Originally posted by beeker255

Originally posted by Beatnik59

Describes me perfectly!

I dunno you don't look to fat in your picture.

Maybe his feet are ginormous.

Originally posted by weblinkz2002

Originally posted by rikilii 

The study doesn't say that games cause people to be overweight or depressed, any more than it says that games cause people to be 35 years old on average.

 

I never said that they tried stating that online games cause people to be overweight or depressed. But what they are trying to do with the numbers is trying to support the link between being overweight and depressed with online gaming. And being that most concerned individuals would be adults, these numbers would help to cause a hystery of sorts with adults.

And if you look at other countries there are a lot of online gamers in several Asian countries who are not overweight, hell I'm not fat, but compared to them I feel like a beached whale.

Why do you think they are "trying to support" a link?  Why would the CDC care about that?

What's a 'hystery'?

Originally posted by Eben

What's a 'hystery'?

Yesterday's mystery?

 Never heard much about ADH ADD(well except in MMO's ;) ADHD....and all these other disorders till around late 90's..

not saying there fake just saying its was spastic kid or quite kid :)

Originally posted by Illius

I've got 10 people off the top of my head right now that I know game with me and out of those 10 no more then 2 are overweight.  We're all in our mid 20's and most of us are at or very near our recommended body mass index.  All of us have jobs, we do other stuff besides games and none of us are depressed.  Funny how nobody asked me to participate in any survey yet I can be pigeonholled into some kind of "majority".

Society rocks, doesnt it

Originally posted by Jurzu

 I think thats a load of bull. No way average gamers are 35, I would say 13 or 18.

You are more wrong than you can imagine.  Gaming (even computer gaming) has been around longer than you've been alive (16 years).  A lot of us started in board games in the 70s, arcade games in the 80s, and computer gaming in th early 90s and onward.  It's not like we give up what we like to do because we age.  O_o

Originally posted by rikilii

Originally posted by weblinkz2002

Originally posted by rikilii 

The study doesn't say that games cause people to be overweight or depressed, any more than it says that games cause people to be 35 years old on average.

 

I never said that they tried stating that online games cause people to be overweight or depressed. But what they are trying to do with the numbers is trying to support the link between being overweight and depressed with online gaming. And being that most concerned individuals would be adults, these numbers would help to cause a hystery of sorts with adults.

And if you look at other countries there are a lot of online gamers in several Asian countries who are not overweight, hell I'm not fat, but compared to them I feel like a beached whale.

 

Why do you think they are "trying to support" a link?  Why would the CDC care about that?

Bossy mind-f**kers hate everything they can't directly inspect, supervise and control. One day we'll all be micro-chipped and if you think or do anything they don't like they'll electrocute your brain :)

Ummm.. I guess my response is: Who the hell cares?

 Wheres the report on the average bar hopper?

Seriously, everybody is overweight and depressed, not just gamers. And what do these studies actually accomplish? Forcing gamers to pick up some other waste of time hobby isn't exactly beneficial. 

Originally posted by Netzoko

 Wheres the report on the average bar hopper?

Seriously, everybody is overweight and depressed, not just gamers. And what do these studies actually accomplish? Forcing gamers to pick up some other waste of time hobby isn't exactly beneficial. 

Agreed.

How about reality television fans or your average NFL-loving beer belly?   There's a couple of healthy crowds. 

Anything in excess can lead to poor health, this is just another small statistical sample with an agenda behind it.  Pay it no mind.

Originally posted by veritas_X

Originally posted by Netzoko

 Wheres the report on the average bar hopper?

Seriously, everybody is overweight and depressed, not just gamers. And what do these studies actually accomplish? Forcing gamers to pick up some other waste of time hobby isn't exactly beneficial. 

 

Agreed.

How about reality television fans or your average NFL-loving beer belly?   There's a couple of healthy crowds. 

Anything in excess can lead to poor health, this is just another small statistical sample with an agenda behind it.  Pay it no mind.

But I love the NFL too...I guess the point you making and where I was going with my ADD and depressed post earlier. Is being overweight and depressed is more of a society thing and not limited to ones hobby.

Originally posted by Borkotron

Well, at least I have a job and live on my own. I've had plenty of g/f's in my life and even have a daughter though not married to her mother.  I guess gaming is much like smoking pot...both make you realize that most of the crap the people of this world consider important really is not. The older one gets, the more they want to be left alone. This is why gaming is soooo appealing (and why Second Life in particular is loaded with age 30+ residents)!!

Hmm, while I agree with the conclusion, and that certain mind altering chemicals can help figure it out, I don't see how gaming has much to do with it :)

Replace the word 'gamer' with 'american', and the OP is dead on.

