The notion that all gamers are "spotty-face, angst-ridden teenagers", hunched over a keyboard in their dark bedroom is increasingly incorrect.
Everyone from an 85-year-old grandmother playing Words With Friends, to a four-year-old with a farming game is getting in on the action, says games for health expert Dr Stuart Smith.
And for Australians, faster broadband through the NBN means we're actually on the cusp of a `social gaming' era, where families are using video and voice chat applications to connect.
An IGEA Digital Australia report from last year showed online gaming has become a family friendly activity - from the 1,220 households surveyed, 86 per cent of parents play computer games with their children.
On top of that, just over half (53 per cent) play as a way to spend time with their children.
"Games have been a part of human history for as long ago as we were starting to scratch on caves, telling stories to each other," says Dr Smith, who works at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
"... I think this notion of the solitary gamer is a bit of blip in human history."
Unlike 15 years ago, even those who do choose to sit in front of a screen on their own are not necessarily unsociable anymore.
"They can be as far afield as either side of the continent and yet have a really engaging and social experience through game play."
There's always the argument that games take away from connections in-person, but Dr Smith says for every potential criticism there's another way of looking at it.
Take Brett McGlinn, 8, who lives in East Maitland, NSW, and registers on the autism scale.
By playing games on his PS4 he connects with other players across the world to achieve objectives in virtual worlds.
"You could actually build up a skill set in kids like this, that have trouble interacting socially - over time, through gameplay," Dr Smith says.
"It's actually a powerful tool that we can use to help people."
Using gaming for health is where the future for gaming lies, Dr Smith says.
And he believes Australia can show the way.
"What I think we can do, particularly on the Sunshine Coast, is to really build up a strong industry around serious gaming and the application of video games for health.
"Australia could take an international lead in the generation of this new industry base."
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