It’s the general consensus in our society that gaming leads to obesity. The U.S. has seen the size of its citizens grow larger and larger over the past few decades. And during that same time, its fascination with video games has grown exponentially as well. And since both are void (mostly) of any physical movement, its natural to assume that the two are related.
But according to a new study from Michigan State University, our assumptions may have all been wrong. The study followed 12 year olds for a 3-year period to study their gaming, internet, and cell phone usage. Tracking various items like height, weight, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and exam scores, the study attempted to correlate the effects that usage of these electronic devices had on the children. The study found some interesting results.
First, the study found that between gaming, cell phone usage, and internet usage, gaming was by far the most popular amongst the children. In addition, there was no solid correlation between increased electronic device usage and obesity. Age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors were much better indicators for determining risk of obesity. However, it did find that increased usage did result in generally lower self-esteem and lower exam scores amongst the children. And finally, it also found that increased electronic usage did correlate to increased hand-eye coordination.
Source: Kotaku
The Epic Gamer 