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CDC survey suggests gamers less healthy, more depressed than non-gamers

Posted Aug 17, 2009 at 3:34AM EST by Karl B.

Listed in: Tags: Seattle, Washington

Is this the typical gamer? - Image 1

The average age of a gamer is starting to edge higher. Gamers are also less healthy and more depressed than those who don't partake in our particular brand of entertainment. That's what a CDC survey suggests, at least.

A total of 500 adults aged 19 to 90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington state were surveyed by the government agency. The area was chosen since it reportedly has the highest internet usage level in the US and is one of the larger media markets.

Over 45% of the respondents reported that they played video games, with their average age at 35. Female gamers were found to be more depressed and less healthy compared to female non-gamers, while male gamers had a higher body mass index and a greater reliance on the internet than non-gamers.

What do you guys think? Sound off in the comments section.

Via BBC

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This survey is all well and good but if they can't do the footwork required to put it in to context then it's just like any other recent survey on computer games... a little bit pointless - I mean, my common sense could have told me that would have been likely.

The question is, are computer games the only linking factors causing these people to be fat and/or depressed. I mean, if I were fat, I think that alone may spark my depression. If I was depressed, I may eat for comfort (trying not to quote the Fat Bastard from Austin Powers). Questions to point this in the right direction would be, what would these people be doing if they didn't have computer games? Why (if not) does the addiction not translate to TV, Films, Drink, Drugs, Emo etc

I use my dad as a fine example, like me he gets a bit depressed from time to time, is a little over weight because of his work with managing IBM mainframes (could just as easily have a desk job, be a lorry driver etc), however he doesn't play computer games full stop, he likes birds and walks in the countryside bla bla. He's just not from the gaming generation, in fact he only used to play them when he was younger and slimmer. To me, factors like this, such as genetics perhaps, are a much stronger indication to me as a source of my depressive attitude and habits than the fact that I play games, because there's some comparison with a generation where games don't factor in.

# ... — Genotype 2009-08-17 05:09

I think it is obvious that dedicated gamers would be less healthy (but not depressed), but most people I know are casual gamers. I play every day, and am neither depressed nor unhealthy, and I have chronic asthma, so if I were either depressed and\or unhealthy, I'd have a logical excuse. These test are always so generalized, it could hardly be called science, so stop wasting our time with them.

P.S. - I'm also not violent, as other "tests" imply.

# Agreed — Slipstream0 2009-08-17 05:11

i agree with you 100%

Who's to say its not the other way around, with overwieght and/or depressed people being drawn to video games? The study does nothing to give the slightest hint that its video games.

If they want to start to prove this, take healthy, non-depressed people (good luck with that last one) and make them play games for X hours every week, while taking people who are unhealthy/depressed and dont let them. If you see a trend develop there, then you can start to go out and make statements like this.

# . — Torch 2009-08-17 05:32

I have shown that fat people who sit at home and read books are more unhealth and depressed than people who go outside instead.

# Huh? — Teivin 2009-08-17 05:34

Are we talking about that Seattle? The place with some of the highest and most consistent numbers on suicide and depression on the west coast? Great place to stage a survey. Lets do one on the correlation to video games and gang violence in Harlem next, prz. Thanks.

Seriously though, its generalized 'science' like this that gives the fields of psychology and the like such a bad name.

# ... — Musev 2009-08-17 05:44

As already suggested.. Maybe its a symptom not cause.

# pointless — squall_83 2009-08-17 06:09

This survey is so completely pointless. They can't just take one thing like video games and say that's the cause of depression. There are a LOT of factors that tie into depression. Like what was said before weight plays a huge roll in a lot of cases.

Gaming is a form of entertainment. ENTERTAINMENT. I don't know about the rest of you, but when I play games I tend to enjoy myself the same as I would if I were doing anything that is entertaining.

Why don't they take a survey on depressed people and eating breakfast. Surely almost all people who are depressed eat breakfast. Well crap... That must be the cause!!

The point here is that they just don't like games and they want to attack it in any way they can.

# Right... — kamanashi 2009-08-17 06:23

And that must mean TV, Food, and movies cause depression too. The only way to truly get real results from these "studies" is to get someone that never even heard of video games.

Also, these results don't even apply to me since i am neither unhealthy or depressed.

# lol — ssouthparkk 2009-08-17 06:42

Obvious results are obvious.

# health.. may be but DEPRESS?! — lavino 2009-08-17 07:00

Man, you haven't seen the smile on my face when I chainsawing some Locust ass!!!

# B* — TheRockness 2009-08-17 07:55

Blackstar?

# cool — NarooN 2009-08-17 08:24

Another pointless survey stating the obvious but also ignoring the fact that other factors can be the main cause of overweight-ness and depression. If I were fat, I'd probably end up being depressed or something, but I mainly play with friends when I do game, so meh. Don't see how I'd get depressed there.

# REally? — kaoken 2009-08-17 08:30

Highest really? That is news to me, I've live here all my life. But whoo I'm so glad we're the most progressive in the country, go internets!!!

