CDC: Video gamers are fat, introverted and depressed
It might not come much as a surprise that the average video game player is now 35 years old — studies commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association have confirmed this over the past few years — but 2006 research recently unveiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims video game players were more likely to be overweight, depressed and introverted.
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Led by researcher James Weaver, this study focused on a random sampling of 552 adults, aged 19 to 90, from the Seattle-Tacoma area. Roughly 45 percent, or 249 people, were found to be video game players, with men accounting for 56 percent of this sampling.
The men who played games weighed more, on average, than the non-gamers, while the women were found to have greater levels of depression and had overall poorer health.
In a CDC statement, Weaver suggested gaming might be a form of “digital self-medication … and self-distraction” for this group.
Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, this study also found adult video gamers were less social and less extroverted than their non-gaming counterparts.
What’s your take on this? Do you think this sampling is too small – that the CDC shouldn’t make such broad assumptions with such a small sampling of the population? Or do you think this is a U.S. phenomenon and not a Canadian one?
I play video games alot, and this is major crap. I’ve been in good shape for all of my life so far, at age 14. I was depressed once, but it was personal problems, and I didnt play video games at the time. This is absolute crap.
well, I am a gamer or was I played to be closer to my wife, she is what you say they are, but rather then adress the problem she play more game online, then she could not take it anymore and had to change…she moved out….
Don B, one signifigant thing I have learnt on line is not to jump to conclusions like assuming gender by name alone. I am very concerned about how irresponsible it was for American Journal of Preventive Medicine,to publish such rubbish. There are millions of gamers world wide, right this second on one specific game alone 155,331 people are online in game, this is an accurate number I checked the stats. This study was done exclusivly “from the Seattle-Tacoma area.” It used a sampling of or “249 people”, to assume this is an accurate indication of millions of people world wide is ludicris. This is not the first time historically that surveys and test have been slanted to provide a desired out come. I am confident Weaver like yourself has a belittling view of gamers in general thus his findings.
I went on line gaming to find out what my kids were doing online. I stayed because of the suprising number of above average IQ people I met there. I owe my own home, I am a wilderness trail leader and fitness trainer at the YMCA-YWCA. I am also finacially secure enough that I retired years ago at age 40. So your assumptions are incorect, Im not fat, 27 or living in my mothers basement. The problem with this survey, and with your rude comments is if only 249 people from Seatle played online gaming online gaming would cease to exist.It take millions of people world wide to support this industry.I am confident Jagex alone employees more people then that. give us a real survey or keep your demeaning comments to yourself.
Let’s get one thing straight: this study, or at least the article relating to it, fails to define what a “gamer” is. Some of you are talking about WOW, geeks who spend 10 hours a day playing, and some of you are talking about regular working folks who just happen to play games.
What is a “gamer”? I’d hate to break it to the people who did this study, but in this day and age, if you find a male under the age of 35 who doesn’t at least casually play video games, you’re dealing with a minority. Video games are now as mainsream as TV, cell phones and computers, and calling someone a “gamer” is about the same as calling someone a “TV watcher.”
Now, if we’re dealing with overuse, as in my Wow example, fine. But there are millions of people who come home after work and enjoy an hour of video games to unwind. Just as there are people who watch TV to do the same. The only difference is that TV is completely passive, whereas games at least exercise the mind to some extent.
Is a “gamer” someone who plays for an hour every day, or 6 hours? This article needs to define its terms more clearly.
Furthermore, if “gamer” does in fact indicate someone who plays for 6-8 hours every day, and we’re being told that people who fit that category tend to be overweight, is it really surprising?
I think this is BS and the study is way to bias due to not enough resources taken, im 22 years old, been playing video games since i was 5 years old and presently im in a long term relation ship been 3 years, no where near being depressed and im very socially active, secondly im not overweight not a bit hence the fact that i go to the gym everymorning at 5:00 am then go to school so BS.
For every study.. theres an opposite one.
Being a gamer.. I like the following one :)
(sorry for lengthy post)
Think you know the gamer type?; Think again, researchers say
The Ottawa Citizen
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Page: A1 / FRONT
Section: News
Byline: Vito Pilieci
Source: The Ottawa Citizen
“People who play video games have better family lives, are more social and make more money than people who do not, according to two new studies.
The Canadian and American studies dispel stereotypes surrounding gamers — largely that they are solitary, overweight teens who are wasting their time.
According to the Canadian study, one in two Canadians can be considered a gamer, having actively played video games within the past month.
The average age of a gamer is 40 , and half are women . More than 82 per cent play video games an average of 7.1 hours each week.
