What Gamers Have In Common With Top Athletes

nk497 writes "It's no surprise that professional gamers aren't quite as fit as elite athletes, but they do have something in common. According to a British academic, top-level players show similar psychological attributes as top athletes, such as the ability to manage anxiety, and have reaction times on par with fighter pilots. Dr. Micklewright said, 'When I first got asked to do [the study], my initial reaction was "don't be ridiculous, gaming is nothing like sport." But the more I thought about it, the more similarities [became clear], and I became more and more convinced that it was close in many ways to sport.' While sitting in front of a screen might not have the same physical demands as running a marathon, neither do playing snooker or darts. Still, while gamers show good reflexes, their health was worse than expected, with one 20-something professional player showing the same aerobic health as a 60-year-old smoker." This story is based on a BBC radio report which you can currently hear, although that link seems to say that it won't last.

Comments

Take that back!

[TheKidWho]

I may be a gamer, but my right hand has the stamina of an 18 year old!

Re:Take that back!

[Anonymous Coward]

But you're 12!

Re:Take that back!

[Locke2005]

Yeah, but you have to watch out for those Repetitive Stress Injuries.

Re:Take that back!

[Stick32]

I may be a gamer, but my right hand has the stamina of an 18 year old!

uhhh you sure that's solely thanks to videogames?

Re:Take that back!

[soppsa]

It's the game lifestyle more than videogames themselves.

How to stay healthy while gaming

[Pojut]

Many of them are obvious suggestions, but here are some tips on how to stay healthy while gaming. I hope it helps some of you folks out.

Mods, please mod this post offtopic or troll due to website pumping.

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[Monkeedude1212]

If you're going to plug yourself, at least set up a webcam.

*pause for laughter*

Seriously though, I think there are a lot of physical activities that gamers would enjoy if they just put forth the effort to go and try them. For example, I own just about every Star Wars game there is, and I'm pretty big on medieval settings.

There was a thing this past weekend at the local military museum, which had preformers of warriors from all era's, ancient Roman Gladiators, Vikings, Crusaders, Imperialistic, civil war, WW2, you name it. For me, it was interesting to watch the Gladiators face off and to watch the knights have duels. As a fun activity, they were giving beginner sword fighting lessons to people willing, in a full suit of chainmail. Complete with all the fixings, leather gloves, a tabard, iron helmet, greaves, pauldrons...

It was a very intense workout, just running around swinging a sword. I think I may try it again, should I get more time. I think its things like that (not necessarily the only case), that there are physical activities gamers might enjoy but they... well... don't...

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[Pojut]

A few of my friends who have far less long-term injuries than I do (vertabrae fusion, wrist/knee/hip problems, and more) are active participants in the local LARP and/or Dagorhir communities. Every one of them is in awesome shape.

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[clone53421]

Yeah, I know, you could be a member posting AC so your mod points stick.

Nope, they don’t stick. I’ve tried it.

It doesn’t even warn you that your moderation will be invalidated if you post anonymously. Verify it by opening the CID link afterward... the moderation is gone.

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[PopeRatzo]

Seriously though, I think there are a lot of physical activities that gamers would enjoy

This might sound crazy, but I've found that my gaming skills have improved over the years, thank in part to my study of tai chi chuan.

I used to notice that I'd get all cramped up with painful hands and feet after a half-hour of playing a game (or just sitting at my computer, for that matter). I'm older than the average gamer, and I found that no matter which online game I tried, I'd be one of the worst players in the game.

My ability to sustain relaxed attentiveness, along with the improved mental processes that come from the study and practice of tai chi have helped me to improve across a wide variety of gaming types. Now I find that I learn the game more quickly and am more able to be competitive. With some games, like Modern Warfare 2 or Borderlands, my ability to focus better and react faster have made me surprisingly good, not just for my age, but for any age. In games like Eve Online, I am more patient and seem to be able to process more information.

Outside of gaming, the improvements in function and enjoyment have been even greater. If any of you would like to become more fit as well as more relaxed, healthy and balanced, I would highly recommend taking the time to find a good tai chi teacher and give it a chance. It's not very hard at the beginning and the benefits come very quickly. I see all types of athletes in the school in which I study and they all say that tai chi has improved their respective game. There have been some recent studies that show tai chi increases the body's production of HGH and improves cardio-respiratory function. They used to believe that you had to raise your heart rate to improve your cardio fitness and stamina, but it turns out that's not the case.

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[xaxa]

To keep your mod points while posting anonymously, use your other browser/internet connection ;-).

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[Pojut]

I don't find that to be crazy at all. My fiancee experienced a similar bump in her gaming ability (and general well being) when she started to really get into yoga. Learning how to focus her breathing and tightening certain muscles while simultaneously relaxing others has provided her with an increase in general concentration, mentally and physically. She's said it has helped her in many aspects of her life, but the most obvious one I've noticed (other than her increased flexibility, rawr) is that she has become a much more skilled gamer.

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[dave562]

there are physical activities gamers might enjoy but they... well... don't...

For a certain subset of gamers, they are playing games as an escape from reality. For a subset of that subset, they are supplanting their inability to achieve in real life with their ability to achieve in the game. Where as one person might find the idea of putting on a full suit of armor and swinging around a heavy weapon to be fun, there are others who would just consider it a burden and find that the experience reenforced their preference to suit up and swing weapons around in an online environment.

Another poster mentioned tai chi. I found that when I started training martial arts (tai chi, bagua and kung fu), I found that I wanted to spend less time playing games. I felt like I was wasting time playing games, and that the time could be better spent "leveling up" my real life skills.

Re:How to stay healthy while gaming

[Pojut]

BURN!!! Oh wait...

Re:nothing wrong here

[Monkeedude1212]

I've never heard of that game, is it new?

they are fat?

[paul0]

Like Ronaldo? http://karatedesantacatarina.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/ronaldo-gordo.jpg

Real life sports.

