A high score in the games room may mean a low score in the bedroom
Your Back Page scribbler has never been a massive fan of video gaming.
Being old enough to have been a young man when Space Invaders first invaded our space back in the late 1970s, he could never quite muster the same enthusiasm for blasting away at bleeping electronic bad guys as his contemporaries.
To be fair, however, we do accept that the genre has become somewhat more sophisticated these days and the addictive qualities of gaming have certainly had their ante upped.
Which is not good news if you happen to be a member of the gender that possesses a member.
According to a new study published in the science journal, Andrology, Chinese researchers have uncovered a link suggesting “extended computer usage for leisure” can spell bad news in the gentlemen’s trouser department.
Or to put it another way, too much time playing with that PC joystick could be affecting how well the pants-dwelling joystick is performing.
The objective of the study, which involved more than 220,000 participants, was to explore, using genetic and statistical analysis, whether there was a causal association between leisure sedentary behaviour and erectile dysfunction.
What they found was that men upped their chances of experiencing erectile dysfunction by 3.57 times for every 1.2 hours per day spent on a computer.
Moreover, what the researchers didn’t find was an association between erectile dysfunction and other sedentary leisure activities such as watching TV or driving.
“The present study offered substantial evidence for a positive causal association between computer use and the risk of erectile dysfunction,” the Chinese boffins concluded.
“However, a definitive causal association needs to be established by further research.”
Commenting on the research in The Independent, University of Manchester professor of andrology Allan Pacey said that while the study “does not absolutely show cause and effect, it certainly suggests that men who are worried about their erectile function should perhaps get off the computer and become more active”.
Which certainly should be enough to give gaming addicts reason enough to hit the pause button.
Otherwise, the message from the real-life mating game could be: “Game over. Failed to score.”
Put the console down and send story tips to cate@medicalrepublic.com.au instead.
