Study Aimed at Health Risks Of Video-Game Playing Among Adults - Comments on the New Class of Active Games

A study conducted by James B. Weaver, et al., from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University and Andrews University which aimed at looking at the health risks of video game playing among adults, has found, from a study of data collected from 552 adults aged 19-90 in the Seattle-Tacoma area that the average gamer is overweight, tends to be antisocial and is depressed.

More specifically, female video-game players reported greater incidents of depression and "lower health status" than women who do not play video games and male players reported a higher BMI and more Internet use time than non-players. The willingness of video-game players to sacrifice real-world social activities in order to play video games was also noted in the study. The study is published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 

In the same issue of the magazine, Dr. Brian A. Primack of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine comments and somewhat agrees, however he also points the ingenuity of role-playing games, the ability of educational games to encourage the love of learning and the potential value of interactive multiplayer platforms that bring people together from all over the globe to play.

Primack also goes on to comment that while the former study considers the potential risks of video games, it is very important that we acknowledge the new benefits to public health with the new class of “active games”. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32463904/ns/technology_and_science-games/

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