Survey Says U.S. Gamers Older, Fatter than Thought

Hooray! Video gamers’ average age is that of mine – 35. Less celebrated: gamers are more likely to be unhealthier, fatter, and more depressed than others. Those are the findings of – ding ding ding!!! – a new study.

The Centers for Disease Control examined 500 adults across all majority ages (18 and up) in Seattle, because its Internet usage is highest in the United States and it’s one of the largest media markets. Forty-five percent of respondents reported playing video games. Of them, CDC found that gamers’ average age has gone up to a what-am-I-doing-with-my-life 35, and body condition, health and emotional state have followed suit.

All is not lost; girl gamers my age have it worse. CDC found they reported “greater depression and lower health status than female non players.” Unsurprisingly, “male gamers reported a higher BMI and a greater reliance on the Internet than non-gamers.

“Health risk factors, specifically a higher BMI and a larger number of poor mental-health days, differentiated adult video game players from non-gamers,” he said.

“Video game players also reported lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status.”

Feel like crap yet? You should, according to this study.

Video Gamers ‘Older Than Thought’ [BBC]