[jack2000]

Bah, who needs em. I'm going to have better sports. With blackjack,alcohol and hookers. Infact forget the sports.

Re:Real life sports.

[Kjella]

Just define blackjack to be a sport, it's certainly no worse than poker. One down, two creative rewrites to go.

Re:Real life sports.

[jack2000]

How about some sort of sport where the higher the alcohol count in your blood the higher the bonus to your score is. The thing you are expected to do while seriously drunk should be something that gets harder the drunker you are.
I'd certainly watch that, considering i don't care much for normal sports.

Unpopular answer

[DaveV1.0]

They both get overpaid to play a game.

Re:Unpopular answer

[Aladrin]

I was going to go for something more along the lines of "both serve no purpose to society other than entertainment", but yours fits, too.

On the other hand, are they the 'top athletics' and 'top players' because they have the coordination and ability to handle stress, or did becoming the 'top X' cause them to gain these abilities? I suspect it's the former and they served only to train them a bit.

I'm a diehard gamer, but I'm not foolish enough to think it's anything other than pointless entertainment, just like almost all hobbies.

Re:Unpopular answer

[geekoid]

define overpaid.

They get what they can get. They bring in a lot of money to the owners, why not charge that much?

Re:Unpopular answer

[somersault]

I'm a diehard gamer, but I'm not foolish enough to think it's anything other than pointless entertainment, just like life.

TWGFTFY :P

Re:Unpopular answer

[dward90]

How much money do professional gamers make? A friend of mine played top-tier MLG games for money for a while, but he barely covered his travel expenses. Assuming 8-hour days, he didn't even make minimum wage. How many gamers make enough money that gaming is their only source of income? Athletes? Hint: there are way more athletes.

Re:Unpopular answer

[CannonballHead]

Overpaid: the quality or attribute of someone else being paid more than I am.

Re:Unpopular answer

[geekoid]

Seriously? Football players aren't real athletes? Let see you take a hit from a 280 pound person that moves like a gazelle.

You comments is stupid.

All simple one syllable words, lots of grunting.

SO your argument build down to a poorly worded ad hom attack. You might want o rethink criticizing other peoples intellect until you've sharpened your ability to have a discussion.

You sound like someone who insults mathematicians because you don't understand the subject.

.

Re:Unpopular answer

[srussia]

Almost no one watches real athletes like mountain climbers, weight lifters, soldiers qualifications courses, or deep sea divers.

Well, no true Scotsman does.

Re:Unpopular answer

[IANAAC]

They both get overpaid to play a childs game.

Almost no one watches real athletes like mountain climbers, weight lifters, soldiers qualifications courses, or deep sea divers. No one watches real gamers like hard core strategic wargamers. Just big steroid addicts playing kids ball games, and twitchy shooters.

I don't know how old you are, or what kind of shape you believe to be in, but I would counter your argument with "Try to play any of these kids ball games". It actually does take skill. I am, of course, referring to AmFootball, Baseball, Basketball, etc. and my personal favorite - soccer. Played well, any of these are physically demanding and require a fair amount of mental skill as well.

The fact that we tend to take these sports as entertainment is something altogether different.

But yes, I think some pro athletes - the same ones we follow in tabloids just as we do any other celebrity - are overpaid. I also think the overpaid ones are no longer in their respective sports for their love of said sport, rather they stay in it for the money/fame.

Yeah, I'm generalizing.

Re:Unpopular answer

[HaZardman27]

and twitchy shooters

Look up some videos of Daigo Umehara playing Street Fighter. Many people underestimate the level of intellect that goes in to playing Street Fighter (playing it well, anyhow), and I guarantee he's smarter than you.

Re:Unpopular answer

[somersault]

Almost no one watches real athletes like mountain climbers, weight lifters, soldiers qualifications courses, or deep sea divers.

A few points:

Mountain climbers and soldiers, I'll give you ;)

I lift weights. Weights are easy, it just takes the right pattern of reps at a certain percentage of your maximum, and good nutrition, to see gains (especially when beginning, and by the time you hit plateus you're probably already a monster). They're pretty much equivalent to playing any RPG where all you need is time to gain XP.

SCUBA diving is another one I've done. There were loads of old guys in the club and they even described it as an "old man's sport". You need basically no strength apart from when you're getting back into the boat. It's all just about controlling your buoyancy and monitoring your air supplies, and not ascending too quickly at the end. The rest of the time you're almost weightless and it requires very little effort. Deep sea diving on different types of gas is a bit more complex, but it's still not going to take an elite athlete to do it, just someone with a cool head and a lot of diving experience.

No one watches real gamers like hard core strategic wargamers. Just big steroid addicts playing kids ball games, and twitchy shooters.

I actually think some people probably still do watch Starcraft tournaments and the like but I'm not sure; I've always found those types of game to be boring as hell. I love turn based strategy games like Chess and Risk so it's not that I dislike strategy games per se, but I just find realtime strategy games annoying. I can do okay on them, but I just don't really enjoy the rushing for resources nor having to be a "manager", I prefer to be part of the action. Twitchy FPS games are simply fun, and you do still need to be strategic to do well. Even after I stopped playing CS for a few years, I tried it again one time and was still able to do okay despite my aim being very rusty, simply because I knew the levels and played relatively intelligently.

Re:Unpopular answer

[vlm]

Football players aren't real athletes? Let see you take a hit from a 280 pound person that moves like a gazelle.

So, a little old lady whom takes a hit by a 3K pound car must be approximately ten times more of a "real" athlete than a football player?

You might want o rethink criticizing other peoples intellect until you've sharpened your ability to have a discussion.

