[synergy]

First of all the study took place in the Seattle area.....HELLO!!! While I completely love Seattle, I don't think it's the best place to conduct a survey of depression or addiction to indoor activities
Secondly, I'm pretty sure they are jumping to conclusions as there needs to be much more research into whether it is the games or the depression that comes first...chicken or egg anyone?

Study: Games are depressing...or are they? - Plugged In - Yahoo! Games

The average gamer is 35, overweight, and more likely to be depressed, says a new study conducted by researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, which was carried out in the Seattle-Tacoma area, found that gamers reported "lower extraversion, consistent with research on adolescents that linked video-game playing to a sedentary lifestyle and overweight status, and to mental-health concerns."

It also indicated a curious difference between male and female gamers: the former proved more overweight and reported more Internet usage than non-gamer men, while female gamers reported more depression and lower general health than non-gamer women.

But which comes first, the games or the poor health? The researchers hypothesized that depressed individuals might be turning to games as a means of self-medication, immersing themselves in a game's world as a way of forgetting about real-life troubles.

"Habitual use of video games as a coping response may [provide] a genesis for obsessive-compulsive video-game playing, if not video-game addiction," one researcher told MSNBC. The study calls for "further research among adults to clarify how to use digital opportunities more effectively to promote health and prevent disease."

As luck would have it, a study at East Carolina University funded by Bejeweled maker Popcap Games is also investigating the possible mental health benefits of game playing. Having already discovered that Bejeweled can improve mood and heart rhythms, the Carolina group is about to embark on an investigation in an attempt to determine whether games like Bejeweled can also deliver clinically significant improvements to depression sufferers.

"The research is part of a broad array of unconventional efforts that video game companies are devising to find new markets for their products," says Shankar Vedantam, writing this week for the Washington Post. "Many of these steps are based on the idea that depression and other disorders -- as well as everyday stress and worry -- involve systematic patterns of thought and self-doubt, and that games can distract people and put them in a different mental zone."

[kmote]

Surely the average person is about 35 and overweight.

[surgeVel]

My 21 year old, 6' and 150 lbs of muscle says hello.

[Muffin Man]

i dont seen how you can become depressed by playing a game, unless youre just not good at any game, but thats rare. btw i say chicken came first.

[surgeVel]

Haha I missed that part. I also say Chicken came first.

I also agree that it was retarded of them to use Seattle where it rains so often that indoor activities are much more common.

[synergy]

Yea, Seattle has like the highest suicide rate in the county, but they want to say a study conducted there proves depression....lol...okay!

I'm back and forth. Right now I think the chicken came first, but that will change...haha.

[kmote]

The egg definitely came first.

[Chad711]

Seattle has rain like 95% of the time. That whole place is depressed.

Regardless, I'm a happy camper when I game. I love the ****!

[philbar71]

this is the kind of stuff that ****es me off. they do one little study in some stupid little city and claim that video games are the physical manifestation of satin and are the cause of all out problems.

[95BlackGA]

I'll admit, when I get depressed I play games, but it cheers me up, fraggin' newbs...

The egg came first, whatever the chicken evolved from laid it.