lucrative industries. It's only when games got actiony and arcadey that they became a negative distraction for kids.

    People can't blanket cover games with one word.

  • SG #52 3 years ago

    IneptPercy
    16-Jun-09 12:31:42

    I still remember a kid getting RSI due to the vibrations from a dualshock pad, the kid was litterally either:

    At school
    Sleeping
    Eating
    Toilet
    Playing Playstation

    It can't be healthy.

    I'm pretty sure that school, sleeping, eating and going to the toilet are all pretty good for you.

  • uglygamer #53 3 years ago

    LOL

  • Bilbo_bobbins #54 3 years ago

    OMG Obama says something about video games. Whooopy !

    I think I might go and trim my arse hair instead of reading anything else on here today., thats how bored I am.

  • dingo75 #55 3 years ago

    Waiting that Obama walks on water.
    Probably sometimes in fall.

  • Drool #56 3 years ago

    Sad how this doesn't seem to be common knowledge for some...

  • smelly #57 3 years ago

    At least he's taking a common sense approach rather than just trying to get them banned.

  • IneptPercy #58 3 years ago

    "I'm pretty sure that school, sleeping, eating and going to the toilet are all pretty good for you. "#

    Very true, but there has to be more to life than that.

  • davisorle #59 3 years ago

    Obama stated something all parents should be aware of and instead of bitching you should learn how to be parents instead of letting the TV and videogames do the parenting since that needs no parenting skills at all. Babysitters do better job than parents if you put it that way. I love gaming but parents do need to get this shit straight instead of kicking back and do something about it. There is a limit in everything ( except sex ).

    Cheers

  • hiruu #60 3 years ago

    LOL...sorry, but he's right...I love to play video games, but letting your kids sit in front of the TV to play games all day is not a good idea. I have kids, and I certianly DON'T let them do so...The Prez isn't saying the government should pass legislation to control that, he says PARENTS should be PARENTS! How novel is THAT...stop blaming Rockstar for making GTA, and start beign a parent and saying NO!

  • secombe #61 3 years ago

    Seriously, i like the guy, he seems like a breath of fresh air, but i am so sick of the entire world pouncing on everything he says likes its world changing

    Nobody important ever says this stuff, so whilst not world changing, it's pretty darn good that he's putting it out there.

    Everyone tip toes around the 'parent responsibility' bit, the press may be quick to jump on violent games, movies, whatever, but rarely does anyone question the actual parents and their parenting.

  • Avaloner #62 3 years ago

    In other news: Random unprotected sex may make your balls drop off unexpectedly

  • yagisencho #63 3 years ago

    Growing up, I did most of my gaming on rainy days or when I was sick. Otherwise, I was out riding my bike, climbing trees, swimming, etc. Now that I'm a responsible adult, I spend my evenings dead-eyed in front an LCD screen.