You sound like someone who insults mathematicians because you don't understand the subject

I'm referring to the intellectual level of the coverage on ESPN, and to some extent the culture of willful stupidity that surrounds it. Try watching it sometime. Note, I used to be highly interested in football, watch all the Packers games. Its a game of considerable tactical maneuvering, strategic insight, logistical long term planning. That's what I got out of it, anyway. What I see in ESPN and media sports coverage in general is a bunch of "grunt grunt yell look at that hit grunt grunt" on to the next story, probably about the soap opera drama of the players, which actually has nothing to do with the game or sports itself. There's too much junk to filter to bother watching anymore.

You comments is stupid.

Well sorry if I hit a little too close to home with you. I'll stick to less controversial topics, like bashing religion and race in the future. Geeze. It's just a kids game, nothing to get worked up about.

Re:Unpopular answer

[sammy baby]

Nice reference.

By extension, I posit that the only true sports are the caber toss, the stone put, and golf.

Re:Unpopular answer

[vlm]

I lift weights.

The "sportyness" is in the endless practicing and learning how not to damage joints, tendons, ligaments, etc. Eating the right foods, supplements, etc. Balancing lifting with at least some cardio to get the fat percentage low enough. Also there is some real world utility to being strong, its more "serious" or "adult" than moving a ball around by kicking it or tossing it.

SCUBA diving

My mistake, I meant the guys whom are paid huge money to weld, repair ships, work on shallow water offshore oil facilities, etc. Those dudes are hard core athletes, the muscular ability required is way beyond watching the tropical fish from underwater. The kind of guy whom relaxes when he gets out of the water, not when hes in the water.

Re:Unpopular answer

[StikyPad]

They're both whiny bitches with overinflated egos?

Re:Unpopular answer

[uniquegeek]

I'd watch hockey if it wasn't boxing. If I wanted to go see boxing, I'd go to a boxing match.

Re:Unpopular answer

[Bakkster]

so we should pay them multiple millions of dollars cause they are too stupid to do anything else with their lives but to make us laugh while they chase a ball like dogs

Should? Probably not. But people do pay to watch football (either through tickets of ad revenue), so I'd rather the players got their fair share of such a lucrative entertainment industry, rather than it all going towards promoters.

fuck football players, even if 99% of them were not juiced up thugs too pussy to do anything real or meaningful

Says the AC posting on Slashdot. How does that compute to let you judge others for being 'pussy' or not making meaningful contributions?

Re:Unpopular answer

[blair1q]

So, a little old lady whom[sic] takes a hit by a 3K pound car must be approximately ten times more of a "real" athlete than a football player?

If she actually takes the hit, and stops the car in its tracks, instead of being critically injured by it, then yes, she's ten times Brian Urlacher in my eyes.

Re:Unpopular answer

[mcgrew]

In the case of major league sports, I'd say making more money than the President of the United states makes is way overpaid, considering the weight on that man's shoulders.

Re:Unpopular answer

[vlm]

If she actually takes the hit, and stops the car in its tracks, instead of being critically injured by it, then yes, she's ten times Brian Urlacher in my eyes.

Pro football players are occasionally critically injured while playing, and I think they should get credit for trying. So should granny in this scenario.

Re:Unpopular answer

[Romberg]

And competitive haggis eating contests.

Re:Unpopular answer

[neonKow]

They play hockey at hockey games. The boxing comes free of charge. Think of it as mud wrestling. The mud wrestling comes free of charge too.

Re:Unpopular answer

[Arthur Grumbine]

So, a little old lady whom takes a hit by a 3K pound car must be approximately ten times more of a "real" athlete than a football player?

If she can take that hit thirty times in the course of three hours, each time jumping back to her feet and begging the coach for more opportunities, just so she could win a competition - hell yeah she'd be more of a real athlete in my book!

Re:Unpopular answer

[tophermeyer]

But you can't just think of the paycheck, you also have to consider the total compensation package. In the case of the President, his salary and responsibilities come with things like free housing, personal aircraft, and having the worlds most powerful military calling him Sir.

Re:Unpopular answer

[somersault]

Also there is some real world utility to being strong, its more "serious" or "adult" than moving a ball around by kicking it or tossing it.

It's definitely beneficial to be strong, but professional football players are generally more fit than bodybuilders, and probably just as strong as many of them when it comes to their legs at least. There's a lot of overlap among the two, and IMO it's only your own opinion of what is important that decides that a weightlifter has more value than a footballer.

I happen to think football as a game is overrated, but I do respect the athletic ability of the players. Most bodybuilders, even if they also do a bit of cardio, would have nowhere near the stamina of a footballer for, nor would they have the same level of body awareness and coordination in their legs and therefore would be more likely to hurt themselves after becoming fatigued for whatever reason - say if they went camping with a heavy backpack.

The type of athlete that I currently respect above any other would probably be rock climbers - they're usually wiry little guys but have incredibly good all-round functional strength, stamina, proprioception, confidence and coordination.

Re:Unpopular answer

[somersault]

Oh. In that case, I probably would enjoy the "war games". I did buy some game that was meant to simulate some Napoleonic battles for my Amiga when I was a kid, but I had no idea how the hell it worked.

Re:Unpopular answer

[westlake]

They get what they can get. They bring in a lot of money to the owners, why not charge that much?

The promoter has always known that the star attraction is his best guarantee of success at the box office. Mark Twain's satirical playbill for the Roman Coliseum didn't stray too far from the truth. The Innocents Abroad
[1869, Chapter 26]

Re:Unpopular answer

[Dalambertian]

Overpaid my ass. Esports are not mainstream enough for all but a few to be paid to play. The sponsors haven't quite woken up to reality yet. Take the HDH invitational : every single game had more than 100,000 views, yet the prize pool was a mere $2500, and that was apparently the largest prize pool for a foreign starcraft tournament.

Re:Unpopular answer

[bitt3n]

define overpaid.

makes as much as or more money than I do

Re:Unpopular answer

[mcgrew]

You can buy a lot of houses and airplanes with a multiumillion dollar per year salary.

Gaming+exercise=???

