Study Shows Gamers are Fat, Unhappy, and Middle-Aged

DrNip · #1 08-20-2009

Quote:

A new study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Andrews University concludes that the average age of video-gamers in the U.S. is in the range 35–54. It also says that those gamers are fat, and miserable, though differences exist across genders.

With regards to the weighty "fat" conclusion, it's unclear if those surveyed had Nintendo Wiis with "exergaming" titles or not.

The study, "Health-Risk Correlates of Video-Game Playing Among Adults," published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, analyzed data from 552 adults in the Seattle-Tacoma area. The subjects ranged in age from 19 to 90. About 45% of respondents said they played video games often.

Female video-game players reported greater depression and lower health status than female nonplayers. Male video-game players reported higher BMI and more Internet use time than male nonplayers. Both female and male video-game players show greater reliance on the Internet for social support.

The study was conducted in 2006, but results were not analyzed until 2008. The theory had already been posited that video gamers wouldn't be as healthy as non-gamers, and that's what seems to have been the result of the study. Dr. James B Weaver III, PhD, MPH, National Center for Health Marketing, CDC, Atlanta, writes in the article:

"As hypothesized, health-risk factors – specifically, a higher BMI and a greater number of poor mental-health days – differentiated adult video-game players from nonplayers. Video-game players also reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns. Internet community support and time spent online distinguished adult video-game players from nonplayers, a finding consistent with prior research pointing to the willingness of adult video-game enthusiasts to sacrifice real-world social activities to play video games."

To translate the above: video gamers are fat, depressed, introverts, and prefer to play video games as opposed to real-life interaction with people. A sad combination, to be sure.

However, as we said earlier, the health-related consequences of video gaming are different depending on gender. Since the study noted that women gamers are more depressed than non-gamers, the researchers suggest that women gamers may be self-medicating, essentially "forgetting their troubles" during the game.

On the other hand, men suffer more from issues with higher body-mass indices or BMI (translation: they're fat) and isolation issues, and thus prefer to play video games with a social aspect (MMORPGs?). This, according to researchers, also and tends to demonstrate that the association among sedentary behaviors, physical inactivity, and overweight status observed in children and young adults may extend into adulthood.

Since the health-related effects of video-gaming on people differs depending on gender, the researchers suggested that interventions be differentiate by sex. Naturally, they also stated that more research needs to be done.

Why the Seattle-Tacoma area? According to the researchers, both because of its size as the 13th largest media market in the United States and because its Internet usage level is "the highest in the nation."

SOURCE:

http://hothardware.com/News/Study-Sh...nd-MiddleAged/

Good thing I'm not a gamer then, huh? LOL

punx223 · #2 08-20-2009

What do they say about benchers?? ohcrap

EDIT: btw that guy needs to learn how to shave a hawk

DrNip · #3 08-20-2009

I love this part right here, "To translate the above: video gamers are fat, depressed, introverts, and prefer to play video games as opposed to real-life interaction with people. A sad combination, to be sure."

GTFOH!!! I play video games, not every day but a good portion of the year as well as overclock and I am very active, have two jobs, 5' 9" and weigh 155, damn sure not depressed and chose not to have any real-life interaction with anybody other than my family as I have been burned by too many people in the past. I use to be more of an extrovert in my younger days but with age I am more introvert. But they might just be talking about full blown gamers as I am only partially blown. LOL

punx223 · #4 08-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrNip

I love this part right here, "To translate the above: video gamers are fat, depressed, introverts, and prefer to play video games as opposed to real-life interaction with people. A sad combination, to be sure."

GTFOH!!! I play video games, not every day but a good portion of the year as well as overclock and I am very active, have two jobs, 5' 9" and weigh 155, damn sure not depressed and chose not to have any real-life interaction with anybody other than my family as I have been burned by too many people in the past. I use to be more of an extrovert in my younger days but with age I am more introvert. But they might just be talking about full blown gamers as I am only partially blown. LOL

HAHAHAHA i think that was more pointed toward the new race of gamers like the cult gaming such as the obsessive WOW gamers,

But still a bad way to lump a whole group together like that....

Btw Im 6'5" and I am a happy ass guy... shit I almost never game but Im gonna again here soon...

Just frustrates me when they lump ALL people in a group like that.

BTW i dont interact with other people outside of overclockers because I DONT LIKE THEM.

other people my age are ignorant for the most part.

rickss69 · #5 08-20-2009

I'm 6'1", 175 lbs., 55 years old and think the human race basicly sucks...so sue me.

DrNip · #6 08-20-2009

I only game maybe Sept. - Dec. when all the good first person shooters come out but by Dec. all the fun wears out and its back to overclocking and nothing else. I don't see how people are still playing WOW.

Kal-EL · #7 08-20-2009

I'm 6'3" 285lbs, got muscles up to my ears, handsome as heck, well hung, hump every night, talk to way too many people off the computer and am a highly evolved gorrilla. All since I stopped gaming and started benching

punx223 · #8 08-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kal-EL

I'm 6'3" 285lbs, got muscles up to my ears, handsome as heck, well hung, hump every night, talk to way too many people off the computer and am a highly evolved gorrilla. All since I stopped gaming and started benching

RomDominance · #9 08-20-2009

I will begin by stating that I am more humble than my hawaiin counterpart....lmao...unbelievable right?
6'3" 190lbs. 46yr old in great shape, game like crazy, but suffering from B.D. atm
(Bench disfunction) due to unemployment

More eggheads spouting bull, although WOW does help their arguement

69_Goat · #10 08-20-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kal-EL

I'm 6'3" 285lbs, got muscles up to my ears, handsome as heck, well hung, hump every night, talk to way too many people off the computer and am a highly evolved gorrilla. All since I stopped gaming and started benching

Hey, Supes. We could be twins, except your fatter. I'm 195.

You must game more than me.