But this survey isn't saying much. It states that girls are depressed and boys are fat and they play games. They arn't drawing any conclusions, they are just stating some of their "findings". I wouldn't use this survey for anything other than cheap entertainment.

# lolwut CDC — NickyP 2009-08-17 09:07

Wow, gg guys. You chose Seattle, the city in the US with arguably the highest depression/suicide rate, to survey for depression in gamers? What's the next survey? The connection between gaming and homosexuality in San Fransisco? The demographics of how many gamers are hispanic in Miami? Or perhaps the correlation of gamers and gang-violence in the west coast of California?

lolol.

# Average — apex05 2009-08-17 09:18

If you want real results for this survey you should survey the place with the most average internet use not the most, because obviously you'll find more people doing nothing.. So really it's like surveying a sci-fi convention and concluding that 80% of the US are obsessed by Star Trek.

# im not really a video gamer — shanky887614 2009-08-17 09:37

i frankly havent done any sport or running or gym for nearly a year (just left school) and im 16 i climbed up goatfell last week in 2.5hours thats a 7 mile round trip and at least 6 miles a day and i dont even have blisters or saw feet

come on not everyone who is lazy (like me) is unfit

and wit them being depresed there are more people on online games than are deprezzed in the world so there no that bad (call me a nerd if you will )

oh and by the way who reads these surveys anyway i just read title and it dose me?

there just a waste of time and energy

# ... — SeRosiS 2009-08-17 10:03

ITT: Butt-hurt, depressed, fat, & unhealthy gamers.

# haha exactly what I was gonna post — Master Chef 2009-08-17 10:41

They did this dumb test in SEATTLE, everybody over here is depressed anyway because it f*cking rains all the time lol

And 500 people is not enough to draw conclusive numbers IMO

# BS! — RSX46 2009-08-17 11:05

What a bunch of BS!

# - — APerson 2009-08-17 12:57

Anecdotal it may be but I'm certainly not unhealthy. I hike, run marathons, I don't do much gym exercise and I eat like a slob. But damn do I have stamina.

My gamer friends seem to be fairly healthy too. We go canoeing, climbing, hiking together as well. And my girlfriend (who plays games more than me) loves half-day long walks and climbing.

The non-gamers I tend to know are the pisshead drunks who are mostly overweight.

The way I see it games don't have much of an impact. People spend all day glued to the TV, or relaxing or driving or whatever. Games take up a couple of hours of my day AT MOST. I'd imagine its the same for most people here too. It's not something that pushes out healthy living and it'd be nice if the proper research was released to prove this, rather than limited scope research.

# true — TheDude 2009-08-17 14:57

I believe my depression is from games. When I'm not playing them I wish I were, hence the depression!

# This half true — SP0RE89 2009-08-17 15:03

Im fat from playing video games im 274 5'12 but im not depressed i love videos who the f u ck cares anyway we all d i e at the end...mgs4 & fat princess rock

# + i am proud of it — SP0RE89 2009-08-17 15:10

ohh + the way i see it i gained all the weight playing halo 2over the years + now metal gear online the fact that psn is free unlike xbl might make me a more fat im i play mgo 13 hrs a day + snack in between i love the summer

# Stupidity == Statistics — lparcade 2009-08-17 18:50

Fact nr:

1. BMI (Body Max Index) is NOT correct, a body builder would probably be obese if he took that stupid index.

2. 92.3% of all statistics doesn't match up with reality. (by the way, that's statistics too :P)

3. I so lol'd at the internet usage rates in Sweden going down with about 60% when our new "anti-terrorist" (I.E: Anti-piracy) law "came out" (sorry, I'm not english sooo :]), maybe they just pirate a lot of movies there?

4."with their average age at 35."

What happened to the kids/teenagers?!

Besides (prejudice is coming right up!) most teenagers play videogames like counter-strike (mostly guys

# ... — NathanDrake 2009-08-17 19:52

I wouldn't say I'm a bodybuilder but I certainly work out and am generally pretty fit and yeah that damn BMI thing says I'm obese. Obese to me would suggest I'd be round with a double chin and flab everywhere and unable to see my own feet if I looked down. At most I've just got a tiny bit of birthday cake pudge I'm working off. It's a useless system and it's irritating that the government mostly seems to back it. My doctor says it's idiotic.

# Of course the study is flawed — Fiska 2009-08-17 21:41

Having taken an engineering statistics class and applying the rules I learned there here, as far as I can tell, the most they can potentially say (despite the lack of a control, so already the study is invalid) is that SEATTLE gamers are more depressed than SEATTLE non-gamers. The test isn't random. They'd need to go nationwide to even begin to call it valid, though that would only consider US gamers (though, obviously, a worldwide study would be difficult and expensive to coordinate).

# Okay. — Doom_master1122 2009-08-17 22:24

Health. Obviously. I don't believe depressed. Did the CDC take a look into the backgrounds of the subjects?

Probably not.

I will admit I am unfit, Not obese, but not thin.

Any who, they should have looked into the backgrounds of the people, but, anything to make gaming more "evil".

