Vista - Forget Teens: Gamers Are 35, Overweight — And Sad, CDC says

When you think of a hard-core gamer, do you picture a teenage boy battling his friends in World of Warcraft?
Think again.
The average gamer, far from being a teen, is actually a 35-year-old man who is overweight, aggressive, introverted — and often depressed, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (download PDF). The study also shows that when children and teenagers become game players, a trend toward physical inactivity and corresponding health problems extends — and is exacerbated — into adulthood.
“Among researchers, there is growing concern and uncertainty about the health consequences of video game playing,” the CDC reported. “Given the ubiquity of video games — industry estimates suggest that they are played in 65% of American households — these concerns may be justified.”
The study notes that half of gamers are between 18 and 49 years old, while 25% are 50 and older. The CDC also pointed out that of online gamers aged 8 to 34, nearly 12% showed multiple signs of addiction.
The study, based on a 2006 online survey of 552 people between the ages of 19 and 90 who were living in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington state, also shows differences between male and female gamers.

Article link below -
Epicenter

Hello JMH,
Another good read, i wonder if it's because older people didn't grow up with this sort of technology that they find it so fascinating, if you grow up with it, you just take it for granted, just a thought, it is addictive though, at any age. lol.

You may well be right.
I'm hopeful that our Vista Forum older gamers don't possess the [bold ] qualities in the quote below.
"---a 35-year-old man who is overweight, aggressive, introverted — and often depressed, ---"

Must have been a boring disease day at the CDC.

I find that hard to believe, perhaps because many of the Rated "M" games are created with 12 yr old in mind, otherwise, we would not see so many "XP level Ups", find "Jewels to Buy Weapon Upgrades" and many more childish-arcadeish stuff like that.

Then again, I still believe children should be taught to respect their elders but... what the heck do I know

as an overweight 21yr old rpg gamer who recently found the addictive pull of D&D themed video games (most recent ones seem poorly executed to me but.... meh) I have to vehemently disagree with the notion that this inactivity is anything new to the american ppl. Face it, we are far less active than our ancestors, but our caloric intake is still almost as high. This is speaking from listening to stories about the meals my grandfather used to eat as a child when his parents were farmers. They ate probably something close to 6-8000 calories a day! The diference is, THEY WORKED IT BACK OFF! I'm still trying to shake the last 20lbs. I gained from working at walmart for a year. Luckily, working at the family auto repair shop I'm actually building mussle again. hell, you try lifting the transfer case off of a transmission while the damn jeep has a broken mount! It's like trying to pull a joystick knob off a controller in Jupiters gravity! (i.e. really heavy & really wigly!)

Well, enough of us didn't die from the swine flu Mexico tried to poison us with. Hell, they did a better job with the tainted Jalepenos last year! If when visiting a country they tell you "Don't drink the water!" why would you eat produce grown in said water?

It builds up character!

No,no you're thinking of "Cholera" not "Character"

Very good.