Originally posted by madeux

I'm only 34... but the rest is spot on!

dARN! Next year they will get you!!!!!   RUN!!!!!

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".

No, actually you are not majority, you are minority, gamers used to be the minority (against none gamers), now gaming is going mainstream, but the average person in the US is FAT, so it makes sense that the average gamer is FAT, is just that not you or your friends are the average gamer...

The average male enjoys watching sports on TV, but does not practice any sport (unless you count beer lifting as one).

Originally posted by Eben

Pretty spot-on, if you ask me.  Biggest MMO nerd I know, 36 years old. overweight, horrible hygiene, lives with his gamer roommate and his two cats.  Doesn't have a girlfriend, doesn't date, doesn't know how to even have a casual conversation without bringing up a game.  Will wax nostalgic about SWG before it was "ruined", blather on for hours about all the toons he bought in EQ2, and how he's quitting WoW...again...for the nth time.  He's gotten so mad gaming before, that he's told me he's punched his LCD monitor off his desk, and put his fist through the drywall in his apartment.  He's been late for work because he was raiding, he's missed paying bills from buying gold.  He's had to ask his parents for money to renew his car tags...because he blew all his money on EQ2 characters.  He's pretty much the joke of our workplace, and he's too oblivious to all of it, since he's just in his own little fantasy world.  I think MMOs are the escape he has from being a complete loser in real life. 

He's the reason that playing MMOs is one of my biggest secrets, and why I won't tell many people that I do.   He's also why I barely play anymore, or if I do, it's in extremely limited amounts of time.  The idea of ending up like him...no thanks. 

Man! you have to quit before MMOs kill your life!!!  RUN!!!!!

1st, maybe you are right about him escaping into the MMOs, 2nd at least at your workplace its VERY advising not to tell anyone you are playing games unless you want to be treated like him, 3rd a big LOL, its like you are saying MMOs will get you fat, etc like him, thats just funny and untrue, chill up man! you must be below the average age I guess...

Originally posted by tupodawg999

"The average gamer, who took the survey, is 35, overweight, and more likely to be depressed"

Not that surprising.

I'm sure the younger crowd are less likely to take surveys.

The average person is now overweight apparently (according to the mind-f**kers who seem to want everyone to be constantly worried and depressed about everything).

Depressed people are probably a bit more likely to take surveys as they'll be more of them at home with spare time.

  and more likely to play videogames since they have more spare time at home, maybe they are depressed because they dont have jobs! 

Originally posted by Carnivorous

I am 40, fat like a truck, depressed and gay as a bonus. 

Not meaning to offend, but maybe you are depressed because many gay guys tend to go for looks? (like must males who are not gay do)

Originally posted by xauth220

Its true that almost every 'hardcore' gamer is overweight and depressed, but I wouldn't say they are all 35+. Most of them range from 12-18 years old. If anything I'd say 35+ gamers wouldn't have that problem since they'd have a more mature view on things, and gaming would be more of something they'd do in spare time.

 

Well you didnt take the survey!  this kind of study isnt new, and they allways get the same result, most gamers are adults, males, a bit fat, and now depressed, maybe many dont have girlfriends? so they arent getting any and have plenty of time to game as a result...

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".

dude 2 out of 10 is alot. 

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

You haven't been paying attention at all. The average gamer is ~35, married, and has children.

I am 28 and could probably gain a few pounds.... I dont know any gamers who are overweight.

Originally posted by Shindler

I am 28 and could probably gain a few pounds.... I dont know any gamers who are overweight.

Then you must not know many gamers (assuming you live in the U.S.), because 70% of people in this country are overweight, and gamers are more likely to be overweight than the average person.

Originally posted by JestorRodo

Is this you then the asswipes at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention have you pegged.

Read: http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/study-games-are-depressing-or-are-they-/1346074

 

Lolz! Proof once again that surveys mean jack crap. This one is probably going to be used for political agenda (hey kids games are bad!). Heh. Funny indeed.

Yes sir let me tell ya they have me pegged! Not!

 I'm 35. I weigh a few extra pounds but I'm nowhere near obese. I WASN'T depressed until I read this thread. Could this be considered one of those 'self fullfilling prophecies'? 

36 here.

125 pounds @ 5' 11".

Not depressed at all.

Hopefully, adding my weight to the pool, I am able to help bring the average back to "normal" weight.

Maybe?

Originally posted by Konvert

...

125 pounds @ 5' 11".

...

Jesus dude, are you missing a leg or something?

First of all, how is 35 really old? I just turned 35 this summer, and still feel not that much different than I did in my 20s. Sure I have a new kid and more responsibilities, but when I hear the comment "old" I think 55+. Guess the media considers anyone who games over the age of 12 as "old." 

Secondly, "average" can be very skewed. I'm packing a few extra pounds, but I'm far from obese. However, I do know some gamers who are great guys but are 300+ pounds. These guys are bound to tip the "average"  weight in a study, in the same way Bill Gates can walk into a homeless shelter and suddenly the average net worth of every homeless guy  there is suddenly in the millions.

Finally, I bet you could take any non-atheletic activity and find that there's a large number of overweight people involved. I bet there's the same number of overweight football fans who live for Sunday and Monday night as there are overweight gamers.

This thread really kills me...

The only average that would be skewed by Bill Gates like outliers would be the age. So really, the stereotype of a gamer is young. This means there are many more old gamers than people think. (over 35)

Overweight is a medical statistic/fact. Most people you might consider chubby or a little on the heavy side are overweight. Overweight is not necessarily obese. Most people in industrialized countries tend to be overweight. As an example someone who is 6 foot tall should weigh less than 183 pounds. If they weigh more they are overweight.

The overweight is not an average of the peoples weights.

More likely to be depressed just means compared to a non gamer they could be as little as 5% more likely to be depressed. This does not make most gamers depressed or even a large percentage, but just a higher than norm percentage.

And of course the kicker. It's correlation, it means squat. It just means they found two sets of number that match up. They don't know why and all they can do is guess.

Originally posted by CalgarGTX

I never understood how being a gamer is supposed to make you overweight , you gain weight from eating stuff not from having one hand on a keyboard and the other on a mouse..? What a bunch of bull

Well, I know some people that never leaves their computers for anythyng but sleeping, food and Bio but most gamers are regular people.

We have heard the same thing about people that watch TV also, it is just stupid generalisation, like all asian paople owns a video camera or all americans are stupid. It is just not true, some gamers are fat and 35 year old, other are older or younger and well trained.

Science used to belive in crap like this until the mid 19 century but today only total morons believe in stuff like this.

Neoterrar, you're right. I didn't read the original article closely enough and simply assumed that the study created a "profile" of an average gamer (35 /5' 11"/ 220 pounds), in which case a sizable minority of truly obese dudes would throw off the statistical average. The media loves to do these profiles and many times they are completely skewed.

If by average they mean either overweight/not overweight, then it wouldn't matter.

At any rate, I think we agree that the study doesn't really reveal anything. I'd also be interested to know if by depressed do they mean gamers self-reporting as depressed or do they mean serious depressive episodes that lead to hospitalization or suicide attempts.

www.ajpm-online.net/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE_2561.pdf

Found the link to the actual study. I think the last paragraph sums up my feelings pretty well =-)

Glad to know I don't fit the Statistics.