Gamer Health

[Thes Hunter]

As we all know, the gamer stereotype can be all too true.

Not the no girls bit, or the unwashed smelly bit (even though there are times those can be true), but the we sit around playing games, eating bad food and not exercising or seeing the sun bit.

A lot of gamers (myself included) are overweight and have some habits that may limit our game playing years. I love all my gamer friends and want to continue gaming with them until very old age.At the same time, I have been contemplating how I can meld my medical training with my love of gaming.

At school, we are invited to all sorts of health fairs (even though Nursing students have the skills better suited for health fairs than 2nd year med students). And I started wondering if it would be beneficial to run a health booth at a convention. (I'm thinking one of the bigger local conventions).

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?
If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?
Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?
If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?
If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

So basically, the stereotype can sometimes hit too close to home: that gamers seem to have more unhealthy eating and exercise habits vs. non-gamers. Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?

Your suggestions and feedback are appreciated.

[Castaras]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Sure. I have medical phobias tho, so would be a little more complicated for the poor nurse. Last time I had a blood pressure test I was middleish / healthy / normal.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

More intensive... it would depend on what it involved. I'm not very good with medical stuff, and if it involved jabs I wouldn't do it unless I absolutely had to. (My medical phobias revolve around injections. Only once have I had an injection and not fainted/panic attack/wooziness, and I had to spend half an hour lying down to recover, otherwise I would have fainted.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Couldn't care less if it was a gamer or not, as long as it were either an impartial doctor or my parents.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Me pushing myself to do it, with added friend/family nagging me to.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

If I had a serious problem medically, I would do such things without any extra motivation. If I was just unhealthy (Obese, high cholesterol, too thin [most likely]), I could probably push myself to eat lots, or eat less. If it was only slightly unhealthy, I wouldn't be bothered to do change my lifestyle on my own, but probably would if I got some games / new rig.

If it helps:

I'm thin as a rake, have normal blood pressure, and do karate every week. I also walk a lot around my school and in town. I have a reasonable constitution when it comes to illness (ignoring colds... -.-), and am dextrous rather than having strength or endurance.

Edit: The only stereotypical health issues when it comes to me is that I don't get much sun, and I am blind as a bat without my glasses.

Though I'm probably not the best person to talk to about health stuff.

[Haruki-kun]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

I'd do iteven without the prize. I'm always curious about that sort of thing.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

Well, if it gets boring probably not. Try to keep it simple.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Honestly, no. It's really the same thing. It's not someone I know. Knowing I'm talking to a doctor and that there's patient confidentiality might make me feel better, though.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Kinda depends on which habit. I think thereason most people can't change their habits is that modern society lives in a culture of "right now". People want to go out for a run once and then stand on a scale right away to see if they lost any weight. Then they get disappointed and give up on it. Changes that require a long-term commitment are hard to achieve.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

Probably yes. The scare works well in most cases.

[ForzaFiori]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?
Yes, but I routinely have that checked anyway, along with pulse and iron and whatnot, since I'm a regular blood donor.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?
Depends on the screenings. I'm up for most things though.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?
Not really. Honestly, I'd prefer talking to a healthcare professional, since they are trained to fix problems like I might have.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?
If I knew what it would take, I wouldn't have them anymore.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?
N/A, since I don't have any known medical problems right now, other than a naturally fast pulse that causes no problems.

Answers in bold

[CrimsonAngel]

Next semester, without P.E., i'm going to see how well I can take care of myself without daily excersize. When I grow up my belly will be all the way out to here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------->
Behold the infinity arrow.

[Drascin]

If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Yeah, no problem. In fact, given how I seem to always have low pressure, I'd probably go of my own volition without extra swag, to keep an eye on whether I'm likely to have dizzy spells today.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

Just 20 minutes? Yeah, no problem. Cons are a couple days, I can spare twenty minutes, and I'm always curious about this sort of stuff.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Well, not anymore than talking to a gamer would make me more comfortable talking about anything else at all - namely, just a little bit more.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Here's the problem - a lot of those bad habits are pretty fun. Not the bad food - the absolute worst I eat is copious amounts of pasta anyway - but the not exercising and such. Because most exercising is boring as hell, and I have trouble doing extended boring tasks when I know I don't have to do them, really. If I found a way to exercise without being bored out of my skull, I probably would.

