Health-Wise, Professional Gamers Are Practically Dead

[BuzWeaver]

In news that is probably not too shocking, professional gamers are not exactly the most physically fit individuals. While top gamers are as mentally agile as athletes, they are physically comparable to a 60-year-old chain-smoker, according to a study from England's University of Essex.

Study author Dr. Dominic Micklewright pointed to one gamer who appeared to be slim and healthy but actually "had the lung function and aerobic fitness of a heavy smoker in his sixties," the Daily Telegraph reports. Micklewright blamed the 10-hour daily gaming sessions performed by most professional gamers and urged them to get active or risk heart disease down the line.

Mentally, however, gamers are in top shape. ''Their reaction time, motor skill, competitiveness and emotions were pretty close," Micklewright told the Telegraph. "Elite athletes have unusually high levels of positive feelings and low levels of negative feelings such as depression and fatigue."

Micklewright collected his data at April's Gadget Show Live in Birmingham, England.

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