Is wargaming the most unhealthy hobby around?

[starkadder]

If Oz is any guide, it's an international phenomenon.

And despite a lot of cosplay effort it is mostly male.

I resumed playing some years ago. When I entered the first convention I had attended in over a decade, the wall of fug that hit me was powerful - the odour of wet labrador was intense. I am still not used to it. THe food made generally available at Oz conventions also does not help - chips, pies, battered meringues, fizzy drinks etc.

It's also a sedentary hobby. By its nature it offers a vicarious experience. I have seen people (with backpacks) incapable of anything beyond a casual walk describing the various terrific things they did. They are there in the moment and rather think they have slain the dragon or charged the Heavy Brigade. This is a way of living a life no more or less valid that a computer sim or MPORG.

The hobby itself is physically unhealthy. It is what the individual does beyond it that is important. I run a small farm and also have a pre-diabetic problem. My Beloved ensures that I get plenty of aerobic exercise, mostly around the needs of horses.

[Dolmot]

Wargaming cannot be the most unhealthy hobby of them all, because typically one or more of the participants must leave their house. In, say, PC gaming, there's no such requirement. And even in PC gaming, you're clicking more often than in channel surfing, which has been the #1 hobby of crowds for decades.

A long time ago I made a very intentional choice of never playing online games of any kind, because that would encourage staring some kind of screen essentially for every waking hour of my life. Conversely, board and miniature games require going somewhere and meeting people. Considering the lead content of my collection, it almost counts as exercise.

If you see people in a show, at least a tiny bit of physical activity has been involved. Then there are people you'll never see anywhere.

[Vermis]

By Crikey, that post by Scurv needs a 'like' or 'thumbs up' button or something on it. Bananas and onions FTW.

I've seen some chunky guys at gaming venues (sometimes when I pass a reflective surface) but I can't say I've noticed they make up an undue proportion, compared to the populace outside. For example, I've been going to a few agricultural shows over the summer too, and I've maybe seen a similar number of farmers (up at the crack, working outside all day) of that kind of shape.

[frogimus]

@Scurv: I completely agree regarding our diet in the US. After cutting gluten from my diet, I cannot eat at most restaurants nor can I use much prepackaged food at home. I eat nearly as much during a meal as most people in my vicinity, but I have settled to under my recommended BMI. mainly from fresh/frozen vegetables and healthy cooking methods.

As for walking; that is a great recommendation, but it is quite dangerous to do so here. I live a couple miles from the nearest sidewalk and attempting to walk on the roadway (even if pedestrians do have right of way) is extremely unsafe. Likewise for trying to use a bicycle.

[tin shed gamer]

A hobby is an amusement for the soul,nothing more .


To paraphrase a couple of East coast phrases ( Not the colonial east coast ) which I've uttered myself now I'm way past forty." I'm not over weight I'm expecting a harsh winter" ," only a boy carries a six pack and expects praise for his efforts,A real man carries a keg and doesn't care what anyone thinks" please not these are paraphrased and sanitised for public consumption as this is a port city,and the local versions may offend more delicate ears.
I understand your reluctance to venture into the great outdoors . In this part of the world there's a lot of outward bound activities and movements.So people tend to look at you blankly if you don't .
Me and mine walk,shoot,and cycle.That said there's no real drama to be had,as the most dangerous thing your likely to come across can be milked.
I don't think the issue is how unhealthy you are,So much as how immersed into a subject do you have to become that basic life skills become redundant and health and personal hygiene fall by the way side,The truth is every hobby attracts and has its own version of these types of people.wether it's sports stats and history of there favourite club. Or trains.Its just some versions(rightly or wrongly ) are more socially acceptable  To quote a famous Gent( if beauty is in the eye of the beholder ,then how come we can all agree upon on ugly when we see it)and that's what it boils down too is nobody wants to be labelled with the social stereotype that these people blindly for fill .Deep down we know it's socially a little odd grown men playing with toy soldiers.So these poor sods are like a beacon for social ridicule and we're going to be seen going into and coming out of the same building.
But there's nothing wrong with wanting to get home and only smell of your own sweat.Its human nature.Yes it does feel like the shows are full of people like this because you notice them more because they get in the way it's not malicious its human nature you note obstacles in your path and give no thought to clear routes,and in amongst a crowded gaming hall or convention these same people are often the ones with poor social skills and often subtle attempted to get by will go over their heads and your greeted with what appears to be a bloody mined pain in the Arsenal .Its wether you react with polite frustration or rage and malice. That defines you and your day,

[zorg]

Wargaming is sedentary, but I think many people have more than one hobby, or more than one activity they enjoy.