[ndogg]

Since it's been shown that aerobic exercise can improve reaction time, I can't help but wonder how much better of gamers they would be if they also exercised a bit as well. They wouldn't need to go to a gym. Just some running, or crunches, or something on a regular basis would help, I would bet.

Re:Gaming+exercise=???

[Anonymous Coward]

No kidding. Years ago when I played Quake 3 professionally I had regular workouts and they helped a lot. Especially with fatigue and such, really keeps your mind sharp. I think it also helps prevent RSI type problems.

Similar to how race car drivers or golf players lift weights (although maybe not obvious, race car drivers undergo a great deal of physical stress; another hobby of mine). Strength helps in many ways, including gaming.

Re:Gaming+exercise=???

[AthleteMusicianNerd]

A lot of football players play A LOT of video games. Ray Lewis plays like 8 hours a day.

Re:Gaming+exercise=???

[AmberBlackCat]

If only there were a game system that encouraged mild physical activity...

Re:Gaming+exercise=???

[assertation]

Since it's been shown that aerobic exercise can improve reaction time, I can't help but wonder how much better of gamers they would be if they also exercised a bit as well. They wouldn't need to go to a gym. Just some running, or crunches, or something on a regular basis would help, I would bet.

Or a copy of DDR ( Dance Dance Revolution ).

I used to read a weight loss success site where some sorry shut in like that got sucked into DDR and lost something like 100 lbs.

Re:Gaming+exercise=???

[indiechild]

I don't think mild physical activity like that promoted in some Wii games helps all that much. It's better than nothing, especially if you're a pensioner, but I don't think it'll increase your reaction times.

Re:Gaming+exercise=???

[John Saffran]

That's precisely why the training regime of korean pro-gamers includes fitness and muscle building to improve both stamina and reaction time.

Re:nothing wrong here

[devour]

Clicked the wrong topic, eh? Don't worry, BP bashing is always relevant on the internet!

Sports injuries...

[PPalmgren]

Sports typically have one or two major common injuries associated with them, like knee damage for cross country skiing. I wonder if this will show on gamers in 20 or 30 years.

I'm specifically interested if mental problems occur later in life from over-use of the brain. Some gamers typically work a mental job, then come home and engage in 5-6 hours of very mentally intensive activity. Your brain gets hammered pretty heavily over the course of a day.

Another possibility is eye damage. During intense gaming sessions I notice that I dry my eyes out repeatedly focusing by not blinking during specific events. I wonder if this will effect me in 20 years. On another note, most gamers I've met have the same vision as me and we can wear each other's glasses without issue.

Re:Sports injuries...

[Pojut]

Sports typically have one or two major common injuries associated with them, like knee damage for cross country skiing. I wonder if this will show on gamers in 20 or 30 years.

Wrist and tendon issues are fairly common amongst older gamers, although these can be prevented to a certain degree by stretching your hands properly and taking breaks.

Re:Sports injuries...

[Bicx]

I've played computer/video games ever since I was a small child, and at age 23, I also work a as a software dev. I can no longer wear contacts due to my poor eye health, even though I've worn them for 7 years. Right now, if I put contacts in my eyes for one day, my eyes will be red all the next day. Continued use will cause extreme redness, blurry vision, and sensitivity to light. I don't have direct proof of the cause, but I suspect my eyes have sustained damage from several years of wearing contacts with dry eyes, and I suspect the dry eyes came from staring at a screen for hours on end. I recently invested in a decent pair of glasses that I'll be switching to indefinitely.

Re:Sports injuries...

[BJ_Covert_Action]

You know, I was developing sore wrists from typing at a keyboard all day when I started my first job. I bought a wrist brace to help manage my ergnomics, but that got pretty old fast. You know what I figured out? You can work out your wrist, strengthen it, and this will help nullify some of the wrist/tendon issues from excessive keyboard or gaming work. I started doing pull-ups (knuckles turned outwards, away from the body) which really help to strengthen the forearm and the wrist. I also started using some of those squeeze torsion spring things to increase my grip. Since I started actually building the muscle and using the tendons and ligaments in my forearms and wrists and hands, all of the old pain and wear from over-using a keyboard went away. I'll bet hardcore gamers could benefit from similar exercises...

Plus you get the added benefit of having forearms like Popeye, and that just looks damn tough.

Re:Sports injuries...

[kaoshin]

When I was younger, I had bad vision and they told me if I continued to stare at the computer screen which at the time was a CRT television, that I would end up requiring glasses. Despite the fact that I have gamed extensively for the last 27 years and now also sit for 8+ hours in front of multiple displays at work, I have 20/20 vision.

As for your comment about over-use of the brain, it was my understanding that we do not even fully utilize our brain. I think the human body is more resilient than most people give it credit for.

Re:Sports injuries...

[Pojut]

It's a bit too late now, but from a young age I've always kept a poster with some words on it at the opposite end of the room I game in. Every hour or so, I'll look away to the poster and read it three times over before going back to the screen. Focusing on a static image that is far away helps keep your eyes from "locking in" to near-focus mode.

Still, the number one thing that helps alleviate most gaming-related problems (other than weight) are frequent breaks. I try to walk away for five minutes every hour, two at the most. This makes a bigger difference than you might think.

Re:Sports injuries...

[Dahamma]

Please don't try to tell me that a first person shooter is in any way "overuse of the brain". Even with a game like Starcraft for experrienced gamers many of the details are now muscle memory and rote repetition of patterns.

Even the very idea of "brain overuse" causing mental problems makes me shudder... what has happened to our society!?

Besides, a baseball pitcher, football quarterback, hockey goalie, auto racer, etc, require just as much (or more) focus, attention, and often strategy as most video games...

Re:Sports injuries...

[jab]

I've raced for about 20 years in cross country skiing (starting with high school, then at the NCAA level in college, and now in citizen races) and have probably entered well over 100 events. More importantly I've known a lot of racers over the years. I've never, ever heard of knee damage being a common problem for cross country skiers. In fact, cross country skiing is one of the more gentle sports on joints, especially compared to long distance running which has a lot of pounding. There are tons of old people (70+) competing in citizen races, and they are often quite fast. Even the skating technique is not so troublesome, although it is a little more wearing than diagonal stride over very long distances. Are you thinking of something in particular that causes knee damage?

