Consider yourself an "average" gamer? If you live in the U.S. that means you're 35 years old, overweight, and a little depressed, at least according to research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory University, and Andrews University, who are taking time out from researching cancer and AIDS to see what people who play too much Call of Duty are like.

The idea: To see if the conventional wisdom and stereotype of gamers as overweight and socially awkward was on the mark. Turns out: Yeah, it basically is. Analyzing 552 adults the researchers found that gamers had a higher BMI ratio and "a greater number of poor mental health days" than non-gamers.

The concern over the health problems of gaming today are the same as they've always been. Gaming (Wii Fit excluded) is generally a solitary and sedentary activity, and medical professionals worry that excessive gaming can keep people from getting enough exercise. Naturally they're concerned that all that solitude can impact their mental condition, too. I guess screaming epithets during Halo multiplayer sessions doesn't count as healthy social interaction.

Curiously, for female gamers the mental health situation is seen as the bigger problem while for males a higher BMI is more common. The findings suggest that women use games as "a form of 'digital self-medication,'" turning to games and other media to help improve their mood by taking their minds off their daily troubles and immersing themselves into the experience. The problem is that this -- as with many high-tech activities -- can become a habitual response that leads to compulsive behavior and even addiction.

For men, researchers are also concerned that habits picked up early in life extend into adulthood, namely getting accustomed to a lack of exercise. That should be a wake-up call for parents concerned that their kids spend too much time in front of the TV and computer, whether they're gaming or not.