New studies show face of gamers changing

By Quinton Miles

Do you think you’re the stereotypical gamer? According to new research released today by the Entertainment Software Association, that stereotype is starting to become just that as gamers have been shown to participate in numerous activities, like volunteering, excercising, and going to church. The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates, shows that gamers spend about 23.4 hours a week on these activities compared to 6.8 playing games while avid gamers(11 hours or more)spend 34.5 hours a week on them.

“Gamers are everywhere and they’re everyone. They are your friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives, and kids, they lead responsible and caring lives, balancing their enjoyment of interactive entertainment with many other activities important to a well-rounded lifestyle,” said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the ESA, the trade association representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “Indeed, those who continue to portray the game population as single-minded loafers are living in their own fantasy world.”

One more noticable result of the survey was obesity, the core subject of many anti-video game groups. Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t true at all either. 79 percent of all players exercised or played sports on an average of 20 hours a month.

“Obesity is a serious national problem with no easy answers,” said Lowenstein. “But it is good to know that so many gamers exercise and are involved in sports, and that their love for games has not made them sedentary.”

For more information on the survey, check out the ESAs’ official [a]http://www.theesa.com[aa]website[/a].