Sports gamers play

[Zebeast46]

It is a stereotype that gamers are huge nerds who don't do any physical activity, have no social life and are fugly. This stereotype is clearly not true but I guess what I am wondering what sports people on these forums play or used to play. To start I will mention that I play Badminton, I Swim and I Snowboard.

[Coppermantis]

No organized sports, but I do enjoy rock climbing. I haven't gotten to do as much since my school's club shut down, but it's actually starting back up tomorrow, so that's pretty nice.

[Wingflier]

I enjoy biking and running on an almost daily basis. Back in HS I participated in Cross Country, Wrestling, and Track. Then in the military there was a bit of all of that, and a little more.

Many gamers are sedentary people but I find that when I exercise my body on a daily basis, it releases chemicals that put me into a better mood, and make me a better gamer.

There was a period of a few years there where I didn't do much of anything though.

Related: An Norwegian olympic gold medalist plays DotA 2.

[Zebeast46]

Not much of a biker myself, and I am not very good at running (I have decent endurance but terrible speed) but I love rock climbing even though I don't do it very often and not very good at it.

[Coppermantis]

(I have decent endurance but terrible speed)

Opposite for me. In general, though I do do some physical activities as I've said, I'm not considered generally very active, but I can somehow move fast enough to beat everybody else in my [high school senior] class in a race. Ask me to run for any long distance, though, and I just die because my lung capacity is pretty awful.

[wwwhhattt]

I like cycling and hillwalking (nothing competitive or fast), and in general I tend to walk wherever I need to go. Mainly I just like being in the countryside.

I find that when I exercise my body on a daily basis, it releases chemicals that put me into a better mood, and make me a better gamer.

Yeah, I've noticed that if I can go for around a day without leaving the house, but any longer and I can't concentrate on anything much.

It's not a stereotype I've really come across IRL - is it fairly common?

[Mánagarmr]

As far as physical exercise I do weight lifting (I guess you could say body building, but I'm so not xD) and cycling. I don't play any sports, but I have been doing HEMA for a couple of years earlier.

[madcow]

I run (done mudruns like the warrior dash and done half-marathons) and do yoga.

I bike a little, but not terribly much, maybe will more come summer.

[mrhanman]

I fish, hunt, hike, and camp several times a year.  I tried playing adult league kickball a couple years ago, but pulled a groin muscle during my first at bat (at kick?).  Growing old sucks. 

[KingIsaacLinksr]

I've started running regularly, need to get around to weight lifting at some point. Used to bike but I don't have one atm. I really like to swim even if I sometimes feel like a whale (totally no self-image issues here) but I don't get the chance often. I go hiking whenever I get the energy to go with family/friends. Organized sports? Used to be a pretty decent soccer player up till Junior High. Our county didn't have a program for Junior High to HS until a couple of years ago. Wish they did, I think I would have been a good goalkeeper. I did Track + Field in HS. Probably would have been an alright Football player, got the build for it but never felt the need.

[Misery]

Ugh.  Sports. 

Never been one for that sort of thing.  Used to do golf, sort of, awhile back.  Including during high school;  since I typically refused to do alot of the crap that was done during physical-ed class or whatever you call it (Football?  HAHAHA NO I'll just go stand over here and watch you all crash into each other, thanks) I ended up in a seperate group that did things like leave the school for an hour in a day to go to the local driving range.  Led to the bizarre situation of me carrying a golf club everywhere on Tuesdays and Thursdays.   Sure wouldnt get away with THAT one in any school nowadays.  It made sense at the time, probably.

Other than that, uhhh.... walking/hiking, when the craptacular weather permits. And sometimes when it doesnt.  Swimming sometimes, though not as often during the cold season.  That's really about it.  Other exercises are things that can be done around the house, or when I'm at physical therapy.  Particularly during winter, now.  Will be other options when the accursed weather clears up and gets less frozen.  But right now.... ugh.

It is a stereotype that gamers are huge nerds who don't do any physical activity, have no social life and are fugly.

Ugh, I always hated that stupid stereotype.  But it's one of those things that never goes away.  I always get the impression that people sometimes, after talking with me enough, get this idea that I'm some big, really overweight guy with a strange beard of some sort and, I dunno, acne or something.  When IRL I'm somewhat thin and kinda androgynous, and certainly no beard, that's for sure.   But since I'm always doing gaming stuff or just PC stuff so much, it's easy to give that sort of impression.

It's funny though, for as much as that stereotype is thrown around, I never actually see many that ACTUALLY fit it.  Most other gamers I meet dont even come close to that.  Most have hobbies and such outside of just the gaming.  That rock climbing for instance, I've heard THAT one a ton of times, that seems oddly popular.  I'd just fall off or something if I tried it.  But yeah, THAT certainly doesnt exactly fit that stereotype at all! 

Feh, hate stereotypes in general, really.   One of those things that just irritates me alot, is people getting lumped into some arbitrary category just... because.  Usually in an insulting way. 

[Shrugging Khan]

I walk through the woods and hills and valleys and ravine whenever the weather's nice.
And HEMA, twice a week. Our group meets twice a week; we usually do a 20-minute fitness thingy to warm up. Chasing and beating each other with swords, or wrestling on the ground, that's kind of sports, too, isn't it?

[Misery]

Chasing and beating each other with swords

And here's an exercise activity I'd actually WANT to do.

[Shrugging Khan]

And here's an exercise activity I'd actually WANT to do.

Just search for a HEMA group near where you live; they're popping up all over the place.
All are a bit weird, many are, quite frankly, a bit shit...but some are really good.

Mine has a strict "whatever works for actual fighting" doctrine, but some can go really batshit crazy on the whole thing, or put up weird rules. Some I've heard of:

• No training or fighting at full speed
• No training or fighting at full strength
• No training or fighting with protection
• No thrusts
• No protection that isn't historically accurate
• No training aids at all
• No throws
• No wrestling
• No legwork
• No disarms
• No strikes at anything but [Insert arbitrary area here]
• No disengaging
• No steel weapons
• No blunt weapons

And so on, and so on. Some groups have nobody experienced around to guide people, some can't afford proper equipment, some get really stuck in rigid dogmas of some sort, some think it's just a variation of oriental martial arts...
Generally speaking though, I can recommend it. It's a variable full-body workout, lots of fun, there's some history to go with it, and you get to beat people with swords. Also, it's a very new thing (in modern times), so you get to actually help develop techniques and figure out how things work.  And you can cut up water jugs, milk cartons, pool noodles, rolled mats or meat with swords, FOR SCIENCE.
Just gotta find a good group to hang with.

So seriously, go check it out if it piques your fancy.

Here's a vid of a small semi-recent tournament in Germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCs1uOUucjI

[Billick]

I run and bike in the summer.   I did a couple of half marathons when I was actually in shape.  I curl in the winter (yeah, that weird ice sport you see in the Olympics).  I played tennis in high school.  Did Little League/AYSO in my younger days.  Played a lot of pickup basketball at one point.  I tore my Achilles a couple of summers ago playing basketball, so I might not do that much any more.