Personally, I love wargaming and boardgaming, but I still work out several times a week. Few gamers I know personally are overweight. In other words - as has been said - wargaming would appear not to be the cause of most cases of obesity. It looks like correlation, not causation to me.

There are fit gamers, they just might not be as noticeable (online or in real life).

[HerbyF]

Another aspect of the hobby that is very unhealthy is the figures we use. Although there has been much improvement over the years. An old gamer & friend of mine was told by his Dr. that he had to give up painting. He was one of the best & most prolific painter I know. He was getting lead poisoning from handling all those little lead figures.

[dadlamassu]

Another aspect of the hobby that is very unhealthy is the figures we use. Although there has been much improvement over the years. An old gamer & friend of mine was told by his Dr. that he had to give up painting. He was one of the best & most prolific painter I know. He was getting lead poisoning from handling all those little lead figures.

How long ago was this?  Lead was removed from paint and from model soldiers from the middle of the last century.  I read an article about lead poisoning in New York many years ago.  No cases were attributed to toy soldiers but (from memory) about a fifth had a direct link to work/attendance at shooting ranges and home casting bullets.  

Anyway back to obesity and wargames.  I doubt there is a causal link between playing wargames and obesity.  Taking our club as an example - the over 60s are mostly reasonably active and none are obese.  The under 30s are a mix of fit slim chaps through all variations to obese.  However the 30s to 40s appear to be the group with the highest rate of obesity.

I have noticed a general trend towards obesity in almost all walks of life.

[Harry Faversham]

I'm a fat bastard not because of wargaming...
I'm a fat bastard thanks to the eight pints of Tetley's Best Bitter every night.

 

[dadlamassu]

The middle of last century?!? Lad the 90's was not that long ago! 

Pyramid issue one or two in the 90's had an article on the upcoming lead ban. I remember the debate around it. I have tons of lead figs still and I am more than sure I am not the only one. As for actual lead poisoning it would be from filing and sanding the figures as that created a fine dust of lead.

Nice to be called a "Lad".  But 1966 was in the middle.  Pyramid was obviously out of date:

Quote from "Brief History of the Model Soldier"
1966 marked a turning point in the history of toy soldiers. International concerns about lead poisoning brought about new laws which banned the manufacture of toys containing lead.

[dadlamassu]

Looks like a confusion of which country/state was implementing the laws.  Sorry.  I remember the fuss in the 60s when the lead disappeared from "lead soldiers" in most of Europe.  Price rises were forecast to end the hobby and figures would be too brittle etc etc. You could still make your own lead alloy figures using the moulds for sale for home casting for your own use.

Almost all my old tin soldiers also predate 1966 and have a high lead content. 

Still nice to be called a "lad" at my age!

[FramFramson]

My understanding was that by the late 80's, the larger manufacturers were or had phased out lead in favour of white metal or similar and that most of the smaller types followed suit throughout the 90's. Obviously it's rare nowadays for a minis maker to make minis using lead, though it does still happen a little.

[HerbyF]

Many figure manufacturers still use some lead content. They can get around the ban by labeling. Just state on the packaging that the product is not a toy & may contain lead. The ban in the US only applies to toy intended for children. So in effect no ban really. BTW the friend had to give up figures in the early 90s. I still have many figures with lead content, very few of them were made before 1966.

[Modhail]

I don't think that's just our hobby, but society as a whole these days...
But maybe in the hobby it gets concealed less, I guess.

[Mr Vampire]

The disappointing truth is: stereotypes are more accurate than any of us would like to believe. No, they are not true of all individuals, but they are true for the majority of a subject group. Consider that stereotypes are formed through repeated observation by multiple observers, which is exactly the way scientists determine facts about the natural world. We can make some general statements about war gamers, or any other group, and go out and observe stereotypical behavior as fact with reasonable accuracy.

I'll apologies in advance for pushing political correctness aside here.  As an Australian I have a stereotypical idea of how both American and British people are in general. So lets compare the UK Antique Roadshow to the US Antique Roadshow,  comparing the overall reactions of the two groups in their native environment when they are told they have an item of great value. True to their stereotype we can observe most of the US group cheering and hi-fiving each other like predicted while the bulk of the UK group demonstrate the expected restrained and reserved reaction. Seriously, go compare the two programs. The serotype is not true for all individuals but holds truth for the majority of the subject group. (If you find that upsetting: different cultural groups behave differently and neither behavior is right or wrong, deal with it).

So yeah, the stereotype of the unhealthy asthmatic war gamer with lazy personal hygiene is true for the greater percentage of the community but not every individual.  Just like the serotype of the football fan, the surfer, or the heroin addict.

Oh, and as for fitting any Australian serotypes, last time my In-laws visited from overseas I actually did take them for a twenty minute drive to where they could see kangaroos hop across the street.