MSNBC is running an interesting story on a recent survey conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California that indicates that MMORPG players rank among the most physically fit people in America. The data was pulled from more than 7,000 Everquest 2 players, enticed to answer the 25-minute survey with a limited-edition in-game item.
Still, players scored well on physical health compared to the rest of the nation. They reported exercising vigorously once or twice a week, as opposed to 62 percent of American adults who don't exercise for more than 10 minutes at any time.
They also found that MMO players are on average 10 percent leaner than the average American. Okay, so I ran the story as it was presented, now let's take a look at how we run it in reality land.MSNBC is running an interesting story on a recent survey conducted by researchers at the University of Southern California that indicates that MMORPG players rank amongst the most apt to lie on a survey about their physical fitness to anonymous researchers in order to receive a limited-edition in-game item.
Still, players scored well on physical health compared to the rest of the nation. They reported exercising vigorously once or twice a week, as opposed to 62 percent of American adults who don't exercise for more than 10 minutes at any time.
They also found that MMO players are on average 10 percent leaner than the average American, due to the fact that they are so disconnected from their physical bodies that they have no idea what lean was and guessed low. You cannot expect me to take a survey seriously that asks people, anonymously or not, to divulge their weight. You could have photographs of the 7,000 people on a giant scale, and I would still suspect there was cheating involved. "Please remove the helium balloons before stepping on the scale sir." There were some interesting, if a bit expected results, such as less women than men playing, but women playing much more intensely. I've certainly noticed a trend of women I introduce to gaming getting far more into the games we play than I do. But the weight issue? Please. This is the internet, after all, where only the very prettiest people post pictures of themselves that aren't at least five years old or severely photoshopped. Have you poked around MySpace lately? It's like a freaking time capsule from the late 90's. Kudos to the University of Southern California for getting their hands on all that data, but I know players who would sell their children for a free in-game item and not think twice about it. Your data is severely compromised. Video gamers are surprisingly fit, says study [MSNBC - Thanks Zach]