The Daily Grind: Are you an MMO stereotype?

I'm a nerdy gamer disguised as a normal person. No one expects it and then BAM...talking about talent specs and debating Star Trek.

I'm pretty much on the computer all the time in my free time but I balance it with some other hobbies. Ran my first marathon in May and got engaged recently. :D

Have a family, professional, don't own a console system, don't own a TV, have busy social life, etc...

BUT, I love using MMO speak (or RPG speak) in daily conversation. I am always asking my wife what items we have in our inventory, how much HP do the kids have, if there is a Boss at this party, telling her I have a very low "do laundry" skill, etc.

I will say that the negative stereotypes of MMO-ers do keep me from talking about the games I play in public as much as I otherwise would. I sometimes wonder how many RL conversations I could have about MMOs with fellow workers, etc, if I was more willing bring it up.

Absolutely. I literally sit at my desk over 10 hours a day, and if I'm not in an MMO I'm on the forums. Granted, I'm not crying on the forums like most stereotypes would assume, but I'm still there.

I am quite nerdy and do enjoy geeking out in EVE for hours at a time, but at the same time, I am engaged to be married, I have friends of both sexes, I have a job that I never neglected due to gaming (well, tbh, I might have gotten late to work on a few occasions because I needed to finish an anomaly first...). I also manage to make a lot of music, go out to get drunk with friends, visit the parents (both mine and the missus') and watch a movie every other night.

You'd think that I live in a world where each day has 50 hours, but all it takes is proper prioritization.

i am indeed 1 call of duty session from blowing up the mall with a heavily modified nerf chaingun. mainly the part that sells call of duty.

i HATE call of duty.

I imagine I fit the profile of some stereotype/demographic. Late 20s, other social activites. I am very demanding of my entertainment, and easily walk away when I percieve my cost/benefit ratio skews in the wrong direction.

I don't use MMO speak in real life, due to the fact that I have an extra decade of Pen and Paper RPG training in me. So I use botch, proficiency, Critical Success, and so on much more that aggro or what have you.

I know I don't fit the typical stereotype at all, and its about time with gaming moving into the mainstream, as it has finally begun to claim its rightful place, that this stereotype fades away. I will be 39 this year, married, 3 kids. My Wife, not being a gamer at all, was drawn in by EVE of all games, and now plays every night. We both have our priorities in place. We both are of the mindset that we deserve some kind of release as well, and so we do it rather cheaply with gaming. Nothing wrong with it at all. People that openly talk about gaming and have never as much fired up an Xbox, PS3, or PC should educate themselves on the topics first, with hands on knowledge before they go with typical stereotypes.

Definitely a statistically standard gamer here, but not the profile on the news or in pop culture. Married, two kids, a job I only neglect every so often for gaming. I pull a lot of late nights with the guild to get in my gaming time, but balance it with other non-gaming activities, especially with the kids.

I celebrate my geekery fairly openly around family and friends, much to the frustration of my non-geek wife. But around strangers I keep it locked up and try to exercise what social skills I actually possess.

I'd say the media and pop culture need another long, hard look at what actually constitutes the standard "Gamer" at this point. A lot of us have grown up into respectable member of society. We're like the Spanish Inquisition - no one expects us, but we keep popping up everywhere.

I'm a 34 year old father of two, I have been gaming for as long as i can remember ( intellivision and colecovision anyone?) I got into MMOs in 2003ish with SWG. When the kids were smaller it was a lot easier to find time to play MMOs, now I the most i can manage is to play for an hour or two after everyone is out and before i pass out myself. I have never used MMO speak in MMOs no less in my daily life.

I guess I would fit into the stereotype of old guy who really wants to play, but can't seem to stay awake past midnight anymore

I'm not a sterotypical nerd the media portrays, or perhaps I am.

I'm married, I have kids, I have a good career.

I have friends that live in the same country as me.

I don't drop work for a game.

I am not suffering from angina and i don't order pizza via WoW.

