Online games player characteristics

In the past the image of a gamer was of a somewhat nerdy male teenager playing alone in a basement. Since then, the average gamer has grown a little older, gained a little weight, grown a ponytail, and can be seen surrounded by pizza boxes while enjoying an incomprehensible social life online.

One thing that has not changed much over the years is that today's online gamer is still male in the public's eye. Stereotypes tend to be resistant to change and may even have a kernel of truth, but they also need to be scrutinized critically. This entry investigates who online gamers are and why they play.