Study: Average Gamer is Overweight, Depressed
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: video, games, overweight, depressed, study | Themes: The Internet
A study has shown that the average gamer is 35 years old, overweight and depressed.
MSNBC today reports that a study by the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Andrews University shows that the average American gamer is 35 years old, overweight and often depressed.
Researchers gathered information on the gaming habits of 552 adults in the Seattle-Tacoma area. According to MSNC, the areas was chosen 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."
Done in 2006, with the results analyzed in 2008, the study found that adults who played video games also reported lower extraversion. Female players were more likely to be depressed or have a "lower health status," while male video-gamers were more likely to have a higher BMI and lower extraversion.
The report will be published in the October issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Read more about the study on MSNBC.com.
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OMFG, run for the hills.
The above idea will not only get some people fresh air and exercise but also help meet like minded people and give some hope for their future.
Now, where's my cheque?
I knew they were going to use the Southpark WoW guy when I read the headline.
Good thing I don't fit the profile of a fat depressed gamer. In shape and perfectly happy guy, of course I actually quit WoW two years ago and got my life back.
This groundbreaking study has been brought to you by the esteemed research journal "No Sh-t".
umm
if i play WoW it would be at work where i spend most of the time in front of a computer..
i dont see myself playing a game for more than 30 minute straight if i can make it to 30 minutes
The average American is roughly that age, overweight, and depressed.
Isn't Seattle already home to a fairly high suicide rate. Seems more like a pre existing issue with the local populace than a reflection on gamers in general. In the same way you'd expect someone in New England to enjoy seafood, or someone down here in Texas to enjoy the countryside.
No, I'm not...
Guess I'm not the average gamer or American.
6'1 male @ 173lbs.
I am underweight and perfectly content.
I don't believe anything MSNBC reports or trust Government funded research. The test subjects live in the rainy city of Seattle; from what I have read in the past, Seattle has the largest depression rate in the country due to the cloudy and rainy weather. Also, most depressed people are overweight because they eat because of the feelings of emptiness and boredom. Most likely the test group was already depressed and use video games as an escape. The study should have been, "Are video games a healthy outlet for people with depression."
Correlation does not equal casuation. I can't believe this was published in a real journal.
Above poster is right; the average american is probably ~35, overweight or obese, and 'occasionally depressed'. If they could show gaming somehow made this worse...by all means...show us.
Isn't the obesity rate in the US around 33%? If one in every three people is supposedly fat is it really a surprise that the "average gamer" is fat? If the obesity rate keeps climbing the average American is going to be considered fat in just a few years.
It also seems the study is a bit misleading. They only asked people in a certain area, didn't ask nearly enough people, and didn't ask anyone under the age of 18. Sounds like the "study" was to designed to get the results they wanted.
Do they specify what kind of games they play? Because if it's MMO RPGs like WoW, I have no trouble believing it. If it includes FPSs and fighters, though, then the demographic is probably younger and healthier than they're leading on, since it has a more limited appeal.
American gamer? No, Seattle-area gamer. The Pacific Northwest gets fifty inches of fog per year, nevermind the rain. I believe it is the home of the planet's only deciduous rainforest. With that much gloom, of course depression rates are higher.
This study (and/or the reporting about it) is horrifically flawed. Subjects over a wide geographic area must be included in order to have any hope of realistically linking any conclusions exclusively to gaming.
17 years old, 6'3, 235, so I could lose a few pounds. I AM NOT BEING DEFENSIVE!
Oh, checking the link for the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, I was unable to find this particular article. I wanted to check to see how they setup their control group, and so on. In my brief browsing, I found another study they did that basically concluded "If you're a rock climber, you're more likely to break your leg."
These guys are really doing excellent research out there! /sarcasm.
Bah.. I don't believe it for a second...
Now.. where did a put that Hot Pocket.. Oh, there it is, under the empty bag of Doritos. Let me just reach for that.... OH DAMMIT! I spilled my Red Bull all over my Hot Pocket! Why Me! WHY! I hate my life... I should just end it all!!
Oh wait, Hot Pockets come two to a package.. I'm good...
Now, close the door when you leave.. I can't have any outside distractions while I try to level up my character... GO AWAY!!
Lmao im a hardcore pc gaming and im 15 and perfect weight so HAHAHA im not average.. and im sure the hell an't depressed i love life
...
Most likely the test group was already depressed and use video games as an escape. The study should have been, "Are video games a healthy outlet for people with depression."
That is by far the most sensible thought I have heard in a very long time (in relation to the effect of video games).
I do not fit into the obove description and I am an avid gamer... Though I've never played WoW, nor do I ever want 2. However, I do have some one in my close family who fits this description perfectly except he's 18. And guess what? It is obvious to every one that he wouldn't be this way if his parents had parented him properly instead of just leaving him in front of the SNES since he was 4-years-old and bending over to please his every demand. I have a 5-year-old dauhgter who loves playing her DS, PSP and PS3 with me and as much as I enjoy seeing her have fun we always set limits to her video game time to make sure she doesn't end up like the above statistics.
A study in Seattle? There are more depressed people living there than anywhere else in the US! Heck, what they should have done is see how many people are depressed, and then see out of those people if they play games.
I play WoW at least 3 times a week and I am happily married with a kid and we are all in good shape. You just have to play in moderation and get exercise regularly. Diet is also the key factor. I think the overweight and depressed part is less game related than this report says it is.
American gamer? No, Seattle-area gamer. The Pacific Northwest gets fifty inches of fog per year, nevermind the rain.
We just tell everyone it rains here all the time so you don't move here. We average ~35 inches per year, not even close to the top 10. Now if we're talking overcast that's a different story! Which is my point. Of course people in Seattle spend more time indoors!
Glad I'm not the "Average American"! I'm nearly underweight, happy, 23 years old...I could go on about "average Americans" but I usually don't fit that description--except for being American.
After reading this how can i not be depressed
I'm in shape, I'm not depressed, I play shit load of games.
Overweight and depressed? Good, it means that gamers are just like everybody else, overweight and depressed.
And why should taxpayers fund this useless research? Why it smells like that bureaucrats in CDC want to prove that video games are bad for your health?
Oh, I play games on most days; often for hours on weekends. I'm 49, in the "green" zone on the BMI chart, and happily married to a wife who accepts my hobbies just as I accept and support hers. We also get out on our Catrikes at least once a week (trying for at least twice; they're fun).
Alot has changed since 2006, like I see alot more female online gamers, alot more younger gamers. Many more people who would normally play a game once or twice a month, gaming all night instead, so them figures arent realistic, not to mention this just reiterates USA's popular obesity!
You could substitute "Average Gamer" for "Average American living in Seattle." I'm guessing they were fatter and more depressed than the average person in that city, but it's certainly not clear from the content of this article.