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Games blamed for decline in outdoors lifestyle, says study

According to a new study, the astronomical rise in video games' popularity and other electronic pursuits, such as television and computing, has led to a sharp decline in general outdoor recreation time, dubbing the trend "videophilia".

“The replacement of vigorous outdoor activities by sedentary, indoor videophilia has far-reaching consequences for physical and mental health, especially in children,” report author R. W. Pergams said in a statement. “Videophilia has been shown to be a cause of obesity, lack of socialization, attention disorders and poor academic performance.”

Visits to national parks in the US and the issuing of American fishing and hunting licenses since the 80s has been linked to "the period of rapid growth of video games," the report says.

Hardly rocket science, although maybe people are just going off shooting bears in the face for kicks. Full thing here.

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Patrick Garratt avatar

Patrick Garratt

Founder & Publisher (Former)

Patrick Garratt is a games media legend - and not just by reputation. He was named as such in the UK's 'Games Media Awards', the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award. After garnering experience on countless gaming magazines, he joined Eurogamer and later split from that brand to create VG247, putting the site on the map with fast, 24-hour a day coverage, and assembling the site's earliest editorial teams. He retired from VG247, and the games industry, in 2017.

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