Kids not turning their back on sport for video games

[CM30]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/300119/news/kids-turning-their-backs-on-sport-for-video-games-survey/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-News-RSS


It's not a particularly good survey, as anyone who read the results can figure out.

22 percent had never run a distance of 400 metres, ten percent couldn't ride a bike and 15 percent couldn't swim.

While 77 percent owned a games console.

Problem here... even if by almost sheer fluke all ten percent of non bike riders and all fifteen percent of non swimmers owned a games console, that still means the majority of gamers are in no way shunning physical activity for video games. What about the majority of kids who can both ride a bike and enjoy video games? Or the majority of them that can also swim?

I might e-mail Ben Goldacre of the Bad Science blog about this, because by the way it's being reported it's a clear case of manipulative statistics usage and the mass media trying to create a hollow threat of 'video games corrupting our children' based on flimsy evidence.

 

[Super Leaf]

I'm pretty sure i can do all that stuff,except im not very good at running,as my knee is messed up,i'm a good swimmer and bike rider though,but i dont have a bike right now because my old one tires broke

 

[TheUltimateKoopa]

You know surveys of any number of people are not a good way of finding out things, necessarily.

For example,
I took a survey of 100 people, to see how many were Japanese. The survey was conducted in Germany. Apparently 2 people were Japanese.
I took a survey of 100 people, to see how many were Japanese. The survey was conducted in Japan. Apparently 97 people were Japanese.

If you were to take a survey of 100 people to see how many played video games, and 96 of them were gamers, that doesn't mean that 96% of all people are gamers. It simply means that you found 96 gamers. They could be the only gamers, and everyone else you didn't survey, and the 4 others you did, could all not be gamers. It's only THOSE 96 people you know are gamers.

In short, surveys suck. If you don't agree with me, let's do a survey on whether survey's suck.

 

[kunino-sagiri]

I can't run 400m either, though (i've taken part in non-competitive 400m+ races, but i always walked most of them), and i can't really swim, either. Or at least i assume i can't - i couldn't 6 years ago, and i haven't tried since. I think it's pretty unlikely i'll have gotten miraculously better at it in the intervening time. I can ride a bike though, so that's one out of three.
Where exercise and physical activity are concerned, i like to think of myself as being like a cat - 95% of the time i'm lounging around, expending very little energy, but when i actually do perform movement, i do so very quickly and energetically. I can actually run pretty fast (which surprises quite a few people, including myself, considering how dense i am), but only over very short distances.

Also, on the topic of statistics, i'd just like to leave this quote here for people to mull over: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Also, this list of quotes.

 

[SuperMarioFanX100]

I can swim and Ride my Bike quite fine......

But I think this might applies to the errr...... even younger generation?

Besides, did you know that 80% of statistics are made up?

 

[Dantheman]

I run a mile a day. I own a pool. I bike to work.

 

[RootBoi]

I can swim and Ride my Bike quite fine......

But I think this might applies to the errr...... even younger generation?

Besides, did you know that 80% of statistics are made up?

You just made that up

And yeah if, then this applies to younger folks. I personally make money by breakdancing.. if that is being lazy and nonathletic, you dunno breakdance. But I am really shocked to see how I meet more n more peops that literally don't know how to ride a bike. I understand if you have drivers or soemthing, but I think that is still a major parental fail

 

[NintenDan]

I never really learnt to ride a bike because the bike my siblings used broke down and it was tossed away before I could even get off my tricycle. That said, I can still swim, so something must be right!

 

[SuperMarioFanX100]

One of my Neighbors has a little brother...... he's in 1st grade...... He's got a Xbox 360.... He's got Xbox Live..... He's got Black Ops.... But he sucks..... But anyway He's like the gaming prepped master. But he still rides his Bike, I'm not sure if he can swim or not.