Re:Sports injuries...

[mcgrew]

Atheletes wear their bodies out, same as construction workers, but but you can't overuse your brain. Your brain has no moving parts to wear out, unlike your body. All the mentally sharp geriatrics I've known actively used their brains a lot, and IINM there have been studies proving this.

I'm not sure about the eye damage, but the only damage would be to the cornea, and I wouldn't worry about that.[article] What you should worry about is if you're severely nearsighted you're at risk of retinal detachment[journal]

Re:Sports injuries...

[bm_luethke]

Some of those answers are going to depend on what age you are "20 years" isn't that long if you are around 20 - lots of us really old folks around the 40 year old range that gre up playing games (games have been popular and require reflexes and such since way back in 1980 or so)

I picked mine up with pong, went to an atari 2600, a PC, NES, etc and still do today. I spend massive amounts of time at it, more than pretty much anyone does with another sport. I'm a software engineer so I have one of those "thinking jobs" too.

I'm 35, started when I was around 8. People my age have beginnings of knee problems (I do with no few sports - but arthritis tends to run in my family, few on both sides made it past 35 without some and I am no exception). I have a bit of RSI in my wrists and fingers, but that is probably more to do with the typing. I can't figure that 5 more years (it is usually someone around 20 who thinks "20 years from now how broken will I be") will be much different so your are probably safe.

Now, if you are older then it gets to be a harder question. For the most part 20 more years for me (mid 50's) probably isn't going to change much - most people play Tennis, Baseball, and many other sports into their 50's with only needing increased therapy. A little more icing/heat, not quite as aggressive, etc. If non-professional gaming has me extra slowing down in that time frame then it really ought to get a good look from the govt to either ban it or make sure people realize the dangers as it is terribly dangerous. Enough time has elapsed with games being obsessed over to note if it does when someone playes heavy from youth to their 40's. Most people In other sports, except the Olympic/Professional Level competitors, should never see a problem into thier 50's that wasn't simply "aging". In those cases the competitors are well aware of the damage it inflicts on their bodies.

For me what is it going to be like in 30 years is a better question - your early 60's should be where you really start noticing things like that. Maybe you are in your 40's so 20 years is a good length of time to think about, however with such a high user number and obviously something of a techie I doubt it. The likelyhood of being a high numbered poster in your 40 that has been on the net or decades is quite low (though it can happen - I have a low 5 digit account here that I can't access because the e-mail account I registered under no longer exists - can't get my password and I forgot my old one).

Worry more about your heart, arteries, lungs, pancreas, and other parts of your body that tend to wear out. You brain tends to degrade from *not* using it much.

Re:Sports injuries...

[frosty_tsm]

Please don't try to tell me that a first person shooter is in any way "overuse of the brain". Even with a game like Starcraft for experrienced gamers many of the details are now muscle memory and rote repetition of patterns.

Even the very idea of "brain overuse" causing mental problems makes me shudder... what has happened to our society!?

Besides, a baseball pitcher, football quarterback, hockey goalie, auto racer, etc, require just as much (or more) focus, attention, and often strategy as most video games...

I know that after work, playing Empire Total War for extended sessions was too much. I recently found playing FFXIII to be nice candy for the brain. It's not too thought-intensive, I'm still playing a game and I'm still having fun even if I'm not working all that hard at it.

Re:Sports injuries...

[vlm]

I try to walk away for five minutes every hour, two at the most. This makes a bigger difference than you might think.

This is also vital for deep vein thrombosis prevention, spinal posture related issues, keeping properly hydrated, the eyestrain issue you already mentioned... Also eliminates or reduces sleepiness and daydreaming.

Also if you're not just grinding, but actually thinking, a physical perspective change and a pause in the thinking for a couple minutes can often result in higher total overall productivity. If you're mind's blank, staring even harder at the whiteboard doesn't help nearly as much as a short walk. Occasionally surfing slashdot has been scientifically proven to dramatically increase overall productivity.

Re:Sports injuries...

[blair1q]

The first time you strafe a hallway instead of just walking past it you prove to yourself that gaming has done something to your head.

But neurons are highly malleable and learn not to be affected by such situations as easily as they learned to react to them. Except for the flashbacks, that sort of behavior goes away.

Re:Sports injuries...

[dogmatixpsych]

You cannot overwork a brain. Too much stress is bad but mental exercise is != stress. As long as you get the proper amount of sleep you will never hurt your brain by working it too much. The lack of sleep won't necessarily hurt your brain, you just cannot benefit from sleep if you don't sleep.

Re:Sports injuries...

[PPalmgren]

It was a bad example. I was going to use american football examples, but each position has different issues. I was drawing a mental blank.

My father used to cross-country ski and was going to the olympic trials for Finland. However, knee problems caused him to drop out. One of his good friends had the same problem, so I extrapolated. Cue the xkcd slide.

Re:Sports injuries...

[endymion.nz]

There is some evidence to suggest that staying awake too long might contribute to degenerative brain diseases like alzheimers...

Re:Sports injuries...

[pnutjam]

Have you tried different contact materials? Take Acuvue for instance, there are Acuvue2, Acuvue Oasys, and Acuvue Advance. Each is made of a different material and some people can have a sensitivity to one or the other. My doc switched me from Acuvue 2 to Acuvue Advance a couple years ago and it works fine, but the Oasys seem to irritate my eye a bit.

Another thing I tell people. Tell you doc to give you contacts that do not correct for astigmatism. Many people can't tell the difference and the astigmatism ones are thicker and cause more eye irritation and dryness. It doesn't hurt anything to try them, but some docs are hesitant so be insistent.

