With health care a major issue in the U.S., President Barack Obama said during a speech to the American Medical Association that quitting smoking, regular cancer screenings, and encouraging youngsters to play fewer video games are important keys health. The key word in that last sentence is “fewer”, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

According to the President, “…We can all agree … to invest more in preventive care so that we can avoid illness and disease in the first place. 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 video games and spend more time playing outside.“

President Obama is no stranger to the subject of video games. During his presidential campaign, he had ads in games such as Madden NFL and Burnout Paradise. He also reportedly purchased a Nintendo Wii for his daughters last Christmas, but he has also made multiple references to video games, pointing to them as a hindrance to kids’ education and overall success as maturing adults.

So does this mean that the President has become a dreaded “flip-flopper”? For most of us, his words make perfect sense, but I can already see them getting taken out of context. While he didn’t use the exact word, he’s referring to “moderation”. He didn’t say “encourage youngsters to give up gaming”; he specifically said “fewer”. Yes, do go outside and see the world. Try your hand at kickball, basketball or baseball. Then, when the sun goes down, and the weather turns chilly pull up a chair for a nice family round of Wii Bowling.

Source: Gamasutra