The Daily Grind: Are you an MMO stereotype?

While stereotypes can be both offensive and unfair, depending on the situation, they can also be spot-on accurate. After all, stereotypes come from somewhere, whether it's a good place or New Jersey. Gamers seem to accumulate a great deal of stereotypes, perhaps more than any other hobby out there. Enjoy the hyperbole sandwich, it's the chef's special.

According to all reports, we are a legion of unwashed, relationship-phobic nerds living in our parents' basements who converse entirely in binary. And, according to most educated news reports, we're also one frustrating session of Call of Duty away from snapping and taking out a Wal-Mart with a heavily modified Nerf gatling gun.

So here's where the painful admission begins and the healing can finally take place. Do you actually fit into a MMO gamer stereotype? Are you a poor typist who communicates in barely legible gibberish? Have you missed work and family outings to pull an eight-hour raid? Is your gaming space littered with cans of Red Bull and the greasy wrappings of Hot Pockets? Have you never spoken to a member of the opposite sex in real life who isn't a parent? Have you -- and this is vital to admit, people -- have you ever used MMO lingo in your daily conversations without even realizing it?

Are you a MMO stereotype? It's okay. You're among friends who would never, ever point and laugh.