Re:Sports injuries...

[mcgrew]

True, but that's not the same as "using your brain too much".

Re:Sports injuries...

[Reapy]

Yes I love this fear of wearing the brain out by using it too much.

Sounds like many people subscribe to this philosophy around the world...

Might???

[Itninja]

While sitting in front of a screen might not have the same physical demands as running a marathon...

Might not? Might not?? Hell, making a sandwich has more physical demands than playing the vijimagames.

Re:Might???

[blair1q]

Okay, getting your heart rate up to 20% of your (MHR-RHR) and losing your cool because you're the n00b in the room is not aerobic exercise.

I rode my bike 20 miles at 22 mph yesterday and never got mine above 60%. That's known as a "recovery day".

Allay'all stop dawdling and excusing yourselves, get off your fat, pasty asses, and go play in the fucking sunshine.

Re:Might???

[cycleflight]

And your functional threshold power is....

If you averaged 22 mph without ever stopping for anything (assuming no tailwind) and you're an average weight and build for a cyclist, your "recovery day" was either done on aerobars or you're a Cat 3 (men's) time trialist. If there were stops in the ride for traffic, or if your FTP is lower than about 270 watts, you're working too hard.

As for the sunshine, I fight in the shade.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mightyQuin]

Yes on all four. Can I call you sexist now?

Cause or Result

[icebike]

Is the 20 year old "Professional gamer" with the "aerobic health as a 60-year-old smoker" in that condition due to gaming, or is he gaming because that's all he can do, because of some pre-existing limitation?

I ask, because it takes longer for a sedentary life style to put you in THAT bad shape than your typical 20 year old would have in the interval between highschool and their 20th birthday.

Where does one get a job being a "professional gamer" other than working for a game developer?

Re:Cause or Result

[Kenoli]

South Korea.

Re:Cause or Result

[Pojut]

Where does one get a job being a "professional gamer" other than working for a game developer?

Korea, if you are awesome at Starcraft.

There is also the PGL and a host of other "professional" leagues.

Re:Cause or Result

[Monkeedude1212]

Where does one get a job being a "professional gamer" other than working for a game developer?

It's easy in that you don't have to apply to become one, like most jobs, but also tough in that you won't make any money for a little while, like playing in a Band.

1) Find a popular multiplayer game
2) Get good at said game
3) Search for a league online for said game
4) Join league
5) Win tournaments
6) ???
7) Professional Gamer /Profit

Re:Cause or Result

[clone53421]

North Korean gamers, on the other hand, are the portrait of good health!

Re:Cause or Result

[Hatta]

I'm guessing it's all the pot he smokes.

Re:Cause or Result

[AthleteMusicianNerd]

Working for a game developer is not a professional gamer.

Re:Cause or Result

[blair1q]

The attention given to the ones who get rich at a sport creates a disproportionate view of the probabilities of joining that class of competitors.

Those who gain little or no money, or even lose relative to another choice of profession, is by far the largest segment of any sport's population.

Delusional hope among the competing class is, of course, of enormous benefit to the organizer class. This goes for any industry, not just sports.

Re:Cause or Result

[dunkelfalke]

It doesn't take that long. I used to do judo but after a couple of broken relationships I just sat at home (and at work), read books and eat. I've gained almost 50 kg in just 5 years and could barely walk 200 meters. Once you are fat you can get sleep apnoea, and once you have that, it is almost impossible to lose weight without doing something against it.

Once you can sleep properly it is much easier to lose all that fat and start living again, though. Just walked 4 km and feeling good :-)

Re:Cause or Result

[mcgrew]

I ask, because it takes longer for a sedentary life style to put you in THAT bad shape than your typical 20 year old would have in the interval between highschool and their 20th birthday.

I've seen some pretty fat kids. twenty years of doing nothing but sitting in a chair stuffing your face is a long time.

Re:Cause or Result

[arielCo]

Just as with music. In all three statements.

Re:Cause or Result

[Glarimore]

There are a number of routes to become a pro gamer. What route you take depends mostly on the game you're playing and whether or not it is a team game.

If it is a team game, gathering a team of friends that you know wont up and quit on you and working your way up throught the various leagues is the best way to go (www.esportsea.com). If you are good, you eventually work your way to the higher invite-only leagues and if you do well enough in those, you will become sponsored. Some top Counter-Strike players in Europe are proported to have earnings topping $2,500 a month. Which isn't a lot -- but they are playing video games and get to keep all of their tournament winnings, and very often live together and have free housing.

In non-team games the best route is to practice your head off and either join a league as described above, or fly to South Korea and get your professional gaming license, though it isn't easy.

This is obviously very dumbed-down and simplified explanation and no persons route to "the pros" is the same, but I wanted to provide some insight into pro gaming for those who do not know about it.

Not surprised

[mewsenews]

Online gaming actually helped me understand real-life sports. When I was a kid my dad took me to Hockey and Soccer and other organized sports, and I never really "got it". I didn't have any aggression in my personality and when the parents were saying "it's not important to win, it's important to have fun" I actually took them to heart and didn't care about the game, at all.

I finally figured out the pleasure of cooperative sport playing Counterstrike in my bedroom. I actually got pretty decent and had moments that parallel great sports stories: one time I single-handedly cleared a team of 6 players, finishing the last one with my knife. It was my full-length touchdown run and there was actual human adrenaline pumping in my veins.

After my kinda-sorta epiphany, I actually left the house and joined a ball hockey team. I still suck at hockey but I understand the pleasure of the game and that everyone is working together to become better players.

Anyway, I'm not surprised that the top "cyber athletes" have the same mental processes as top athletes. Competition is competition..

Re:Not surprised

[Reapy]

It seems many people have to first try to exist in a competitive game environment before they can understand the similarities. For anyone who has tried to improve at any type of game play this article's subject is frighteningly obvious.

