"videogame" news and stories

Oh, how I wish I could take claim for these works of art. Alas, I cannot, so I'll be sure to thank the real artists: Clever Cupcakes of Montreal.

The company provides three cupcake choices for your indulging pleasure: classic, creative, and wholesome. Choose your classic combo from a multitude of cake, frosting, fillings and sprinkles choices; go creative a la Mario Bros.; or keep it health(ier) with the whole-grained goodness of a wholesome cake. The wholesome cakes are made with agave nectar, which has a lower glycemic index than sugar (a fancy way of saying that it won't make your blood sugar spike, resulting in those crazy sugar highs and lows).

Alas, the fresh ingredients and lack of preservatives that make these cupcakes so good is also what makes them unsuitable for shipping - so you can only enjoy them if you live in the Montreal area (or have a really good friend who's willing to send them to you).

Be like Creative Cupcakes and post your photos on the Slashfood's Flickr Photo Pool. C'mon, you know you want to. Everybody's doin' it...

Video games and television are sometimes blamed for the "obesity epidemic" because kids (and adults) who sit in front of a screen are less active than their non-couchbound counterparts. Two new video games are being developed by a company called Archimage, and they aim to encourage children to make healthy choices in their diets, hoping to counteract the tendency of some to binge on snack foods while playing games. The games are called Nanoswarm: Invasion from Inner Space and Escape from Diab. Each is an immersive role-playing game that is supposed to help kids learn about how to make the food choices that will keep them healthy, modifying any unhealthy eating behaviors.

A demo of Nanoswarm is available online, blending sci-fi and action adventure in an attempt to disguise the semi-educational message of the game from kids who might be put off by the idea of learning something while playing. It still sounds like a good idea, and if even a few kids are playing this, making a few healthier choices, it seems like a worthwhile game.

Source

The game is called The McDonald's Videogame and it sounds innocent enough, but it is immediately apparent from the sinister-looking "Ronald" clown that this is not a happy virtual world. The game is essentially anti-McDonalds propaganda, taking cues from books like Beyond Beef, Fast Food Nation and No Logo to an extreme, albeit cartoon, form. There is nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong with they way that the creators of the game (an Italian group) pretend to represent the McDonald's corporation.

The phrasing on the site is impossible to overlook. Even on the front page, the site states that "you'll discover all the dirty secrets that made us one of the biggest company [sic] of the world." Of course, since they are not affiliated with the company, there is a disclaimer that states that very fact - but their version of an "about us" page continues with the following: Denying all these well founded accusations would be impossible so we decided to create an online game to explain to young people that this is the price to pay in order to preserve our lifestyle. We'll continue on our way, with our well-known determination. Join us and have fun with us!"

So what is the point here? Stand up and support what you believe in. People are being deceived by the site, to one degree or another (just take a look at the forums), and think that it is run by McDonald's. The authors of the books so admired by the video game creator did not pretend to be affiliated with the company that they were condemning. And they did not need to do so to make a convincing argument. If you don't like McDonald's, just say so. The game is more fun with less propaganda.

(*Note: There is some offensive language in the game if you decide to play it. Consider yourself warned.)

[via Supersized Meals)