Though I'd have to beat my shame of doing such, or make it fun enough that I get the excuse that the exercise is a pain I pay for it, not the idea. You see, I have a curious oddness. I'm really ashamed of the idea of working out for some reason I can't entirely explain. You know how other people will lie their ass off and say they've walked a lot more than they have and done more exercise than they have? I'm the exact reverse. I will dismiss it as short whenever I walk anywhere, and even those rare times I feel like I should do something, I always wait until the house is empty before even thinking starting doing some situps or whatever. The idea of admitting is, for some odd reason, embarrassing as hell. I've worked very hard on my reputation as a lazy ass, damn it!

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

I'm pretty sure I have low blood pressure, not high. I get dizzy heads and such regularly. But extra motivation for keeping an eye on it and trying to raise a bit would probably help, yeah. Immediate motivation helps keep things in mind.

[Thes Hunter]

Some people may not have read other comments I have made on this forum and elsewhere, but one of my core beliefs is that weight loss should not be the basis of rewards or evaluation. This is due to many reasons, but the basic are: 1) Not enough evidence that obesity itself is the risk factor, and not a symptom of the risk factors, 2) Health outcomes can be improved with life-style modification below what is needed to lose weight.
(There is a lot that goes into that, but would take several lengthy articles to discuss in depth and detail.)


So what I am hearing so far is that a gamer centered health care provider wouldn't make people feel more at ease talking about life style change?
(With my question in the original post, I am trying to see if gamers would feel more comfortable seeing a doctor who was also a gamer, or if that wouldn't matter)

Also, it sounds like who already have generally healthy habits would be more likely to seek out a health care screening booth at a con.

As for knowing what needs to be done, and doing it, I know I for one KNOW exactly what I should be doing, and have known for years. It doesn't mean I actually do it. I hate being a hypocrite, so that has been helping motivate me, because in as little as 2 months I will have to be telling patients they need to "lose weight"*. However, This pretty much sums up things for me:



And yes, changing habits long term is a pain in the butt. Which is why I thought if there was some tangible reward for making those changes it may help keep people on track. One of the ideas I have in mind would be a program that awarded people swag for keeping measurable markers in check.

Say, A Diabetic lowers his/her A1c to an acceptable number (a measure of how well the blood glucose level has been controlled long term) and gets a D&D supplement.

Would this kind of incentive work for gamers? I ask because I have very limited time, and even beginning this kind of thing would take a HUGE amount of time and effort (getting donors to back the swag, setting the guidelines, getting other gamer doctors on board, and etc) and if it's a dud of an idea, I don't wish to waste, time and effort on it.

So one of the ways I see the "Health Fair" at the gamer con, going down is, that the BP pressure (and/or lipid) screening is just a gateway to introduce a healthy lifestyle assessment. The assessment, would have people identify small goals they wished to accomplish. Like eat 1 more serving of vegetables per day, or take 1 more 30 minute walk a week, and etc. With some guidance in planning future goals. Then some sort of system of goal tracking later on.

However, the only way I can think of helping make these goals more than yet another set of 'New Year's' resolutions that are discarded a week later is to tie some reward to them. But with an actual reward that is worth real money, I can only see it being feasible if there was objective measurement.

So for those of us with 'Some Motivation Required', would this sort of thing be appealing? Would the potential of getting gamer related swag be enough to help make the changes stick?

Or would you avoid the people in the white coats altogether, because not knowing is better than knowing?


*I will consul increasing physical activity, and balanced diets rich in fruits and veges over losing weight, but I will also be limited by my attending's beliefs. Most of the medical community hyper-focuses on weight, because it's easy to objectively measure.

[Coidzor]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:

Spoiler

Show

If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Well, unfortunately I'm the type that probably would do it if it was just made available to me... and have forgotten what the numbers actually mean so I'd be annoying and ask about it too. So, yes, I believe I would.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

Ok, so this would be at a con... Provided they could administer them in some place where the con itself wouldn't skew results with its blood-pressure raising mix of pleasurable and repugnant stimuli, it might actually be a welcome break to get away from the sensory overload for awhile. So, yes, I think so, though I am leery of an unqualified "more intensive screenings," for some reason.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

I don't think so, no, but it's never really come up so I don't have much basis for comparison. I feel I'm fairly open about such things and so would be about as comfortable discussing it with someone who identifies as a gamer as someone who does not. I think their level of apparent physical fitness, attractiveness, and sex would have more impact on people's comfort levels, though I can certainly see the identity as potentially useful.

Edit: Ok, for some reason this didn't really trigger 'Doctor' with me. I'm generally fairly good with doctors, though it does get intimidating to deal with them sometimes the older they are than one's self, though this may be an artifact from childhood when everyone was bigger.