In the same way that a football linebacker will not succeed in soccer, a gamer won't succeed at football. You aren't working on the same skills at all. But depending on the game, the mentality, rush of competition, and psychology of the other people you are playing come strongly into play and will be familiar territory.

Anything you do that requires mechanical input first requires learning muscle memory to the point that the actions you can take in the game are automatic, your body becomes trained to the point that your brain can figure out what is going on with the big picture, and you execute moves without hesitation, one flows into the next.

This frees you to take a look at everything going on with your entire set of moves at your command, and later, you will learn your own special set of them that you like.

This is true in a video game and in a sport. When I learned to play volleyball for real, I had to take some time learning how to spike, where to stand, how to pass properly, all of this. Once I learned how to perform most of these actions, it freed me up to see the bigger picture of the game, and playing in an environment where all competitors see this bigger picture, makes it a lot more fun.

I think with competitive games the bar to reach the skill plateau where the game gets deeper and becomes an exercise in psychology and strategy is much lower than having the physical fitness needed for sports to reach this level, which appeals to more people.

But at the end of the day, each thing is a game, and all games have a similar elements to them, including the mental processes it takes to operate at the professional level.

Well DUH

[mcgrew]

Other studies show that the sky is black at night with little white speckles, gray when it's raining at noon and blue when it's not.

What's next, they're going to study where bears shit and what religion the Pope is?

Eye Hand Coordination

[Layth]

In most cases, Eye Hand Coordination is a big factor in sports, and a big factor in gaming .
Obviously there are exceptions like soccer and checkers, but yeah there is a lot of cross over.

I would have thought this was immediately obvious as someone who has both played video games and sports competitively.
The biggest difference from a competitive point of view? Video games put you completely at the mercy of developers, and it sucks.

Who wants to spend a year refining a particular talent for a video game, and then have a new patch completely change the balance and gameplay dynamics.
Also if you put 8 years of your life into the game, what happens when it's out of date? Even if it's a game with big tournaments and prizes, they all go out of style.

Mainstream sports, on the other hand, date back thousands of years and should experience very few changes in our lifetime.

As an adult, I could never devote myself fully to a game in that manner...
As a child I guess I had nothing better to do =)

Re:Eye Hand Coordination

[shermo]

It's no different to the IOC dropping sports/disciplines from the Olympic lineup. It happens every time.

Re:Eye Hand Coordination

[Dalambertian]

Videogames are not that different from traditional sports: there is a rule set that exists to define the sport, but those rules do not determine the quality of the player. In fact, a good player never complains about patches, because she can change her strategy accordingly. The evolution of the starcraft II beta is a good example of this. To me, there are two measurements that determine the quality of every sport, and it helps to motivate why we appreciate some sports more than others: Game-critical decisions per minute and secondly, the skill of execution in carrying out those decisions. The first is easiest to measure (at least with video), but the latter is a little more subtle - I think it's related to the number of degrees of freedom involved those actions (think of how many wrong ways there are to hit a baseball). Basically, every decent sport should rank highly on both of the scales.

Alpha Male Syndrome?

[BJ_Covert_Action]

I wonder if the study focused on whether or not both groups display high levels of testosterone and high levels of competitiveness. I always figured that the constant tea-bagging and shit-talking in Halo and such were just virtual depictions of the same male-centric dominance instinct that athletes display by making fouls, being unnecessarily belligerent, or just being douchebags in general. I know both groups often (though not always) display an attitude of elitism towards those that are not part of the, 'club.' I know that competitive sports are so popular because they, essentially, allow for the enactment of modern alpha-male style dominance displays. I wonder if the same can be said of gamers. I can't count how many times I've heard a Halo player blow his verbal load on Xbox live talking about how good he is and why he is so much better. There has to be a link in those attributes too. I wonder if further studies are going to look into that or not.

That said, I think football and soccer would be funnier if the scoring team tea-bagged their rivals every time they made a point.

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[vlm]

That said, I think football and soccer would be funnier if the scoring team tea-bagged their rivals every time they made a point.

Turnabout is fair play, you really want the halo team to dance, hug each other, and rub each others butts after a kill and then take a shower together after the game, while the elderly newspaper writers watch, er, I mean interview them? I could do without that creepy stuff.

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[karlwilson]

I think that's just called being a guy and has nothing to do with your profession.

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[blair1q]

Think about that again, only this time make it a women's league.

How has your attitude changed?

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[vlm]

Think about that again, only this time make it a women's league. How has your attitude changed?

Uh, I'm thinking a career change to "elderly newspaper writer" is in the cards?
With my luck, they'll assign the noob (that being me) to the womens sumo wrestling team instead of beach volleyball.

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[gangien]

I know that competitive sports are so popular because they, essentially, allow for the enactment of modern alpha-male style dominance displays.

You know that? That really doesn't explain why so many people root for the underdog. I think your trying to over analyze the fact that people like to compete and have fun, as well as watching said action.

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[d34dluk3]

Wait, did you really just say "women's Halo league"? Welcome to Earth, we're sorry it's not as awesome as your alternate reality.

Re:Alpha Male Syndrome?

[blair1q]

Dude, you're missing out.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2hnmfzn.jpg

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you single? If so, you can call me anything you want!

Just wait for it

[RivenAleem]

"Whoa man, there's ProGamer69"

"Yeh, he's uber leet, look at the size of him"

"He must put in some serious sessions to get a bod like that, just look as them rolls of flab"

"Yeah, I just wanna grab them and roll about in them"

"You're working on a pretty nice gut yourself, how do you manage it with this pro-fitness thing everyone is forcing on us?"

