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.