ELSPA Supports UK Gov't Anti-Obesity Plan

The Entertainment Leisure Software Publishers Association has announced it will support a strategy by the UK government's Department of Health to reduce obesity. The £372 million ($725 million) cross-government action plan focuses on the entertainment and technology industries, and will form a working group geared at supporting parents in managing their children's time spent on sedentary activities, including TV watching, video games and online use. Founded in 1989, ELSPA is now comprised of some 60 companies involved in publishing and distribution of interactive entertainment software in the UK. The organization has supported government initiatives in the past, as when Dr. Tanya Byron introduced a government review of the effects of video games on children, first announced at the ELSPA forum. ELSPA general director Paul Jackson commented, "We look forward to working with the department on strategies to help in the education and support of parents and children. We as an industry wish to encourage healthy lifestyles and will therefore also take the opportunity of informing the government of the huge amount of active gaming devices and games which offer more active and interactive play."