Originally posted by: Maleficus
No, the vast majority of gamers are losers, that's why the stereotype has existed for so long, now they (we?) are just so numerous, that we can change popular opinion.
That's incorrect, gamers of today are no longer the stereotype nerds in their puberty with their faces plastered by acne.
Breaking the Stereotype: The Case of Online Gaming
MARK D. GRIFFITHS, PH.D., MARK N.O. DAVIES,
Abstract:
Despite the rise of computer games as a leisure phenomenon, there has been relatively little research into this area. Furthermore, almost all of the research to date has concentrated on arcade or console games. More recently, the Internet has become a new medium in which players can play videogames. Since there is no published research in this area, some ?benchmark? data on which future research can build was collected from two online gaming fan sites. Sociodemographics showed that the majority of players were male (approximately 85%). Over 60% of players were older than 19 years. The data provide clear evidence that the game clientele is very much an adult profile and suggest a different picture to the stereotypical image of an adolescent online gamer. The stereotype of the typical online player being a socially withdrawn young male with limited sex role identity appears to be misplaced.
I'd have to go find a newer study though, this one is from 2003 ... Recent figures from tje ESA puts the avg age of gamers at 35 though, where only 1/4th is beneath the age of 18. In fact, girls between the age of 18-49 have more gamers then boys < 18...
These interviews from IGN did exactly what they were supposed to do, spark a discussion. And I think I just won