Candy Bomb

Researchers from the Radboud University, Netherlands have reported that children tend to consume more calories after playing online games that involve food. They found that immediately after playing an online game embedded with food advertisement, children ate 55% more candy than children who had played a game embedded with toy advertisement.

The study noted that about two–third of all primary school aged children will at least, once a week, play an online game that seeks to draw attention to a brand. Most of these advertisements are for snacks and candy and only 6 percent children are aware that these games are advertisements. This was claimed after the researchers studied the effects of these hidden food advertisements on eating habits of 1,000 children.

Following the experiment, it was established that children do not recognise the games as advertisements, even when the brand names and logos were clearly visible. It was also concluded that it did not matter to children whether the game was about candy or fruit; they ate more candy after playing a game involving food. Children after the experiment consumed 72% more calories than children in a controlled condition.