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Hey Gamers...Are you 35, overweight, and depressed?

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Of course their survey respondents were depressed: They live in Seattle/Tacoma!

Non jokingly, I thought the Washington state area had this higher than average anyway, due to the weather.

And depending on how they define overweight, that could include a sizeable percentage of Americans, period.

And they did cut out gamers under 19, so that would skew the averages some. Now, I know lots of older gamers, and as the gaming population gets on in years, that will naturally increase.

Doesn't seem that definitive though.....
 
Originally posted by: Arglebargle
Of course their survey respondents were depressed: They live in Seattle/Tacoma!

Non jokingly, I thought the Washington state area had this higher than average anyway, due to the weather.
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As somebody who lives between Seattle and Tacoma, I strongly resemble that remark.

 
I am 30, in great shape mentally, physically, and sexually. I have a wife that loves me and loves that I am into games. I also like anything physical, cooking, wine, and cars. If im not playing a game I am reading about one of my cars... I would just like to know where people like me fit in to that overly-presumptuous article. I am likely the minority here, but I STRONGLY disagree with the assertion that gaming results in depression.

The only game that I can agree with the article on is WoW... I have seen this game, or rather, behavior destroy lives. I honestly think though if it wasn't WoW it would be filled with something else like Magic the Gathering cards or something...
 
Originally posted by: apoppin
well, then i am 20 years past the norm, underweight and not depressed

the depression comes only when there are no good games

Now there is one BIG problem with the study
--it was tested ONLY in Seattle, Washington ..
.. that is damn depressing 🙁
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Hey, I call 40F, overcast, and rainy "good gaming weather". On the flip side, Seattle is also a very pedestrian friendly city with lots of good opportunities for outdoor activities. There's water on one side, mountains on the other, and lots of trails and parks in between.

That being said, I think there is some truth to the article. I tend to find that when I game excessively, I am not as interested in other interests, get less sleep, and don't get any exercise. I'm not the type of person that gets depressed and never have been, so that's not really an issue for me.

What it really comes down to is what people want for themselves. You can't blame games if your job/life sucks, McDonald's if you're fat, and Philip Morris if you smoke. It's all up to you.
 
Early 20s, <170lbs at 6' tall, so I guess I am not overweight. Not depressed, I keep busy with my research at the university and my studies, so I do not have much idle time to sit around and think about the bad days to come. Since quitting WoW about 3 years ago, I have not gamed all that much. Can I be considered a gamer if I game about 2 hours a week? Although that time is going to change to about 8 hours a week since I reinstalled Civilization IV.:evil:
 
I'm making the transition from early 30s, overweight, and depressed gamer to early mid 30s, overweight, and depressed with kids and no time for gaming 🙂
 
Not sure where I fit in here. I'm just over the average age, 5'11" 190, and freakin' ripped. Oh, and occasionally depressed. Did I say I was ripped?
 
average seems excessively high.
most die hard gamers are middle school to college where they have time.
as for depressed and overweight. considering the recession and general obesity of america....seems to describe most folk
 
Haha, right, it's like a meteorologist predicting a 50% chance of rain. That pretty much narrows the day's forecast down.
 
Originally posted by: Dorkenstein
Haha, right, it's like a meteorologist predicting a 50% chance of rain. That pretty much narrows the day's forecast down.
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what is *cool* about predicting the weather in gloomy depressing Tacoma-Seattle, where the study took place - is that you can say "overcast with an excellent chance of showers" MOST of the year - and still keep your job

Just remember to keep Prozac handy if you like sunny weather
- keep on gaming!
:sun:
 
all encompassing stereotypes = lose

might as well say all black people like fried chicken and all white people can't dance

 
28, slightly overweight, but fit enough to play tennis tournaments and run 5ks (ran 9mi last Wednesday). I love beer, wine and good food so no matter how much I exercise, I'm not probably not losing those last 10 lbs.
 
Originally posted by: smackguy

Did you all see this article on Yahoo today? Talk about BS.....

http://videogames.yahoo.com/ev...g-or-are-they-/1346074

Study: Games are depressing...or are they?

The average gamer is 35, overweight, and more likely to be depressed, says a new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, which was carried out in the Seattle-Tacoma area, found that gamers 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."

It also indicated a curious difference between male and female gamers: the former proved more overweight and reported more Internet usage than non-gamer men, while female gamers reported more depression and lower general health than non-gamer women.

But which comes first, the games or the poor health? The researchers hypothesized that depressed individuals might be turning to games as a means of self-medication, immersing themselves in a game's world as a way of forgetting about real-life troubles.