So, some way of associating a doctor with "human," is probably for the best, and I view being a gamer as one potential manner in which to show this, so in that regard I believe it would increase comfort levels overall in a general sense of doctor-patient interaction, rather than specifically about life-style modifications and healthy-living issues.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Well... a fair bit of my bad habits are due to the fact that I exercise little-to-no control over the food budget, the food shopping, the kitchen, or the menu. So, the most readily apparent as problematic to myself portion of my bad habits, eating too much meat, just requires me to stop living with my parents or otherwise find some way to exert influence over changing their diets for the better.

More perniciously, I have yet to come up with a satisfactory answer for getting me to eat more fruits and vegetables. Greater availability due to going out and getting them would help of course, and yet I find little-to-no impetus to eat the fruit that is readily available to me in my parents home and has been since childhood. It's frankly a bit disturbing, and I'm kind of scared by this mental block that seems to require preparation to turn fruit into food in my mind.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

AFAIK, I don't have any of these conditions, though if I did have them I imagine any source of encouragement would cause an increase in feelings of motivation, though I cannot speculate further. :/

So basically, the stereotype can sometimes hit too close to home: that gamers seem to have more unhealthy eating and exercise habits vs. non-gamers. Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?

Something to reduce the stigma of gimmickyness of things like the motion-sensor technology might help, but that might just be a case of needing to just wait for it to develop naturally in regards to that tech.

Honestly, I wish I could think of something... cuz I'd be using it on myself.

Also, while weight loss shouldn't be the end-all, be-all of a plan, losing excess body fat and increasing one's sex appeal to one's self just sounds like fun.

And makes swimming not only fun and exercise, but also an extended metaphor.

[SDF]

I think a D&D supplement would be nice if I could lower my A1c a bit, but there are other obstacles that factor in much more to the point that the reward would be a non-start as a motivator, such as affording healthier meals, and not having insurance. I don't worry too much about prestige classes when I have to beg my doctor for as many surplus supplies as they have on hand every time I go into his office. I think rewards like that are better for people who are just outright lazy about their health, but there are a lot of factors that go into motivating people. Time frame could also be important. If you have an appointment six months or a year away a reward isn't going to feel tangible and the patient might just procrastinate on what they need to do because it is not an immediate motivator.

[Mr. Moon]

Heads up: Generalizations abound.

And yes, changing habits long term is a pain in the butt. Which is why I thought if there was some tangible reward for making those changes it may help keep people on track. One of the ideas I have in mind would be a program that awarded people swag for keeping measurable markers in check.

Say, A Diabetic lowers his/her A1c to an acceptable number (a measure of how well the blood glucose level has been controlled long term) and gets a D&D supplement.

Would this kind of incentive work for gamers? I ask because I have very limited time, and even beginning this kind of thing would take a HUGE amount of time and effort (getting donors to back the swag, setting the guidelines, getting other gamer doctors on board, and etc) and if it's a dud of an idea, I don't wish to waste, time and effort on it.

Have you considered games like DanceDanceRevolution? DDR is the main way I get exercise that I can actually enjoy. There are multiple factors for why a dancing game works to help nerds keep in shape.
Keep in mind that these apply to me and are my sole experiences. It's likely that this may apply to others, but it isn't going to apply to everyone.

1: Bite-sized sessions. There are very few songs on DDR that are longer than two or three minutes. This creates enough variety in one's session that one doesn't get bored and move on. Let's face it, nerds have short attention spans.
2: High scores. I don't consider a DDR session successful unless I've beaten at least one of my previous high scores. The cheerful DING! of a new score being set is enough of a reward, to me, to keep me going, and if I don't hear it, then I resolve to try harder on the next song. As long as I don't have any long gaps between sessions, this is easily manageable.
3: Unlockables. When you get a new DDR disk, it doesn't come with every song on it. You unlock new songs by playing the starter songs, and the songs you unlock vary from beginner to advanced difficulties. Even more exciting than winning a new high score is winning a new song, and trying that new song out.
4: It's fun. I like music. I like dancing. The activities are enjoyable, unlike other, more traditional methods of exercise, which feel more like a punishment.
5: Social or private: DDR works if you're playing it with friends or you're playing alone at home with the sound turned up loud enough to wake the dead.

Like I said, this won't work for everyone. But it's a very effective method for those it does work for.