I do however like gaming.

I don't really fit the stereotype at all. Married, no kids yet :(, Do my workout, well I did until this whole wrist injury that's looking like surgery but after that I'll be back in the gym. I play racquetball when I can etc.. etc...

We also have 4 computers, 2 laptops, PS3, X360, Wii, DS, and PSP. Wife's computer is running two 22" monitors, I run three 19"s in Eyefinity... and we generally game together when she feels like gaming and have been known to spend days playing something, watching anime or other shows (Big Bang Theory season 2 box set we shall find you!) and generally geeking out.

our friends know, the rest of the world is oblivious save the occasional gaming shirt on casual friday.

None of the above - I'm a good typist (use a PC most of the day, work & home, and have for 20+ years), I don't miss social events for gaming, don't snack much, have no trouble chatting to women and I would never use abbreviated text speak verbally as that would just be weird. I am overweight, due to a sedentary job/lifestyle, but that's about it.

Ok, friends/family/acquaintances know I'm a geek - that I like sci-fi/fantasy shows/novels/movies, gaming (tabletop and computer), science, etc. But I also like football (loving the World Cup atm), motorsport, music, pubbing & clubbing, etc. But when I meet strangers it's not like my geek cred is obvious as I'm usually wearing either a suit or a black T-shirt and jeans with a leather jacket (I don't "do" fashion :p ). My only T-shirts with graphics on them are souvenirs from rock/metal concerts.

I'll talk about my interests to people if it's appropriate - I'm not ashamed of them - but I adapt to the company I'm in as I have to move in different layers of society as part of my job. I'm certainly not about to evangelise MMO gaming to girls I meet in a club, office workmates who I know are X-Factor/soap-opera fans, elderly relatives, overly sporty friends, etc. - that would just be odd and out of place, like people who talk about religion at every opportunity - but if anyone of my generation or younger shows any interest in technology or new media then sure, I'll ask them if they play videogames and go on from there.

Hmm, I don't think so.

I'm a university student, chipping away at my last few credits. I've had a steady girlfriend for 5 years; we live together, have a dog, go out for dinner, exercise, and do other healthy couple activities. She doesn't play MMO's, and the only videogame she's really fond of is Mario (although, she is a friggen demon at that game).

I think I spend more time checking out massively than actually playing any games. If I have a chance, I'll sit down and play for several hours at time; when WoW first came out, and I was in highschool, my friends and I would hold events over major holidays in which we'd have a huge lan party in my basement and not emerge for days.

But those days were over pretty quick. Now, my time is spent considering career paths, caring for our dog, working at school, and spending time with my girl.

However, when those responsibilities are satiated...well, damn right I'm going to be on my favourite MMO.

Don't think I am either. I'm an attorney, average build, have a girlfriend, and life to cook. I have friends but not in the county because I moved awhile back and tend to keep a very low profile with my job. However, I have been playing games for 22 years now, have a Wii, Xbox 360, PC, and laptop.

Misspelling a word doesn't really help my credibility with this article any.

I too am engaged, have a daughter, a heavy social life, etc., and yes I would rather spend a beautiful sunny afternoon in my pool instead of inside doing some raid.

Maybe the only thing this question teaches us is that nobody wants to see themselve or be perceived as a stereotype. Unidimensional "classes" and such should be reserved for MMO character. I think peoples are just complex and cannot be sum up by one word, one title.

Although I have been close to breaking down, grabbing a Nerf gatling gun and launching a frontal assault on the registers at Wal-Mart, I don't think gaming had anything to do with that...

I'm married with children. I have a full time job. I'm fairly well educated, with two college degrees. I only game after my kids are in bed, and then only three to four nights a week. My wife is also a gamer, and we both went through a phase where we played a lot more often (mainly during EQ and the early days of WoW) and were pretty damn hardcore. But having kids definitely makes you reevaluate your priorities.

I can't really confess to fitting any of the stereotypes, though.