Is gaming fearsome or pathetic? The latter, argues a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. Gamers are overweight and depressed, says the research (pdf). They are also withdrawn, apparently exhibiting "lower extraversion."
Even worse, the gendering the study finds: "[f]emale video-game players reported greater incidents of depression and "lower health status" than women who do not play video games."
How does this play out in terms of fearsome digital media? Several ways.
First, note the non-negative aspects of the study. Stereotypes take another hit as gamers have an average age of 35, and are implicitly equally divided by gender. (Yes, I still get academics telling me gamers are only teen males) Will these get media attention?
Second, the technological determinism. Gaming drives depression and bad BMI, it seems, less than games being chosen as art or entertainment by those with such conditions. One wonders if the social ostracism attached to depression and obesity points one towards a cultural artifact with a bad cultural reputation.
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