Gaming has crept into all corners of our culture. In Canada, surveys recently found that Mario is more recognizable than their own Prime Minister. Gaming as an industry has become so profitable that it dwarfs both the film and music industries. That said, the public’s view of video games, and the people who play them, still tend to be grounded in stereotypes older than Mario himself. Why these cliches persist is a mystery to many, the reasons made up of a hodge podge of backwards coverage and perception by media, parents, and society at large. Perhaps it has to do with gaming’s lack of a unified face to guide the public to the truth. Perhaps it’s all part of some elaborate alien conspiracy aimed at dominating the Earth. Whatever the reasons, these stereotypes are easily dispelled under a little directed scrutiny.