As for your actual questions:

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Sure, I like free stuff. Thing is, you have to be careful with the prize stuff - just because a lot of people are all riled up about the New Game X, doesn't mean everyone's going to want a New Game X t-shirt. Either include variety, or make it as universal as possible.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

Define intensive. It depends, honestly, I've never been to a con, so I wouldn't be able to say for sure. Fifteen to twenty minutes doesn't seem like a long time, though, so.... perhaps.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Being a gamer is secondary to being a doctor. I'd like to see some sort of evidence that the tester is a doctor. If s/he's a gamer, great. I can tell you, it was a massive relief when I was explaining DDR to my doctor that she actually knew what it was. I have a lot of trouble explaining it to people who don't.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Oh, I know I have bad habits. Like I said earlier, motivation is key. It's much easier to get into shape when you find some way to do it that you enjoy, rather than forcing yourself to go on a run every night. XP

[amaranth69]

This is an AWESOME. I think that knowing I was being examined by a fellow gamer would make a huge difference.

[Dispozition]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

I'd get it checked without the prize. I'm fairly interested in my health, in a round about sort of way.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

I imagine I'd do it if it were for free. Like I said, somewhat interested in health.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

I'd feel more comfortable talking to a credited doctor than another gamer, honestly.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Not a whole heap, I'm actually doing so now...I think I may not be your target audience really :-/

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

No, I'd feel that I was being taunted in a way. The fact that I had those things wrong with me would be enough to make me change.

So basically, the stereotype can sometimes hit too close to home: that gamers seem to have more unhealthy eating and exercise habits vs. non-gamers. Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?

I feel that the gamer stereotype is actually a rarer that a lot of people think. Of all the gamers I know, I may well be the most out of shape. None of us are overweight, none of us really have any of the stereotypical aspects associated with gamers and whatnot. Maybe it's just an Australian thing that our gamers are fairly healthy?

I'd be willing to say that a lot of the problems 'gamers' have are shared equally with non-gamers. Some people are just naturally pre-disposed to being overweight or unfit. It may well start in school, and since they're overweight there they choose to do less strenuous activities since they don't really know any better about their bodies at a younger age.

*shrug* Just what I think, I guess.

EDIT: Just to note. I watch a lot of anime, play a lot of games (about 2-3 hours a week at least for both, normally more like 5-8) but I walk to work, have a decent walk to uni along with public transport, and I play at least one game of hockey a week, also sometimes playing indoor soccer. I've been meaning to go running once or twice a week so I can get my fitness up, but I haven't had the time or motivation to begin that yet.

[Starbuck_II]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

I might.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

I'm not sure what is a more intensive screening?

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Well, I don't usually focus on gamers.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Ack, that is the question isn't it.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

Well, yeah a motivation helps. Depends if benefits outweigh trouble doing so.

So basically, the stereotype can sometimes hit too close to home: that gamers seem to have more unhealthy eating and exercise habits vs. non-gamers. Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?

Your suggestions and feedback are appreciated.

Not sure.

I am a few pounds over weight, but nothing beyond that. My brother though...well he exemplifies, "he ain't fat, he's my brother". I worry about him sure he may be 6 something but he is 2 times my weight (300 something).
No diabetes though he does have high blood I think sometimes.

[Serpentine]

If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?
I like tests, so I'd probably do it for nothing. In a convention setting, though, it would make me less likely to just walk past.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?
Probably, yep.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?
So-so. I think it would a bit. More than a personal trainer or someone else who seems to be oozing motivation, probably.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?
1. More time. And, contradictorily, a car.
2. The realisation that I do have more time and therefore should use it for such things as exercise.
3. Some sort of laziness suppressant. Speed?
I know what my problem is. I'm lazy and I love food. Theoretically simple, in reality difficult to overcome - at least for any extended period of time.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?
I don't think I'd need it if it got that bad, but it would be nice.

Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?
Can't think of much outside of posters and things.

[_Zoot_]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Most likely yes.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

This would more depend on the circumstances, if the person doing the tests was nice and able to convince me (not that hard) that the tests were worthwhile, then quite likely. However, for the prise alone to do the job, it would depend on the prise.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

I think that for me it would. Knowing that I am talking to some one that would not fall for stereotypes (often ) or be judgemental and most of all would know why I am a gamer would make me more willing to talk about that sort of thing as I know that they are more likely to understand my point of view.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Now, if I knew that, I would have already changed them.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

Maybe, I'm not sure on this one.

I think it is an interesting idea and would be thrilled if it works.

[Zevox]

Weird questions, but I guess I'll respond.

