Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

September 18, 2008

We MMO gamers may not be such couch potatoes after all, according to a new study jointly conducted at the University of Southern California, the Palo Alto Research Center, and the University of Delaware.

Unfortunately, we have other, um.... issues.

The New Scientist reports that research teams surveyed 7,000 Everquest II players about their physical and mental health. Study participants received a special in-game item, the Greatstaff of the Sun Serpent as an incentive to participate. 

The news about the health of MMO players was surprisingly good:

The results suggest that adult gamers have an average body mass index of 25.2, compared to the overall American average of 28. The average gamer also engages in vigorous exercise once or twice a week, which the researchers say is more than most Americans. The reasons for this are not obvious, although the team suggest it may be because more educated, wealthier people are attracted to computer games, and these people also tend to take better care of their health.


However, the EQII gamer population had some mental health issues:

The downside, however, was that the gamers reported more cases of depression and substance abuse than their compatriots. "They may be drawn to use the game to help deal with emotional distress," says team member Scott Caplan of the University of Delaware.

The survey also found that the EQII audience was older and less male-dominated than the common wisdom would dictate.

Comments

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Wow, that's actually a pretty cool study. I can see both of those, I guess.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Who is the Dr. Strangelove looking guy?

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

How can we assume folks aren't lying about their weight?

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

You never can be totally sure, but if a survey is anonymous where is the incentive to lie?

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Self-awareness of MMO player stereotypes and social-desirability bias.

;)

Not that I have better methodology off the top of my head, but I'm just thinking of the inherent problems in self-report studies.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Holy crap thats so true as I don't play MMO's and I'm a complete tubby.  xD

I could stand a few episodes on the Biggest Looser if ya know what I mean.  :)

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues
Well aside from the possibility that people _may_ be lying, most of the people I know in person that play MMOs are of 'average' body weight, even the ones who are heavier are still well within 'healthy weight' status. The second part of the study is probably less meaningful than it appears within the bubble of the study itself. A large number of people in western society suffer some degree of depression and/or anxiety.
Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Someone up there must love us,I do love studies like that, I do play MMOrpgs and video games,Heck, And practicing weight-lifter.,And if im lying, May jack Thompson's old erectile dysfunction ass come in here and "troll" me or this topic right now.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

See that, Jack, so screw you!

Oops, I'm showing my emotional stress again...

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Hmm, a correlation between the addictive submersible world of an MMORPG and classic substance abuse?  Who knew?  Wonder what they'd yell at their interventions: "I can save and quit any time!"

---
The Mammon Industry

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

If you're playing EverQuest II, doesn't that say something about your mental health already?

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Depression I can understand, I enjoy taking reality breaks in games when I'm feeling down. But substance abuse? In college I didn't know a single gamer with alcohol or drug problems, just every person who's ever lived above me.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

I don't know if I would classify them as having a problem, but the gamers that I knew in college and high school were split about 50/50 on whether to use drugs and alcohol.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

body mass index is a meaningless measure.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Heh, certain players in WoW show that the mental health issues arent exclusive to EQII, as someone who's survived barrens chat (for those of you who are unfamiliar, it's the most immature zonewide chat in the game) on 5 total horde characters, I can testify to that

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

i remember taking this survey back when i played eq2...

im willing to bet half the people who did it just clicked through with random answers just to get the cool looking staff.

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Gallagher can araç kiralama say all he wants, but I strongly rent a car believe it's due to his crappy leadership and E3 being a joke. ESA's Board of Directors need to find a way to get out rent a car of this horrid contract with this Bush cronie before there's no one left on the Board.

Btw, I think Atari and Midway will drop out too, but mostly travesti because  these guys have done nothing ttnet vitamin or little and need to start saving costs.

YES.

Now I don't have to get off my ass for the important shit anymore!

Whats next, ordering pizza from Xbox live?

Wait... I think that sounds like a good idea.

But I think voting should MAKE you get off your ass, and see outside or a second while you go vote. I mean, your picking the president of the United States of America for God's Sake... least you can do is drive down there and punch out a card.

 

Re: Survey Says: MMO Players Not Fat, But Have Other Issues

Thanks good job;

Btw, I think Atari and Midway will drop out too, but mostly travesti because  these guys have done nothing travesti or little and need to start saving costs. and dizi izle

YES.

Now I don't have to get off my ass for the important shit anymore!

Whats next, ordering pizza from Xbox live?

Wait... I think that sounds like a good idea.

But I think voting should MAKE you get off your ass, and see outside or a second while you go vote. I mean, your picking the president of the United States of America for God's Sake... least you can do is drive down there and punch out a card.

GamePolitics ShoutBox

Posted 07/04/09 at 09:24pm
PHX Corp: For those that want to know what i watching it's called man vs cartoon(a.k.a fixing Wile E. coyote's Mistakes one trap at a time by EMERTEC)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:20pm
GoodRobotUs: Went out for my Mum's 65th Birthday, which is the only relevance 4/7 has in the UK for me ;)
Posted 07/04/09 at 08:18pm
Andrew Eisen: Beach + fireworks + root beer + strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, whipped topping, and pound cake = my Fourth of July!
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:58pm
GoodRobotUs: Which seems to be the only point Jack proved, that some people find some games offensive. i.e. Nothing.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:57pm
GoodRobotUs: The discussion was supposed to be whether games were dangerous not 'Do you find some games offensive'...
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Some agreed, some didn't, but it was their choice to make, not the governments.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: By asking the audience their opinion, he more or less proved that it's a matter of personal choice
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:55pm
GoodRobotUs: Meh, he ended proving Mark's point for him
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:26pm
Erik: Jack if you are reading this you are a LIAR. There is no legal weight to the MPAA's ratings.
Posted 07/04/09 at 07:24pm
JDKJ: I still think my buddy the midget who rides a unicycle backwards while juggling four bowling pins would have been a much bigger hit with that crowd. And he can make up statistics and misinterpret studies, too.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:33pm
Alyric: Of course, Mark falls into the common trap about Columbine, which had nothing to do with bullying, etc. See: http://slate.msn.com/id/2099203/?GT1=3256 for a more thorough explanation.
Posted 07/04/09 at 06:32pm
PHX Corp: Read this http://www.destructoid.com/sgc-09-liveblogging-the-jack-thompson-debate-138502.phtml#ext
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:54pm
PHX Corp: JT is afraid of such ban then advocates it That's what i call a total Hypocrite
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:50pm
PHX Corp: AE: JT is a -Bleeping- Jackass
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:07pm
Andrew Eisen: JT "knew it would be a good audience." Not what he said on Tuesday.
Posted 07/04/09 at 05:01pm
Andrew Eisen: VG cause violent behavior. VG companies influence behavior to get sales. Yeah, that makes sense. (To be fair, the Twitter feed makes deciphering JT's point pretty tough.)
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:52pm
Andrew Eisen: Yes, it's been proposed but as far as I know it has not been passed. Big difference.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:50pm
Cheater87: http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/all-violent-video-games-be-banned-in-germany-$1301757.htm
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:49pm
Andrew Eisen: Far as I know, Germany has not banned all violent video games.
Posted 07/04/09 at 04:44pm
Cheater87: Jack wants the US to follow Germany's total video game ban.
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