The idea that gamers are antisocial grumps who stay up all night eating junk food while playing Call of Duty in their mother's basement is woefully outdated.
According to a new survey, about half of all gamers admit they've been playing more since the pandemic started, but nearly three-quarters use it to socialize.
Only ten percent of respondents said they munched on junk while gaming, compared to the 37 percent who don't eat at all while playing. 
Nearly half of respondents kept their gaming to between 8pm and midnight, while just seven percent burned the midnight oil. 
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 Most gamers keep reasonable hours - between 8pm and midnight - and don't eat junk food while they game. In fact, 37 percent said they don't eat at all while gaming

Likely due to social distancing, it was more with online friends (36 percent) than 'in real life' (IRL) pals (28 percent).
But 'this certainly suggests that gaming is a more sociable than solitary sport,' according to the report.
You can also forget the stereotype of the zombie-eyed gamer glued to the screen in the middle of the night. 
A majority of gamers stick to sociable hours with 48.5 percent playing in the evening between 8pm and midnight, and 26.5 percent fire up their console between 4pm and 8pm.
Only seven percent said they were night owls, playing between midnight and 4am, and just two percent were gaming between 4am and 8am.
About 8 percent admitted they've played video games when they should be working.
Less than four percent of gamers play in the basement, compared to more than half who set up in the bedroom, a quarter who play in the living room and about 20 percent who play in their home office.
And gamers don't scarf down fries while leading World of Warcraft raids, either: 37 percent said they don't eat at all while gaming, while 21 percent said they only eat home-cooked food.