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Probably not, I'd just think this person was strange. If the offer was in some context where it actually made sense, I suppose there'd be no reason I wouldn't, given how extremely simple blood pressure checks are, but I have a hard time imagining a context where that would make sense.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

Depends on what screenings you're talking about I suppose. Honestly I doubt whatever the "prize" is would make a difference, I'd have take whatever screenings these were if it made sense for me to do so or decline them if it didn't.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Can't say it would, no.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Uh, me wanting to change them I suppose.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

I don't have such things, and I can't really imagine how I would react if I did.

Zevox

[THAC0]

As we all know, the gamer stereotype can be all too true.

Not the no girls bit, or the unwashed smelly bit (even though there are times those can be true), but the we sit around playing games, eating bad food and not exercising or seeing the sun bit.

A lot of gamers (myself included) are overweight and have some habits that may limit our game playing years. I love all my gamer friends and want to continue gaming with them until very old age.At the same time, I have been contemplating how I can meld my medical training with my love of gaming.

At school, we are invited to all sorts of health fairs (even though Nursing students have the skills better suited for health fairs than 2nd year med students). And I started wondering if it would be beneficial to run a health booth at a convention. (I'm thinking one of the bigger local conventions).

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:
If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?
If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?
Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?
If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?
If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

So basically, the stereotype can sometimes hit too close to home: that gamers seem to have more unhealthy eating and exercise habits vs. non-gamers. Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?

Your suggestions and feedback are appreciated.

I guess my question is what is the ultimate goal of this? Is this intended to be a business idea, or a charity, or what?

[Bonecrusher Doc]

Offer wellness screenings at gaming conventions. Market wellness statistics as gaming statistics and have a "Player's Guide" explaining lifestyle changes that can help you improve those statistics - like ability scores or levels - and character sheets that help you track your progress.

Statistics that players could try to improve: BP, LDL/HDL, BMI or percent body fat, VO2max, etc.

You could even have prestige classes like "Distance Runner" that would require a high VO2max, or "Yoga Master" that would require a low resting heart rate, among other factors.

This could be the hottest thing since P90X. Maybe a good contest for the homebrew section. Has Crow posted in this thread yet?

[Violet Octopus]

If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?

Yes. Even, say, a single d20 would be enough - it'd be my special die for stabilisation rolls and the like.

If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?

Provided I wasn't in a rush, probably.

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?

Not really. I'm generally pretty comfortable with medical professionals. There are some views a medical professional could hold that would make me uncomfortable with sharing information with them, but their opinion on gaming is not one of them.

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?

Mild reminding/borderline nagging can help, people being judgemental does not.

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?

Eh, probably not. Delayed gratification rarely motivates me.

Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?

I eat fairly well, but haven't regularly exercised in 8 years, apart from walking a lot. Sydney traffic terrifies me, so cycling isn't a great option. However, over the past couple of weeks I've started going to the gym with some gamer friends. I hadn't gone to the gym before, partly out of intimidation, but my friends make for a congenial atmosphere, and the straightforward physical exertion of "do X with Y machine" makes me feel more at ease despite not knowing much about fitness.

Encouraging gamers to organise communal exercise with each other could be a useful strategy.

[Archonic Energy]

Now here are my questions to the Playgrounders:

If some nice friendly person offered you a small (gaming related) prize to get your blood pressure checked, would you?
Pfft, i have my own sphig/pulse/ox meters... gotta love being St. John!
If more intensive screenings were offered for the same small prize, would you, even though it may take 15-20 minutes of your dealer hall browsing time?
sure why not. are you thinking more blood sugar level or MRI?

Does the idea of knowing that you are talking to a gamer, make you feel more comfortable discussing lifestyle modification, and other health related issues?
Not really... i would be more inclined to trust someone who'd accept my name as Archonic Energy. my paranoia runs deep

If you have bad habits, and know you have bad habits, what would it take to help make those changes?
aside from mental conditioning?

If you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol would you feel more motivated to take up the life style changes if you could be rewarded with gaming swag for lowering a measurable marker (LDL, A1c, BP etc)?
No. i think the threat of a reduced lifespan should be sufficent!

So basically, the stereotype can sometimes hit too close to home: that gamers seem to have more unhealthy eating and exercise habits vs. non-gamers. Is there anything that can be done to target gamers and improve our overall health outcomes?
i'm not sure...

Your suggestions and feedback are appreciated.

excuse me...
I need to borrow that for facebook.

[Telonius]

Idea for incentive: a handwritten note from Skip Williams and Monte Cook granting a permanent +2 untyped bonus to Constitution for any character the gamer ever creates.