To be honest my experience is probably the reverse. Compulsive gamers are monomaniacs who usually under-eat as well as under-exercise. They are certainly not the most healthy people, but obesity is not the first problem which came to mind.

Jayme

United States5866 Posts

August 19 2009 02:43 GMT

#63

On August 19 2009 11:19 psion0011 wrote:

Show nested quote +

It's a pretty fucking great indicator of health for a population.

No it's not.

I mean that's all I really have to say on the matter... it doesn't account for A LOT of things.

ghrur

United States3786 Posts

August 19 2009 02:46 GMT

#64

What's with the hate on introverts these days...
I thought they were supposed to be accepted as normal. =/ w/e.

obesechicken13

United States10467 Posts

August 19 2009 02:58 GMT

#65

Bmi does not accout for people with high fat percentages, that are still underweight or average weighted. (Don't exersize but eat only a little food). It's common knowledge that fat weighs less than muscle? Expect some gamers to carry more fat than is healthy for their weights and for it to show as they age.

And whether or not these findings can prove a causation one way or another between depression and gaming is unknown. What is known is that if you spend 2.5 hours playing games, and 16 hours awake, then your overall efficiency in how much work you can do is decreased from its maximum.

Here's a calculator:

24 hours - number of hours asleep/eating/showering/other maintenance = "A"
( # of hours playing)*100/"A" = The amount of efficiency you lose in being able to do work.

Of course everyone needs some hobby or activity to keep them sane and well.. just to have fun.

MamiyaOtaru

United States1687 Posts

August 19 2009 03:04 GMT

#66

If the average is overweight, when you factor in all the really skinny nerds (another common nerd phenotype), it means the heavier ones are even heavier D:

micronesia

United States24779 Posts

August 19 2009 03:14 GMT

#67

On August 19 2009 11:37 LeperKahn wrote:

Show nested quote +

Stop trolling!

I don't think he is... I think he honestly thinks that a measurement which doesn't differentiate muscle mass from fat mass, varying skeletal structures, and other physiological differences is fine for comparing how healthy people are.

Dasher

United States71 Posts

August 19 2009 03:17 GMT

#68

I wonder how many "Average gamers" play nothing but WOW.

Hypnosis

United States2061 Posts

August 19 2009 03:18 GMT

#69

552 adults in the Seattle-Tacoma area

...

Hyperbola

United States2554 Posts

August 19 2009 04:08 GMT

#70

This thread's only purpose is to inspire this:

Integra

Sweden5626 Posts

August 19 2009 04:14 GMT

#71

Typical bullshit and here is why:

1)The sampling is too small only 552 individuals were examined and does therefor not produce anything conclusive or certain.

2)They used BMI which includes fat AND muscle. A group of pro body builder and people who natrually have large muscle mass also has a BMI that is above average. To be sure you have to measure the body fat under the skin and not the weight of the person. A person with a high BMI doesn not mean he has poor or good health.

3)They don't say anything about the cause-effect link. As in that it is video games that actually is causing the problems(the cause) and that the problems are the effect.

4)They have only concluded that people who have problems all owned a game and played it. I bet these all people also owned a toothbrush or watched TV or used a car, since they havn't really conluded any cause-effect link, these things could just as well be the cause of their problems. and not the videogames. Their whole proof is that they found a common variable in the sample and that is gaming. Therefor the thoothburs, TV, or the car etc is just as likley to be the cause.

The media has probably scewed this to make it more sensational. What I can tell from the results of this research is that ecessive videogaming problably is being used as medication to get away from personal problems. I can nowhere find any wording or texting claiming that Gaming is The actuall problem.

Oedi

Canada265 Posts

August 19 2009 04:22 GMT

#72

We need Kennegit on this stat. We know SC gamers have no problems with Kennegit in our ranks but we gotta show other gamers the light like WoW and WC3 and show how they can be almost as awesome and fit as us with him as our leader. Incontrol will be the right hand man of course. Who wouldn't be impressed with a SC gamer that goes to weight lifting competitions and have a pretty gf. SC will make people lose weight and happy/awesome! :D

Comeh

United States18919 Posts

August 19 2009 04:38 GMT

#73

Hm, well, i'm not overweight, but the gaming is more of substitute for a lack of social life (particularly during the summer), and the lack of a social life is more of a reason for my depression. Not the gaming (getting DT dropped is more a reason for rage than anything)

ghermination

United States2851 Posts

August 19 2009 04:41 GMT

#74

For some reason this enrages me. On any forum, there are threads where people talk about being "addicted" to a certain game for a period of time, and i'm sure all of the more frequent forum users have experienced that... however i've never known a person who was so "addicted" to a game that they literally couldn't leave their chair or stop playing. They are trying to make this connection that Video Games -> Introversion, Depression, when actually it is the other way around. A lot of people who don't integrate well with society and can't follow societal norms or are awkward around other end up as otaku, only because the internet is both a highly personal and highly social world, which is perfect for them. They get the social interactions they need without the terrifying feeling of "real life".

ShaperofDreams

Canada2492 Posts

August 19 2009 04:42 GMT

#75

New study: average person is overweight and depressed.

(in rich countries)

{CC}StealthBlue

United States41117 Posts

August 19 2009 04:46 GMT

#76

This study makes me want to cry... and eat.

Integra

Sweden5626 Posts

August 19 2009 04:58 GMT

#77

Could someone get on the site and get a link to the actuall study, I've tried everything from searching the authors to searching for different terms like Game, BMI etc and I havn't found squat.

Rucky

United States717 Posts

August 19 2009 04:59 GMT

#78

For all who agrees answer this:

ARE YOU OVERWEIGHT + DEPRESSED?

I sure as hell am not. Isn't there a TL poll somewhere about TL community's physical health?

Nevuk

United States16280 Posts

August 19 2009 05:04 GMT

#79

If they included < 19 results would be a bit different, as Younger gamers tend to be able to balance lifestyles a bit more as gaming is a bit more common now (usually you have RL friends who are gamers when young).