The U.S. study, compiled by Ipsos MediaCT for video game review website IGN Entertainment, found that far from being loners, 55 per cent of all gamers are married, 48 per cent have children and 57 per cent of those who are parents regularly play video games with their children.
“Families are getting very involved and parents are becoming more supportive about gaming,” Judit Nagy, vice-president of consumer insights with Fox Interactive, IGN’s parent company, says. “It’s fun and interactive and a nice way to play with mom and dad.”
Just as board games brought families together decades ago, video games have become a family unifier, Ms. Nagy says. Many young parents who already suffer from hectic work schedules nonetheless find it easy to make time to sit down with their children for a quick game.
“Family gaming is becoming a big part of Canadian families’ pastime. Mom, dad and the kids are all playing together,” said Nicole Helsburg, spokeswoman for the Entertainment Software Association of Canada. “Those who grew up playing games have taken that into their adult lives and are now embracing that as a way to spend time with their kids.”
The U.S. study also found that gamers who are young and single are far more social than their non-gaming counterparts. Single gamers are twice as likely to go out on a date in any given month. They are also nine per cent more likely to go out with their friends than people who do not play video games.
In addition, gamers are 11 per cent more likely to play sports than non-gamers and spend the same amount of time per week reading books as those who don’t play video games.
“All this underscores the fact that gaming has become a mainstream medium in this country that appeals to people from all walks of life,” said Adam Wright, director of research for Ipsos MediaCT.
While their social lives seem to soar above their Xbox-less peers, gamers also make more money than those who do not play video games, the study found.
According to the IGN study, the average income of a gaming household in the U.S. is $79,000 U.S., compared to $55,000 for those households that do not play.
Anil Somayagi, associate professor in the department of computer sciences at Carleton University, wasn’t surprised by the discrepancy in income. He said many gamers are highly educated and technology savvy, traits coveted by employers offering higher salaries.
“If you are good at games, you probably have some aptitude for computer science,” he said. “One of the things games teach you to do is experiment. That is exactly the skill you need to learn. In effect, games are ways of teaching computer skills.”
The market in Canada for video games was worth $1.5 billion U.S. in 2007, a 56-per-cent increase over video game sales in 2006. Statistics were similar in the U.S., where sales hit $17.9 billion in 2007, up more than 43 per cent over 2006 sales figures.
Cheaper computers, new handheld devices and video game consoles have made it easier for people to play video games wherever they may be.
Of particular note is the introduction of Nintendo Inc.’s massively popular Wii gaming console, which appeals to all ages and demographics, attracting new players who previously may have shied away from gaming consoles.
Tim Blackmore, associate professor in the University of Western Ontario’s faculty of information and media studies, said the booming interest in video games proves that the activity has finally come of age. The purchasing power of people who grew up playing video games continues to drive sales and entice manufacturers to make better and more lifelike games, he said.
“It’s gone from being a sub-culture to a culture,” he said. “It’s part of the mainstream. Finally, this generation is making enough money to invest in these kinds of things.”
The ESAC survey questioned a nationally representative random sample of 652 Canadian adults. An additional 100 youths between the ages of six and 13 were also surveyed. The sample of all adults can be considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, 95 per cent of the time.
The IGN study was conducted in two phases, focusing on online consumers as well as gamers in their homes. More than 3,000 Americans took part. The results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 1.8 percentage points, 95 per cent of the time.
The studies mark the 50th anniversary of the world’s first video game, Tennis for Two, which was created by a New York nuclear physicist and released on Oct. 18, 1958. Hundreds lined up to play the game, which required a station wagon to cart it around, and was a very rudimentary version of the game Pong — which was released in 1972.”
A lot of people who did amazing things all throughout history were introverted. It’s a personality type, not a defect.
I find it surprising how many of you think that because you’re gamers in good shape/not introverted, means this story must be wrong. Some of you criticize that the study was too small, yet you believe your one case is more legitimate than 552 others? I wonder if they tested the gamers for common sense…lol
everybody is different and has their own opinion on things and there are always going to be people who think games are worse than they really are and take it out on the obese or depressed people who play them, they won’t even notice the healthy population that play games.
This is not the first study of its type.
While I love playing video games, I have to admit that many (especially guys) simply spend too much time playing games. Everyone knows that ‘hard core’ gamers don’t normally have the best social skills.
As for being over-weight: again, everyone knows that the more time you spend in front of a screen (TV or computer) the less time you spend on your feet, and consequently your health suffers. As ‘screen time rises’ so do the obesity rates.