I seriously doubt (assuming he actually is using research to base his conclusion off of), that this average includes all gamers (the majority of which lie in foreign countries)

Originally posted by beeker255

Originally posted by veritas_X

Originally posted by Netzoko

 Wheres the report on the average bar hopper?

Seriously, everybody is overweight and depressed, not just gamers. And what do these studies actually accomplish? Forcing gamers to pick up some other waste of time hobby isn't exactly beneficial. 

 

Agreed.

How about reality television fans or your average NFL-loving beer belly?   There's a couple of healthy crowds. 

Anything in excess can lead to poor health, this is just another small statistical sample with an agenda behind it.  Pay it no mind.

But I love the NFL too...I guess the point you making and where I was going with my ADD and depressed post earlier. Is being overweight and depressed is more of a society thing and not limited to ones hobby.

So... soooo true.... But unfortunately, to fix the problem, you have to focus on one area at a time. Saying that the country is generally fat and depressed doesn't do anything towards a solution. Saying "x might be connected to being overweight and depressed because of y" is one step towards providing a solution. Saying "The education system is bad in some places" isn't going to lead to much. Doing some searching and finding out that the education system in poor or crowded urban areas is bad due to lack of good teachers willing to teach in these environments because they are typically more dangerous or rebellious could lead to some solutions. Knowing that the country as a whole is generally overweight and depressed won't lead anywhere. Knowing that playing too much video-games is a decent part of the cause lets us know that we might want to focus more on promoting more active lifestyles in the media, in our schools, etc., and educating the public on the benefits and variety of different types of active lifestyles.

edit: Reading again, I'd also like to point out that the article says that the average gamer is *more likely* to be depressed. That means that there are more depressed gamers than depressed average non-gamers. It doesn't mean there are more depressed gamers than non-depressed gamers.

By virtue of the precedence this study is setting I declare that NFL fans are all of those things! Although with a higher average age.

And probably even more overweight.

Oh and middle-aged women who are way too into soap operas and reality TV. Pretty much anybody into reality TV actually. It's probably the most absurd form of entertainment to ever exist. You're watching other people who get shoved into non-norm situations, ooooh, how exciting! I get to watch an actual douche bag be a douche bag, except on TV!

I thought the entire point of enterainment was to ESCAPE from reality for at least a little while. Or at least escape from your own head, not be thrown further into it.

What makes me depressed is when "journalists" report on utter drivel and call it news. The continued degredation of intelligence, that's what depresses me.

54 year old Wow player, doing 1 to 2 hours sports a day and BMI of 22 :)

Our guildmaster is 39 and has a BMI of 34 though.

The average age of our guild would be around 30 with the oldest member 61 en the youngest 12 (son of a female player).

Also: http://www.wow.com/2009/04/09/nielsen-wow-is-most-played-core-game-by-25-54-females/

in which the social Nielsen study made clear everyone plays MMO's....

Most people forget that the generation of computer players began back in 1979/80, that's already 30 years...

I am also very proud of my Arena titles (once Rival, now Challenger) as the hand/eye coordination is far less above the age of 45 :)))

 how many overweight people arent depressed?  society treats them like crap of course they feel bad all the time, thanks alot society.

 BMI is nonsense. According to it I'm overweight for having some extra muscle mass. Right.

Originally posted by Xasapis

 BMI is nonsense. According to it I'm overweight for having some extra muscle mass. Right.

:)))

Some people call it fat, some call it muscles. BMI is a general reference for average persons :))

If you feel comfortable with your weight, no problem. :)))

The problem is not the BMI, the problem is that noone responded in this thread is actually an "average gamer". We're all .... special ... hehe.

 according to averages the average american is overweight, so wouldnt that make the base average bmi for americans already set to being overweight?

So i've got 9 years and a lot of eating to do before I become average.

I better get my grub on!

I only loose weight when sitting at my desk.

Originally posted by Jurzu

 I think thats a load of bull. No way average gamers are 35, I would say 13 or 18. Or even between those ages. I doubt the video games are making them depressed, but more like frustrated from not accomplishing a goal they wanted in a game. Other than that they should be more than mature enough to understand their priorities. I'm 16 years of age and games only frustrate me that moment that I'm playing. Then when I'm off, it's back to normal life o.o

 

-Jurzu

That would depend I guess.

I think in MMO's the average age (because it is the average) would be higher than that.

With console gaming maybe... still many older people play consoles.

"Average" age of 35 is to high tho.... at least imho.

Games don't depress people... nerfs and crappy content do.  Personally I am happy when I game.. because then I don't have to think about all the stupid crap the government or various other "bodies" are doing like articles with entirely incorrect "facts" about gamers.

Its most likely a move to try and create a world org that would be funded by a gaming tax... to do something which no one will really understand or know what they are "doing".