Black Raven Dragoons

[Damorte]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plug ... y-/1346074

[Zancarius]

The timing of this is pretty ironic (and boy is this making the rounds; Slashdot linked to a different article talking about this same story--I can't believe there's even more, and the one Damorte linked suggests to me that the brainless media is gobbling this crap up). This comes when a significant number of talking heads have started targeting "fat" people as the cause of our nation's woes.

TL;DR version of the story and my post: The average gamer is 35 and older and fat. I think it's stupid. If it's too long, you can stop reading here.

First, the Aussies have us beat now when it comes to the nation with the biggest average waist line. More importantly, most European nations aren't quite as slim as they were before. Why does this piss me off so much? Because this clown decided to "do the math" and claim that fat people are the cause of 10% of our nation's health care budget being over budget. Never mind that the top ten most costly medical problems aren't all related to obesity:

• Heart conditions—$76 billion.
• Trauma disorders—$72 billion.
• Cancer—$70 billion.
• Mental disorders, including depression—$56.0 billion.
• Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease—$54 billion.
• High blood pressure—$42 billion.
• Type 2 diabetes—$34 billion.
• Osteoarthritis and other joint diseases—$34 billion.
• Back problems—$32 billion.
• Normal childbirth—$32 billion.

So what's this rant got to do with gamers? Like you guys, I find studies like this to be rather dubious at best. It's a made-up problem looking for a cause, and I'm pretty sure most gamers play games because it's the only form of entertainment that isn't brain-dead stupid anymore. You don't hear about couch potatoes anymore, and maybe that's because a majority of them have decided that television is pretty pointless.

Call me an alarmist, but given some of the rhetoric I've seen coming out of Washington and the various reprinted articles all over the place relating to obesity, this is another potential method of targeting people who might be a little heavy set. Remember: They taxed the daylights out of the smokers. Anyone who could be considered "fat" is a nice target. With the budget shortfalls, expect to see "fat taxes" in the future levies against sodas, candy, snacks...

Hey, we gotta do something to protect people from themselves, right! Sheesh. Rant off.

[Grimblast]

I'd consider myself a little over weight but it's an occupational hazard. And you're right, I find that games are more entertaining than most television. The more social the game, the better the experience. It's not about the graphics all the time to me but being able to just communicate while interacting with the environment in game seems to be more pleasurable than sitting on my rump staring at a TV. I find that I use my gray matter more than just sitting there absorbing info. I'm at the office so can't put too much time into this post but...

Now time to spin a conspiracy: It's the television networks putting the bug in the news's ear about this sort of thing so they can get ratings back! Oh noes! Subliminal messaging man!

[Zancarius]

hahahahah probably right about the subliminal part.

I know my earlier rant was a bit off topic, but I had to let it out. I find this whole weight thing stupid and annoying, and like Turus said--the media does it all to make money. Unfortunately, they're trying in some regards to demonize a certain facet of society, and that's just wrong.

Seriously. If someone likes to play games who cares? Agh, I swear. Studies like this just irk me. "If you do X you're more likely to be Y and Z!"

Gimme a break...

@Damorte: I'm curious to hear your take on this particular study. You can't just drop a link and leave us hanging!

[alacor]

I am overweight technically. ( 5 ft 10 in, 215 lbs)
I smoke.
I play games.
I am over 40
I eat too much fast food

I still have a resting heartbeat of about 62.
Blood pressure good
Heart good
No sugar problems

I also love guns
I do not want to go kill a bunch of people for no reason

Our society thinks it needs to protect everyone from themselves in all aspects of life. That is the problem. When society starts telling you how to be a parent, what to eat, how to spend your money, and how you should live, that is when we have problems. When society (and the government is society too) thinks it can decide what's best for everyone, the common man falls by the wayside. If you tell someone long enough, they can't take care of themselves they begin to believe it. Then they become dependent on everyone else.

Ok off my soapbox.

[Zancarius]

Amen, Al! In the Entitlement Era, everyone's incapable of making the right choices! Or so they tell me. Sadly, there are more and more fad "studies" coming out in attempt to prove this.

Funny how these all started gaining so much traction during the health care debate. Coincidence? Not likely.

[Damorte]

@Damorte: I'm curious to hear your take on this particular study. You can't just drop a link and leave us hanging! Wink

I just found it interesting to read. Made me look down at myself and check if I was still considered obese by standards. Who knew that being 5'5" I have to weigh less than 140 to be considered healthy. Fuck that, I work out a LOT, I eat ZERO sugars (I'm allergic to sugar actually) and my body just settles at this very healthy natural weight, and might I say, I am pretty damn hot.

Now of course though since I'm a girl, we have different side effects from gaming. Apparently gaming makes me depressed. WTF, show me an almost 30-year old woman who ISN'T depressed and I'll pay her to teach me her ways. Your ass starts to widen, your tits start saggin, you don't have your 20-year old body anymore, that's enough to depress the shit out of anyone! Especially when you head into the gym to improve on this and you're surrounded by 105lb freaks of skinny nature! I am sick of society trying to find thing to blame video games for, first it was violence in teens, now its depression and obesity? I don't know why a study can't show the positives of game playing, like friendships with people you would normally never have the chance to meet, all around the world, the sense of accomplishment, the actual improvement in a mood from reading your guild nutty chat. Actually, they are doing that study, but its based on games like Bejewelled, it was mentioned at the end of the article.

So, anyhoo, that's what I think, since you asked.

[Snobal]

I am pretty damn hot.

Screen shot or it didn't happen. =O

Just kidding, hun. *Disables Immature Mode*
But seriously... PM me.


... Jay-kay. Don't you hate it when people play that game?

[Zancarius]

The best theory I have ever seen (sorry, I can't find the source--I'll try and dig it up some time) is that we all settle at our "optimum" weight. Once you're at that point, you can't generally lose any more than that. The notion of a "natural weight" kinda made me think of that.

The notion that gaming would make one sex depressed and one sex fat is still pretty damn stupid. That reminds me... gaming leading to fattiness/depression bring to mind this little gem. That's right, just like China, we're putting together our very own INTERNET ADDICTION CENTER.

I'm serious. This crap is setting the stage for some very unhealthy things--and I don't mean obesity or depression. Al's comment says it all, IMO.

But, I agree 100%, Damorte. Society pushes this whole notion that all women need to look like they walked out of a prison camp (*cough* runway models *cough*) in order to be "hot." Guess my standards of "hot" are a bit different... (I'm not much of a boob guy, either, but that's another story.) So, the point of this rant? Articles like this are dumb because they serve only to divide society into "them" and "us." Frankly, I'd rather be among the gamer types.

[Damorte]

I am pretty damn hot.

Screen shot or it didn't happen. =O

Just kidding, hun. *Disables Immature Mode*
But seriously... PM me.


... Jay-kay. Don't you hate it when people play that game?

Articles like this are dumb because they serve only to divide society into "them" and "us." Frankly, I'd rather be among the gamer types.

I enjoy being a computer nerd way too much to join "them", I'm happy being "us".

[Zancarius]

LOL @ the picture.

And yeah, I agree. It's ridiculous.

[Snobal]

I am pretty damn hot.

Screen shot or it didn't happen. =O

Just kidding, hun. *Disables Immature Mode*
But seriously... PM me.


... Jay-kay. Don't you hate it when people play that game?

Articles like this are dumb because they serve only to divide society into "them" and "us." Frankly, I'd rather be among the gamer types.

I enjoy being a computer nerd way too much to join "them", I'm happy being "us".

Damorte... you fucking win, good sir.

That was fucking awesome.