Nothing wrong with playing video games, just don’t do it for several hours a day!
How about a real examination of this study.
Do the people play video games because they are introverted or do they become introverted because of video games? I believe it’s the first.
Same for being depressed and overweight. These people are generally less active and video games are an escape. Video games are the symptom, not the cause. Pointless study that doesn’t say anything.
Personally I think they should have taken a broader sampling before releasing any sort of findings, but I’m too introverted to say so. Depressing, isn’t it? Well if anyone wants to discuss this, I’ll be sitting in the back, one chair for each butt cheek, eating Doritos dipped in chocolate.
I agree with some of the posts here in that the sample was a small population, in a state where the weather may play a factor in outdoor and social activities, and that the definitions of such things as “depression” and “overweight” are nonexistent in this article. And as someone eloquently stated, the correlation does not imply that any given set of factor was causative.
Introversion is NOT a disorder. The article and many of the commentors do not clarify or recognize the difference between shyness and lack of social skills.
The lack of social skills (as society currently defines “social skills”) could be a concern. Gaming may be a social activity, but the interaction is different (and considered deficient) from being in the same room with others and socially interacting, including body language such as eye contact, and speaking to someone in a common dialect.
In the end, society is slow to accept any change, and just as black people were once considered a less evolved life form, closer to apes, consider the possibility that “gamers” are now bearing the brunt of prejudice from a society afraid of such inevitable change.
I agree with these stats, I know some younger gamers and they are all behind in social skills, a 14 year old is like a 10-11 year old. I have a stepson who is addicted to gaming, thats all he lives for, his world of friends is all on the computer, no outside friends at all. Anyone who thinks this isn’t a huge problem, just have a look in your parks and outdoor sport facilities, wheres the kids. I think gaming is a bad addiction, it makes the younger generation lazy and pretty much useless, the older guys playing these games fit this articles description very well, they need to stop the addiction and get a life, the real world has air,grass,water,trees,etc. thats where its at.The problem in our household has been addressed and is helping his personality remarkably but he still does things just for the reward of getting an hour or two of the computer, really quite sad.
Yes Rick,
I agree, addiction to anything is ultimately destructive, but that does not mean that ALL gamers are addicted or socially crippled, or for that matter even the majority. An average is the sum of both extremes, and we must take that into account when dealing with the cases where harm has been done to the person’s ability to survive in our society.
Where are the parents at? Who moniters these kids? Kids are kids, they don’t know any better and it’s the parents job to TEACH them what healthy is. And then they’ll learn that they need to take a break and go play outside. Pretty easy to let TV and games babysit and then take the blame for parental oversight.
im 14 and i have way better social skillz then my non-gaming friends. they always get me to go up to tills or fone ppl or order pizza for them because they dont no what the hell to do. i am definatly a gamer i wont deny that ive been playing videogames as long as i can remember and im not fat either in fact most people think im anorexic when they first meet me but i actually eat a lot. btw grammer and spelling have nothing to do with social skillz for all of you laughing at me cuz i fail at both while saying i have social skillz. i log easy 12 hours a day on summer break thanks to late nights, i have a girlfriend who i spend a lot of time with. on week days i come home do my homework really fast because its all way to easy (im a gifted student another anomoly… jeez how much of one can i be?) then i spend the rest of the day gaming or on the fone talking to my RL friends. so rick dont speak… just dont
The study doesn’t say how much video games (hours/week or hours/month) it classifies a video game player as. This publication is very general and I believe that because of this lack of information it should be taken with a grain of salt. I personally do believe that people that play a lot of video games (excess of 15 hrs/week) would show the characteristics dictated, but for someone like myself (play video games < 10 hours/month) I feel that it is not the case.
if what you say is true. i must be such a freak. i am a gamer no doubt but i am yet to fit ONE thing any study has shown.
Playing video games is what you do while you are waiting to die.
“Women’s ego are constantly stroked, stoked and flattered, (sometimes to the point of irritation). Our companionship is sought after, but not for our bodies as there is no access to it. These men simply want what is between our ears, a good conversation.”
Really? You don’t think it has anything to do with a bunch of pathetic, lonely guys starved for female attention and desperate for any kind of contact, even indirectly with a girl? And if they found out how physically unattractive some of those girls are, you think they would give them the time of day?
You get 1 life. Then you die and you’re worm food. Why anyone would want to spend a lot of that precious time in a virtual world and not experiencing life is depressing in itself. For many people it’s a pacifier, a crutch, whatever you want to call it. A coping device, even the scrawniest little runt who fails at everything can be a big shot on World of Warcraft.
