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

Anyway,

Firstly I will say I am fairly unimpressed with the study, as it was completely vague and had no statistics, or any real information of any kind, and I couldn't find any links to the findings, the test group / interview of, or anything that held any validity of any kind.

First Paragraph:

"The average gamer is 35, overweight, and more likely to be depressed, says a new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention."

I was fairly shocked by this "diagnosis" of who the average gamer is. Honestly I am kind of suprised to see that the average gaming age is so high. If I had been asked that question off the cuff I would have guessed 18-25. Which leads me to wonder exactly "who," this survey was targeted at....

Second Paragraph:

The study, which was carried out in the Seattle-Tacoma area, found that gamers 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."

I honestly don't have a lot of video game playing friends, and usually do the activity in question by myself as the friends I do have often don't really present much of a challenge for me, and I have never really been interested in Online Gaming. Thats just me though, I am not knocking it by any means, my ass should be embracing it instead of running away from it, but I know how I get when I get absorbed in those kinds of games as well.

I can honestly see how some of these things could possibly be correlated, but personally I can only see this as a worst case scenario. I don't see how someone could get up, go to work, spend time with their wife and kids... and I only say these things because the target age is 35 for crying out loud, and still find time to immerse their lives in a "sedentary lifestyle." The article goes on to say....

Third Paragraph:

It also indicated a curious difference between male and female gamers: the former proved more overweight and reported more Internet usage than non-gamer men, while female gamers reported more depression and lower general health than non-gamer women.

I was interested to see that they went on to "classify," the difference between Male, and Female gamers, and that supposedly Male Gamers spend more time online, and prove to be more overweight than their non-gamer counterparts. Also that women reported more depression and lower general heath than their non gamer counterparts. But of course this is in the Seattle-Tacoma area, and I really must say that I have never been there, or done any research on the place. But I am willing to bet that gamers in more Metropolitan areas such as Chicago, San Francisco, New York, etc etc would have slightly different findings as well.

Fourth Paragraph:

"But which comes first, the games or the poor health? The researchers hypothesized that depressed individuals might be turning to games as a means of self-medication, immersing themselves in a game's world as a way of forgetting about real-life troubles."

I agree a bit with this statement, especially as I am unemployed right now, thusly giving me a large amount of free time. But I also Volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. I attend College. I work out 5 times a week, and am definitely not one of the "fit the profile" type people they described above. I have a good BMI (body mass index) and I keep myself busy. I can definitely play me some video games all day when I have the opportunity, but I most certainly don't do this every day. I just find such a blanket statement completely unfounded without further research. I honestly wouldn't even be concerned if I didn't see this pop up as the headline on my Yahoo.com homepage.

Fifth Paragraph:

"Habitual use of video games as a coping response may [provide] a genesis for obsessive-compulsive video-game playing, if not video-game addiction," one researcher told MSNBC. The study calls for "further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease."

I agree they need further research, but again, how many people actually read an article that pops up on their computer? I find that there are some people out there, at least in my opinion, that immediately accept a headline for what it is, without reading the article at all, and apply it in general conversation in order to will their unknowledgeable factoid on the general masses, who usually accept whatever it is they are told by said person.

I can't lie about the fact that I play video games as a coping mechanism. I do, its a safe haven from reality, its a sense of accomplishment, a sense of entertainment, a way to kill boredom, a great way to interact with other people. It is a hobby for a lot of people out there. I never walk into a gamestop that is empty in fact. I am sure that there are people out there that may be "compulsive, or dependant, or even addicted" to video games, as I have had my phases of Video Game Addiction. But fuck, at least its not METH, or CRACK, come on people! Lets try and focus on drug dealers, and suburban meth labs, and gang wars than some "overweight, 35 year old" who happens to have a hobby. At least he isn't raping children, or shooting up the local shopping mall.

Sixth Paragraph:

As luck would have it, a study at East Carolina University funded by Bejeweled maker Popcap Games is also investigating the possible mental health benefits of game playing. Having already discovered that Bejeweled can improve mood and heart rhythms, the Carolina group is about to embark on an investigation in an attempt to determine whether games like Bejeweled can also deliver clinically significant improvements to depression sufferers.

This part just confuses me, do video games, prevent depression, or cause it? I think someone who plays video games to escape from reality, is much healthier than someone who gets drunk off their ass every night. Every part of culture, and sub-culture have its acceptable, and unacceptable characteristics. Some people don't fit in with mainstream society, and I feel I am one of them. I am not a shallow, dehumanising person who thinks that the only things that are important are alcohol, sex, and glory. I hate how that image has been projected upon just about everyone, and I completely understand that some people want to get away from being treated like garbage, when they can pop in a video game and take on the persona of a warrior, or mage, or whatever it is that they do, and get their mind off of it.

In my opinion, and from my own personal experience, Video Gaming has prevented me from losing my mind, and helped me maintain my cool. Much better to take out aggression on Fighting Games, or GTA, RE, etc etc, than on your local neighborhood school. I think that what these studies are suggesting is the EXCEPTION, not the RULE. Video games don't make you fat, eating shitty food, and not exercising do, that is a matter of motivation, and everyone's is different. I am the person I am, but I can't say that someone else is "right or wrong," for playing a little bit more video games than I do, or not exercising. Everyone has their own priorities, and goals.

Final Paragraph:

"The research is part of a broad array of unconventional efforts that video game companies are devising to find new markets for their products," says Shankar Vedantam, writing this week for the Washington Post. "Many of these steps are based on the idea that depression and other disorders -- as well as everyday stress and worry -- involve systematic patterns of thought and self-doubt, and that games can distract people and put them in a different mental zone

Everything ends off on a positive note, that "unconventional efforts are being made to show that game can distract people and put them in a different mental zone," But I guess you can interpret this article either way as it is very vague, and holds absolutely no merit in my opinion. I have heard studies say that video games increase self esteem, make for better reflexes, and decrease the chances of your eyes going bad. It really all depends on the classifications.

In my opinion in order to make a "good" more effective study they would have needed to isolate different target groups.

Obviously Geographical location should be one of them.
Age ranges should be another one. A lot of kids get started on games, and then stop later in life, and a lot of older people didn't have the games we do today and get started later in life. Also what kinds of games are there out there, which genre's of games do these people play?

I am willing to guess that these "35 year old overweight" gamers are probably the buyers, more than the actual players, and their children are the more heavy reciepients of what this study should be focusing on. But maybe im wrong, who knows this is merely my opinion and as I said I didn't do any further research on the matter.

If anyone has any other articles with more merit they could direct me to, I would greatly appreciate it.

-Dan