I think it’s like any stereotype in that it will take time. Looking at stereotypes about other groups, ethnicities, and religions misinformation still abounds. For a long time I had heard some terrible thing about Sikhs but when I went to India every Sikh that I met was incredibly polite and courteous. I even had a couple working for me and they were some of my best workers. They were not wild-eyed religious fanatics bent on death.

So I think a negative stereotype is unavoidable so long as you have people like what I described, but at least we can dilute it simply by being honest about our hobbies and behaving like responsible adults. If nothing else, I have my kids to set an example for. Do I really want them to overhear me yelling profanity at someone on line? That’s certainly not what I want them to do, so I have to live down that stereotype for their own sake as much as my own.

LOL at the soap opera part. I wonder what kind of video game one of those would be… Would there ever be en ending? LOL

That made me LOL! I can imagine hearing my brother say the same exact thing.

Great article, several excellent points. I would agree that many of the stereotypes still exist because of the vocal minority. People looking to criticize the gaming community only need to hop over to Kotaku and read a few of the comments to see that in action. People that don’t fit that mold tend to avoid the interactions at those places like the plague. The ignorance and behavior of some simply make the atmosphere intolerable.

What the answer is though, … I don’t know. I am certainly not willing to subject myself to company such as that simply to make a point. I would much rather focus on more positive things. So the solution remains elusive to me.