The only reason anyone is at home on a Saturday night playing video games is because they have nothing better to do.
wow….luv the comment….I absolutely agree….it is so sad to see these kids (I don’t care about the loser adults) wasting their lifes in a fantasy world….hey to play for entertaiment a few hours a week is one thing but to a kids brain its real easy to become addicted
Tell you what anonymous, why don’t you earn enough to retire at age 40, and keep doing the things you are passionate about. I volunteer at the YMCA-YWCA, and teach off road 101 as a trail leader (a very expensive hobby). When you accomplish what I have then you can tell me about getting a life. Until then I find you to be the pathetic one. Oh and that dirable was not what most consider intelligent conversation.
maybe ppl want to spend it in a fantasy world cuz they think this world is to dull for there extravagant creative minds? hmm? when was the last time you got to swing from webs doing back flips while saving humanaty in real life?
to assume that we are gamers just because we have nothing better to do is pure ignorance…we do it because we enjoy it, its the same as any other hobby. stamp collection has no purpose but people do it as a hobby and not because they don’t have anything better to do, and the same could be said about any other hobby as well as , i bet, your hobbies.
Wow.. such judgement of other peoples lives. Theres a tone of bitterness, nastiness and intolerance in the previous posts that gotta make me wonder….
Gaming started as a way to find a common ground with my teenage sons during divorce. It worked, and with the boys today in their 20′s we still get a lot of laughs getting together online and playing. Pst..BTW, WoW isn’t the only thing out there….
My kids have had the pleasure of meeting other youth from all over the world. They have exchanged ideas, facts about their cultures, etc. that they would never have had the chance to otherwise.
I have made business contacts, business deals, received professional advice from all different levels of business and industry – all through people met during gaming.
We are part of a very large gaming clan that lists over 130 members of all ages, nationalities and walks of life. Our members who are engineers, computer science grads, high school teachers, etc. regularly assist our younger members with homework problems, etc…. wonder where their parents are when they need help with this stuff?? We have parents of younger members join us online regularly and who often tell us they never would have believed that a gaming clan could be as “family-oriented” as ours. And much, much more.
Don’t be so judgemental of something you know nothing about the scope of. Yes there are the problems, just as with any aspect of life. There is good and bad usage just as there is of any pastime. Be a little more recognizant of the fact that there is also an upside to most things.
This article is presenting only the negative aspects.. and theres a few here who are taking the “mmmooooooooooooo-ooooo” outlook (ie herd mentality) and applying it across the board. Close-minded and gullible much?
I wanted to tell you it was nice to hear another intelligent voice in here.
agreed
“wonder where their parents are when they need help with this stuff??”
Not always around? ALWAYS.
“My kids have had the pleasure of meeting other youth from all over the world. They have exchanged ideas, facts about their cultures, etc. that they would never have had the chance to otherwise.”
But that’s not what gaming is primarily about is it? And whose fault is it that your kids would never have the chance to experience those things outside of a video game?
I’m also in my early 20′s and we used to spend hardly any time at home and now we’re hearing about kids with vitamin D deficiency because they literally live a sheltered life.
Used to be that old people would rant about the crazy out-of-control youth. Now for the first time in history they will be complaining about how tame and domesticated they are.
Back to the 1 life thing, you have 1 youth, 1 opportunity to exercise real freedom and get in trouble and have a wild time doing whatever you want with few consequences. Gaming is great for old people who don’t want a lot of excitement out of life but kids don’t need a morphine drip of stimulation, they’re kids they’re capable of making their own fun and having a lot of it. I know I did.
In this day and age when the uterus is the biggest polluter I don’t anticipate having kids but any time you’re inside playing games with them you could be outside playing sports. Some of my best memories are of winning championships and bonding with teammates and all that stuff you can’t experience vicariously through a screen. People try, I see those gaming tournaments on TV but all I know is when I’m a decrepit shadow of my former self reminiscing about the glory days I’m going to have much better stories than those kids.
list time :D but id like to point out i dont get your response “not always around? ALWAYS.” like srsly wtf r u talking about?
1) so youd rather pay hundreds of dollers to fly your kid to china so he can meet random strangers who might just kidnap him and exchange ideas that way? if you honestly say yes you are not fit to be a parent… ever
2) about the “But that’s not what gaming is primarily about is it?” no it isnt… but its a very pleasent side effect isnt it?
3) “you have 1 youth, 1 opportunity to exercise real freedom and get in trouble and have a wild time doing whatever you want with few consequences.” is that not what gaming is?
