A meta-analysis of 20 previous studies found that playing video games does not make children more likely to be overweight. — dpa
It's common knowledge that TV-loving "coach potatoes" are more likely to pack on the pounds, so it makes sense that video gamers would also see the same effects, right? What researchers found may surprise you.
Video gaming has little effect on weight gain, according to a meta-analysis of 20 previous studies.
The analysis found only a small association, primarily among adults, but no significant link for children or adolescents. Conducted by researchers in Germany and Austria, it was published in the international journal Social Science & Medicine under the title "Exploring the myth of the chubby gamer..."
"These results do not corroborate the assumption of a strong link between video gaming and body mass," the researchers write.
Overall, the analysis found the difference in body mass between video gamers and non-gamers to be less than 1%. The researchers don't know why adult gamers are more prone to weight gain than their younger counterparts.
"It possibly has to do with the cumulative effects," says lead author Caroline Marker, a scientific assistant at the University of Wuerzburg's Institute for Human-Computer-Media in Germany.
Mechanisms leading to weight gain tend to act over extended periods of time, she says, noting that the adults studied have spent more time playing video games over the years than the children and adolescents, many of whom have played intensively for only a short time.
For their analysis, the researchers examined studies of passive video gaming in which the players are sedentary and press buttons. Other studies have shown that active video games, which track players' movements – such as bowling or dancing – on-screen, can help prevent overweight and obesity. A meta-analysis in 2015 found that active video gaming can have health benefits for children and adolescents comparable to those from outdoor activities.
In 2017, a German study on the motor skills and physical activity of children and adolescents concluded that the gamers among them didn't necessary get less exercise than their non-gaming peers. Overall, however, the country's children and adolescents are getting less exercise, according to the study, which found that physical activity by 4- to 17-year-olds fell by 37% in the last 12 years.
There are more than 34 million gamers in Germany (population 83 million), says the German games industry association. They play on smartphones, computer tablets, personal computers and game consoles.
Meanwhile, 59% of German men and 37% of German women are overweight, according to the German Nutrition Society.
Studies show that TV-loving "coach potatoes" can put on considerable excess poundage. While the new meta-analysis doesn't provide a clear answer as to why this isn't so with passive gamers, the authors offer several possible explanations: For one thing, playing sedentary video games expends more energy than watching television. It's also easier to snack during the latter. What's more, TV commercials can induce viewers to consume high-calorie foods. – dpa
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