On-line "advergames" sell junk food through kids' videos

"Junk food" companies, restricted from marketing candy, high-sugar cereals, and fast food directly to children, are pushing their products through branded computer games, or advergames.

Advergames are free, online games for young children, 1.2 million on whom visit the site monthly; many games are played for up to an hour.

A study, "US Food Company Branded Advergames on the Internet: Children's exposure and effects on snack consumption," conducted by social scientists at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University finds most advergames market "snacks." And it's working. Kids are eating the stuff that's featured in the games. (The study has been published in the Journal of Children and Media.)

Dr. Jennifer Harris, above, director of marketing iInitiatives at the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity led the study, and wrote:

First, researchers examined children's exposure to food marketing with advergames at different websites using Internet usage data from comScore to examine the number and age of visitors to food company websites.... Only one website in the study had advergames promoting healthy food.

Secondly, researchers [looked at] what food 152 children consumed after playing advergames. They found that advergames that promoted junk food increased the children’s consumption of unhealthy snack foods by 56% compared to playing the healthy games, and 16% more than playing the control games.

In addition, children who played unhealthy advergames consumed one-third fewer fruits and vegetables than children who played the control and healthy games; those who had previously played were affected the most, but no difference was found between older and younger children. 

Advergames encouraging healthy eating did increase fruit and vegetable consumption.

Written for California's Children by Elizabeth J Carlyle.

Comments

[Stephan Dahl]

It's not just advergamnes on computers anymore - advergames are now also widelt available on mobile platforms - such as iPods, iPhones and Android phones. See this survey http://dahl.at/wordpress/2012/02/13/mobile-advergames-ethics/ for more on how advertisers use these platforms to market food.

[Anthony Giallourkais]

If I read another article tying advergames to kids and their eating habits I am going to puke. Enough is enough.

Only a small subset of advergames are even focused at kids. Advergames within themselves are interactive forms of advertisements that entertain while communicating a branding or other form of advertising message. They promote everything from movies to Lego, and from car brands to technology.

Playing advergames do not make kids eat anything and they do not make kids fat and out of shape, although someone is sure trying to make it look that way.

These limited studies don't take a variety of other factors into consideration when they are cut and pasted into articles like this. There are a multitude of complex forces at play which work to set and promote a child's eating habits. Playing advergames sponsored by companies targeting kids has only a small and limited influence. Other factors include alternatives, parental shopping habits, other forms of advertising, education, access, and a lot more.

For a realistic view of what the world of advergames on the web are like, visit www.advergames.com . We love playing all kinds of 100% FREE advergames from sponsors all over the globe. We think education and access are the keys to understanding these wonderful forms of interactive entertainment.

Advergames are not just for kids, so don't buy into that message. Advergames are for everyone, especially those who enjoy a good time without the expense. Judge for yourself. We think you will agree.