4) some kids have a lot more fun playing video games then you did when you did whateva it is u did
5) “In this day and age when the uterus is the biggest polluter” a) you have a derogitory view of women (sexist) b) you think that kids are polluting the world…. child hater :A
6) “Some of my best memories are of winning championships and bonding with teammates” once again isnt that what video gaming is??? just in a much more extravagant way? and yes you can experience it thru a screen. and if you think “no you cant!” then either a) youve never played videogames online before in a team enviorment b) you were the noob on the team that every1 hated
“In this day and age when the uterus is the biggest polluter I don’t anticipate having kids…”
Oookkk….
I feel no need to defend myself, but I will point out that you should stop reading what is not there. I didn’t say how long we game per day or anything of the sort.
My kids are certified lifeguards and spend their summers working part-time at beaches and outdoor pools, thanks… in addition to the pool at home. We all participate in outdoor paintball tournaments, hiking through the conservation areas we live near, and snowshoeing is our outdoor sport for winter. They are rarely home in the evenings because they are out with friends. We work our gaming in around the other activities except for one evening a week which is for scheduled competitive tournament play.
So sorry to disappoint, but they are fit, tanned, well-socialized, well-partied (since that seems important to you) well-rounded kids who also happen to be at the top of their ‘game’ ;)
Thanks for your input though!
What a small sample and study area. Really, thats not many at all. And averages are a tricky bunch. For example, if 249 randomly selected people were sat in a room and all the money in their pockets were counted, and $5000 was found to be the total, average states that each person had an average $20 and change. And what if 50 of those people each had $100? And every one else had none? 20% would have money, and 80% wouldn’t. Point being averages are tricky. Rather, may I introduce ‘mean’. In this case, the mean would be $0.
Regarding weight, The following is under the assumption: it is ‘Most Common’ to be average weight,’less common’ to be over weight, and ‘least common’ to be underweight. Here’s how it goes. Imagine that 55% (137)of the gamers studied are average weight, and 40% (100) are over weight, and 5% (12) are underweight. I’m not using Lbs or Kg here, I’m just using simpler numbers with a unit of *. If ‘average weight’ is 80*, ‘under weight’ is 60* and ‘over weight’ is 100*, the average weight is 87*, even if only 40% of the sample actually was considered to be above that amount. If half of the overweight 20% were actually ‘grossly over weight’ (call that 120*), then the average weight would be up to 92*, even though still only 40% were actually above average. The ‘mean’ would be 80*, in both cases.
What I’m trying to say is that regarding weight, averages are misleading. Information regarding exactly what made up that average is important. When things like this are presented, they are presented in a manner with the intention of shocking you. More importantly, Muscle weighs more than fat, and someone weighing 100* might actually be very fit. Even if they were to try comparing BMIs in this way, one’s BMI does not account for where that mass came from (muscle or fat). Meaning that really, without any more information, no real conclusions can be drawn from the study.
Although the study was aimed at 19+ gamers, and I’m still only 17, I must say that I do fit the other half of the bill. And yes I am an introvert. Thats why I’d rather be a restaurant dishwasher than a server, no matter the tips. Depressed? Not really. But I’m not an introvert because of video games. I was long before I started playing them as much as I do today. Lucky me that my parents just considered it a facet of my personality rather than attempting to get me on drugs to get rid of it like so many do nowadays. Point being that that part of the study may have nothing to do with the video games. What if more of our population than we think is introverted? Example, if 50% of the population of a country is Asian, and they do a study in which they find that 50% of the people sampled that played video games are Asian, is it a surprise? When it comes to mental conditions, you have to compare the percentage to the country average (even if averages are detestable and inaccurate) to see if it means anything.
And I want people to stop insulting gamers with these kinds of silly accusations. Using the method of averages, you could skew results enough to say that any hobby’s partakers are on average over weight. When running/power walking got popular around here where I live, I would bet that the average runner/power walker at that time was overweight.
In the words of my sister’s math professor (Although more eloquently), there are lies, darn lies, and statistics.
Well written FuturisticImagination…
Wow.. 17 and a gamer and you have more of a grip on things than a few of the er.. 20-somethings….
lady_chicory – thank you :) There are a few in here with a sense of reason who have given valid input for both sides to this discussion. It’s quite a mixed group and nothing wrong with that.. except for the few extremists perhaps… (I’m still shaking my head on “the uterus is the biggest polluter”… wth?????? Good thing their ancestors didn’t feel that way, huh?)
P dizzo.. also a treat reading your posts here. Kudoes.