They won't be happy until they make people shun gaming as a "Bad thing to do".

"You'll be a killer if you play games!"

"You'll be fat if you play games!"

and now

"You'll be depressed if you play games!"

And I'm with Genotype on his last remark of... "I'm also not violent, as other "tests" imply."

Just because I have/play video games, doesn't make me a killer. As tests imply other wise"

# ... — Csyrah 2009-08-17 23:10

They keep coming out with these studies and they seem pretty useless to me. Really, its just a variable and since so many people play games... its just a roll of the dice on anything. We could easily see "Studies show, gamers are likely to have a smaller ***** then a normal person"... The fact is, and im really going to emphasize this point. Theres so many different variables in someone's life that I think its impossible on many cases to point the finger and blame something. It seems like thats the best way to solve all our problems these days... is blame something and/or someone. These studies are just useless IMO.

# lol u got balls — Hidden Chamber 2009-08-17 23:31

i love your honesty.. i too play MGO for numerous hrs a day..whats your mgo name? im War-N Bill$

# bmi — shanky887614 2009-08-18 00:56

its useless all good doctors know that its percentage of fat in someone body thats the problem

and for some stupied reason the goverment backs this stupid bmi systems that targets anyone with any mustle

they should just do tests on percentage of bodyfat and be done with it hell they got the technology to do it

# There's 2 pitiful things about that. — UltimaArmorX 2009-08-18 02:08

1) You are right. But today, teenagers are not only on counter strike, but in just about every online game you name.

2) Now, because of this, when I see "teenager" on the internet, I think of 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 year-olds. These are my personal statistics. I play online and people ask "how old r u", right after I tell them, they tell me theirs (and if they don't, I ask). They are the ones who would be unhealthy (below 18 is assumed someone who goes to school), which means they get to stay home half of the entire day and their (ignorant) mommies are letting them use the PC 24/7 when possible, which means video games. That is the sense I get from a major portition of online gamers. Think about it, though. I have noticed these things since I was 16 - that's 3 years ago. There's always a mass quantity of preteens and 13/14 year olds who obviously have spent days worth of time into their games. People who you (or anyone, really) would say have "no life". Which of course means social life. As in, people with whom to socialize with on a regular basis.

I am like raggedjimmi in a way. That kind of makes me proud of what I do, to see a fellow active life-styler like myself. If you do only play video games for a "few hours" then all is well, assuming you keep an active life style. If you consider walking an active life style, then you need to think about time walked, rather then distance. But both is good too.

# than — UltimaArmorX 2009-08-18 02:12

not then. Oops.

# I'm betting it's a joke — Farnesworth 2009-08-18 03:02

But, that's more like addiction.

That being said, right there with ya. lol

# Bodybuilder — apex05 2009-08-18 03:26

Actually a bodybuilders BMI would be right into single figures around the time of an event to show more muscle definition, and because of this they get so weak you could pick a fight and he'd barely have the strength to throw a punch.

# BS!!!!! — FORCE4121 2009-08-18 04:06

I am a male gamer and I have not gained any body mass at all...... infact I LOST WEIGHT..........and its been years since ive gotten really sick.........

# ... — xavis75211 2009-08-18 05:57

if playing games all the time make you gain weight, ive not seen it ever happen,

i hate these kind of surveys, they are all BS.

why do they even bother with this?

# nice survey — genma 2009-08-18 10:24

well yeah, that pretty much described me... I'm fat, old, butt-ugly, no girlfriend still living in ma's basement kind of guy. it's pretty acuratte.

# True.......well kinda true — andreas pyro 2009-08-18 10:35

i kind of agree with the survey but like at the same time im thinking ive been playing video games since i was about 3 years old and ive a great life. im healthy not depressed, not fat, great social life and a girlfriend. its not video games fault that some people are depressed and unhealthy its there own fault.

nature over nurture every time

besides the survey was in america in seattle arent more than half the american population "unhealthy and depressed"?????? (no offence meant to americans)

# "its not video games fault that some people are depressed and unhealthy its there own fault." — Lethal-Armor 2009-08-19 07:53

ok....i understand the unhealthy part...but saying depression is someones own fault? i mean...come on, depression is not self inflicted...one does not choose to be depressed, nor does one choose to be happy, sad or angry... if you dont beleive me its fine, just an oppinion, but kind of an insult to me as well...

coming from personal experience....i know i ranted a tad there

# Haha — Shardnax 2009-08-20 03:44

Well, as it has been pointed out by some of the longer posts, it was in Seattle. Getting depressed over playing video games is pretty lame; be happy that you are alive and can play them. I'm at an appropriate weight for my height, gaining/losing weight is about how you eat, not video games.

# ... — Csyrah 2009-08-22 08:21

2/3 of Americans suffer from clinical depression (give or take), While I wouldnt call doing something that makes you happy an addiction.. if your waking up early, going to work, coming home to a fat wife, and video games are your only source of happiness... is that really an addiction? I think its just a *****ty life. As long as you find happiness in something, your good. (opinion only)

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