"Habitual use of video games as a coping response may [provide] a genesis for obsessive-compulsive video-game playing, if not video-game addiction," one researcher told MSNBC. The study calls for "further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease."

As luck would have it, a study at East Carolina University funded by Bejeweled maker Popcap Games is also investigating the possible mental health benefits of game playing. Having already discovered that Bejeweled can improve mood and heart rhythms, the Carolina group is about to embark on an investigation in an attempt to determine whether games like Bejeweled can also deliver clinically significant improvements to depression sufferers.

"The research is part of a broad array of unconventional efforts that video game companies are devising to find new markets for their products," says Shankar Vedantam, writing this week for the Washington Post. "Many of these steps are based on the idea that depression and other disorders -- as well as everyday stress and worry -- involve systematic patterns of thought and self-doubt, and that games can distract people and put them in a different mental zone."
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I'm 28, married to a hot asian chick, and weigh 160 pounds at 6 feet tall.

I am one happy gamer.

I suck at TF2 tho.
 
No way man. All these chicks I talk to on WoW are smokin' hot Russian babes - in fact they are all twin sisters of Anna Kournikova ! It's true they even told me so !!
 
Originally posted by: smackguy

Did you all see this article on Yahoo today? Talk about BS.....
Click to expand...

Please do not comment on things you know nothing about. It's very ignorant of you. These people did not express the problem in the right terms, but the main idea is very true.
Many gamers indeed become overweight, or their health suffers in some other way, especially their mental health. for many people it becomes easier to stay home and play a game than go out there and get a job or meet a girl. And the longer this continues, the less strength and willpower an addict has to get up and go out there to change something in his life. Games "enable" certain people, and certain lifestyles, they "provide the means"...
Just because you, someone else here, or someone you know doesn't have this problem, doesn't mean the problem is not there!

I know plenty of people that have been negatively affected by games, and one of these people is myself. Games made me introverted and antisocial. Games made me have horrible headaches and panic attacks. I have been suffering for 11 years, and noting and no one could help me. I probably would have died eventually if not for someone that was able to help me. By following their advice on daily basis, I was able to return to "normal" life, but I will always be scarred by many ailments games caused within me, and I will never be truly "normal"again. I do agree, that there are certain types of people who are more "predisposed" to being affected by addictions than others. It doesn't necessarily have to be games, it could have been drugs, alcohol or anything else. However, games are in fact VERY addictive for certain individuals, and they can be very destructive under right conditions.

There are a bunch of folks that say that it is me that's the problem, not games. but if that is the case, then drugs are not the problem - people are. And off course we all know it's not so.

A lot of people get fired up when games are compared to drugs. While the comparison might sound ridiculous at 1st, the addiction level can be very much the same under right conditions. Gaming addiction is a very serious problem, and sadly it is largely being ignored. Games themselves, will not cause depression, or at least by far not in everyone. (I was never depressed)

However, the lifestyle that gaming addicted person might fall into, can very much lead to panic attacks, weight gain, antisocial disorder, panic attacks and depression. and yes, games are to blame for such events. There ought to be rehab centers for gaming addicts just like there are such places for drug addicts and alcoholics.

I still play games even now. I love them. But I do it much less than I used to. No it's not because I was able to truly conquer my addiction. It's simply because I don't have time to play games even if I wanted to. After a while of not playing games, I feel like the craving substantially decreases, and I honesty don't even want to play. Many of the things I used to enjoy, like RPGs, dragons, elves, dwarfs seem like a silly and a pointless waste of time now. I "might" finally be growing out of it, and in my case, it's a good thing. There are few games that attract me now. A few exceptions would be Fallout 3 and EVE Online.
 
Originally posted by: ibex333
Originally posted by: smackguy

Did you all see this article on Yahoo today? Talk about BS.....
Click to expand...

Please do not comment on things you know nothing about. It's very ignorant of you. These people did not express the problem in the right terms, but the main idea is very true.
Many gamers indeed become overweight, or their health suffers in some other way, especially their mental health. for many people it becomes easier to stay home and play a game than go out there and get a job or meet a girl. And the longer this continues, the less strength and willpower an addict has to get up and go out there to change something in his life. Games "enable" certain people, and certain lifestyles, they "provide the means"...
Just because you, someone else here, or someone you know doesn't have this problem, doesn't mean the problem is not there!

/Snip.
Click to expand...

Please take your own advice
rose.gif
 
Originally posted by: Gothgar
all encompassing stereotypes = lose

might as well say all black people like fried chicken and all white people can't dance
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Uh, aren't those generally true, lol? Not exclusively true, but unfortunately, all stereotypes are loosely based on something.....
 
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