"Oh that" *scoffs* "CoD7 + Mountain Dew all the way bud"

not true for everyone

[ILuvRamen]

I play video games and I'm quite good. I always rank high in reaction time games like racing and also RTS games too. I was actually the #7 ranked platinum player in the Starcraft II Beta before it reset :) and I guess I break the stereotype because I'm extremely fit and in shape. One reason is I have a gym membership that I actually use and secondly, I play Dance Dance revoltion! The estimates of calories burned per song are between 10 and 35 and they're all under 2 minutes long. I have freakishly strong legs now because of that and pretty good aerobic abilities. I never actually run anywhere but if I suddenly decided to do so, I bet I could get a couple miles. Last time I played someone's Wii I was sweating too so if I had one of those, I'd be so healthy it would be crazy :-P Then there's that glorified eye toy thing that's coming out soon that will force people to move around so I think this all these things will get gamers in shape pretty quickly. But as for right now, some of us are already quite fit FROM gaming.

Re:not true for everyone

[witch-doktor]

And, no doubt, all the ramen you eat contributes to it all ;-)

Re:not true for everyone

[AthleteMusicianNerd]

I never actually run anywhere but if I suddenly decided to do so, I bet I could get a couple miles.

Two miles is really quite sad, and Dance Dance Revolution fitness does not equate to running fitness. In fact, basketball fitness doesn't even equate to running fitness. Rick Fox starting running too much, and actually cut his NBA career short.

Re:not true for everyone

[clone53421]

...and you got a Funny mod for all that. I’m still trying to figure out whether you were really trying to be funny, or actually being serious.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[Abstrackt]

Athletes meet cheerleaders and gamers meet avatars, and those avatars are probably better looking than the cheerleaders. And don't tell me I'm sexist because there is almost no chance that you are 1) female, 2) heterosexual, 3) a gamer, and 4) reading this post.

This may come as a shock to you, but there have been real women on the Internet for a while now.

Non-surprising result

[blair1q]

So what they found is that video games select for those qualities that result in superior performance. Fast reflexes, increases in focus with pressure, etc.

Make a game that consists of holding a heavy rock motionless in your hand and you'll find a class of players with different qualities.

People without those qualities are not likely to progress, and eventually not likely to continue playing, certainly not to be promoted to more-skilled competitions.

Like, duh.

Re:Non-surprising result

[grikdog]

I forgot I had mod points (so they expired), or I'd bump this guy up a notch! Insightful.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[Locke2005]

How is this flamebait? The point is, when you try to pickup Avatars online, you may be engaging in homosexuality or pedophilia and not even realize it.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mcgrew]

Wait a minute... the Governor of Illiinois is a woman? And what are you doing posting at slashdot, you're supposed to be fixing Illinois' economy or something, aren't you?

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mightyQuin]

Wrong quin, I'm not even an American, look a little further north. More on topic, gamers can increase their skill significantly by dressing up as in-game characters.

That explains it

[Yungoe]

This explains why I am always winded after a good game of UT.

they both play games to be better at work

[uremog]

A lot of pro football players play Madden and the like as a simulator. It's especially beneficial to amateur players who don't have the benefit of having their whole career dedicated to football.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[yurtinus]

Tried that, but the bear suit just made tanking impossible- I can't click with claw-gloves on, and everybody claimed I was too muffled on ventrilo.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[icebraining]

I'm not even an American, look a little further north.

That's impossible, unless you live on a boat.

We get the girls too...

[snooz_crash]

Right?... Bueller?...

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mightyQuin]

I'm king of the world.

Re:One big difference...

[yurtinus]

Seriously... everybody knows all the cool kids play Druids.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[endymion.nz]

Homosexuality and paedophilia are things that people do to people, not things that figurative representations of people do to figurative representations of other people. At best you can call it role playing.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[Locke2005]

Go ahead and try asking a 9 year old girl online for her address, then explain when law enforcement comes to pay you a visit that you were just "role playing"! Point is, don't make any assumptions about who it is that you are communicating with online. Myself, I always just assume the typist at the other end is an FBI agent trolling for evidence of criminal activity.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[Locke2005]

Yeah, that "I thought it was an 18 year old woman, not a 10 year old boy" excuse always holds up really well in court... and those news articles about how you were sexting with minors won't embarrass you at all.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[endymion.nz]

Well call it what it is then, don't use words that mean different things. :(

Re:One big difference...

[endymion.nz]

Most of the time when a fighter pilot finishes his work, nobody died, because most of his work is spent training in simulators, or sitting around doing mental arithmatic. Not much actual shooting down planes, especially in these days of assymetric warfare.

Don't you kids have IRC and instant messaging shit anymore? There are beautiful girls on the internet, by sheer virtue of the number of people on the internet. Sitting around on the internet all day talking on IRC is highly conducive to inviting everyone to your house to sit around and get drunk, and there were always girls wanting to be part of that when it was happening to me (about 10 years ago - when there were far less of them around than now).

Good thing Boxer joined the Korean Air Force

[oamasood]

It was good for him

"very mentally intensive activity"...

[Chess Piece Face]

Apples and oranges. Video games rarely if ever require me to find a creative solution to a problem. Likewise my job never requires me to be in constant twitch mode ready to shoot anything that moves. Two different parts of the brain.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[TheRaven64]

there have been real women on the Internet for a while now.

Not the parts of it that you visit...

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mightyQuin]

To err is human and my slip is divine.

Wow

[assertation]

Still, while gamers show good reflexes, their health was worse than expected, with one 20-something professional player showing the same aerobic health as a 60-year-old smoker."

Impressive. If I was into something like that I would make sure to cut my junk food, avoid overeating and substitute 30 min of gaming a day for a walk.

Re:nothing wrong here

[glynnman]

not new ... look up saturday night live +wii games starring Alec Baldwin

Re:Sport?!

[Psaakyrn]

What activity can't you drink beer while performing, discounting the nagging legal issues?

What Gamers Have In Common With Athletes

[vampire_baozi]

Chicks dig us, and so we get laid a lot.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mcgrew]

I didn't really believe it, I was joking. How does dressing up as in-game characters increase yuor skill level? I don't get it.

Re:They meet girls through their hobby

[mightyQuin]

It's a form of immersion. Similar concept as lowlights and surround sound.