August 19, 2009
Study Redefines the Age of Video Gamers
Although it is generally believed that playing video games is primarily the past-time of adolescents. According to a new U.S. survey, the "real" gamers are 35-year-old adults, many of whom are overweight, socially introverted and possibly depressed. Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Emory University and Andrews University analyzed survey data from over 500 adults ranging in age from 19 to 90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area on health risks; media use behaviors and perceptions, including those related to video-game playing; and demographic factors. In an article published in the October 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, they found measurable correlations between video-game playing and health risks.
Participants reported whether they were players or nonplayers, and weekly usage was collected. Other assessments included a rating of the relative importance of the Internet as a social support as well as self-assessments of depression, personality, health status, physical and mental health, body mass index (BMI), and quality of life. Immersion in media environments was evaluated using the participants’ estimates of the time they spent during a typical week surfing the Internet and watching TV, including videos and DVDs.
A total of 45.1% of respondents reported playing video games. Female video-game players reported greater depression and lower health status than female nonplayers. Male video-game players reported higher BMI and more Internet use time than male nonplayers. The only determinant common to both female and male video-game players was greater reliance on the Internet for social support.
The authors hypothesized that health-risk factors - specifically, a higher BMI and a greater number of poor mental-health days - differentiated adult video-game players from nonplayers. Video-game players also reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns. Internet community support and time spent online distinguished adult video-game players from nonplayers, a finding consistent with prior research pointing to the willingness of adult video-game enthusiasts to sacrifice real-world social activities to play video games. The researchers point out that "the data illustrate the need for further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease."
The study will be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Posted by rsk at August 19, 2009 10:30 AM