AfterDawn: News

Average adult video game players are older, fatter

According to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the average age of adult video gamers is now 35, and video gamers are also fatter, less healthy and more depressed than non-gamers.

The study used data from 500 adults in Washington aged 19-90. About 45 percent of the adults studied reported playing games. Washington was chosen because Seattle has the highest Internet usage level in the US.



The CDC team, says the BBC, studied the perception of "mood, personality, health status, physical and mental health, body mass index (BMI) and quality of life" of the gamers.

The study found that female video gamers were less healthy and were more depressed that non-gamers while male gamers had higher BMIs.

CDC's James B. Weaver added:

"Health risk factors, specifically a higher BMI and a larger number of poor mental-health days, differentiated adult video game players from non-gamers. Video game players also reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Aug 2009 3:07

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• 13 comments

• khmernize

  Great, my state was voted one of the most healthy city by Men's Health and this survey come out. I guess some people need to go outside and play. Obama was right, we need some outside air.

  18.8.2009 03:15 #1

• mike.m

  That's a shame. I love playing video games, but too much is too much. When it starts interfering with your health, and mood, then I think it's time to take a break. Do what I do, workout for at least an hour every day, and don't play over 1-2 hours a day with video games. I'm not trying to brag that I'm physically fit and these people are not, but my god man, when your 35 and video games are affecting you like this, it's time to make some changes before it's too late.

  18.8.2009 03:43 #2

• domie

  What a stunning ground breaking press statement !!! I've got news for you - it isn't just gamers - the average PERSON is now fatter and lazier and more depressed, particulalry in the USA and UK - just walk down the high street of any town and watch the fat trolls waddling their way into Burger King , MacDonalds , Pizza Hut or the local supermarket to fill up their trolly with alcohol, cardboard packed microwave tv dinners and cream cakes and it isn't hard to figure out why. The majority of people are now fat lazy self-pitying pigs, it has nothing to do with video gaming.

  18.8.2009 05:19 #3

• TBandit

  I think the last I heard 1 in 5 people in the US are considered "obese". Walking goes a long way nowadays especially if you do it daily.

  18.8.2009 07:55 #4

• samus250

  America is fatter and more depressed thanks to 99 cents menu from places like Burger King, McDonalds, Wendy's, KFC, all those kinds of fat food chains. Since those are so cheap, that's what people eat, right?

  18.8.2009 09:49 #5

• biver

  Scary....Its like "they" are watching me!

  18.8.2009 14:42 #6

• Azuran

  500 people from one city is a hardly a sample worthy of any merit.

  18.8.2009 17:01 #7

• Archeryja

  OK, so people who sit around and play video games for long periods of time are less healthy - isn't that obvious. People actually spent money researching this? I'm sorry, but this isn't exactly a eureka moment. Is there anyone who didn't actually know this already?

  18.8.2009 18:27 #8

• Tristan_2

  People love to blame Video Games for EVERYTHING I call this study BS hell their are other studies that counter this study saying GAMING IS GOOD FOR YOU thinking games increase your memory while fps games help your eye site...HELLO why not blame like the war in Iraq, health care problems, The News yes I mean regular news, School problems. I mean for f**k sakes all you hear about the news if you watch channel 9 all you hear is depressing stories all day long more so then happy stories......and look at school I mean school suspensions for stupid crap and school bullies....and so fourth, all that causes depression...Video Games causes Depression..YEAH FREAKIN RIGHT(that last part was sarcasm just in case)

  18.8.2009 23:55 #9

• oneguy

  I think they should redo the poll and see from the gamers which are online players and which aren't. But I must add that for some, gaming is an escape just like most other forms of entertainment and some of these people probably wouldn't know what to do with themselves had they not had video games as an option. And honestly if they spent some time in prayer or reading the whole bible they wouldn't feel so empty. :)

  19.8.2009 00:04 #10

• tru003

  I guess it doesn't apply to me. I am 33 years old and I play video games on the PS3 and my pc that I built. I'm way more healthier than individuals in their 20's. I run five miles every other day and still doing massive weight training. I guess that's why I got the nicknames Baby Atlas or Herc. Lol! The article has some truth in it. But health issues are really affecting more of the younger folks. To tell you the truth America as a whole is over weight and it has nothing to do with video games. A lot of people are lazy and don't exercise. All they do is eat at fast food restaurants and eat bad foods at home.

  19.8.2009 12:49 #11

• yepitsme

  Originally posted by domie: What a stunning ground breaking press statement !!! I've got news for you - it isn't just gamers - the average PERSON is now fatter and lazier and more depressed, particulalry in the USA and UK - just walk down the high street of any town and watch the fat trolls waddling their way into Burger King , MacDonalds , Pizza Hut or the local supermarket to fill up their trolly with alcohol, cardboard packed microwave tv dinners and cream cakes and it isn't hard to figure out why. The majority of people are now fat lazy self-pitying pigs, it has nothing to do with video gaming. I AGREE!!

  20.8.2009 09:31 #12

• datdot

  Post hoc, ergo propter hoc. That's what logicians call the error of assuming causality when only an association has been demonstrated. In this case, the study says adult gamers are fat - not that gaming necessarily makes them fat (though sedentary gaming no doubt contributes to overweight). As to the stats, they are much worse than TBandit suggests. 1 in 3 is obese, and 2 in 3 are overweight, in the US. Pathetic, really.

  20.8.2009 11:36 #13