A member of an Italian-American service organization called UNICO has called on Take-Two Interactive to stop the release of Mafia II. Andre’ DiMino considers Mafia II to be a “pile of racist nonsense” as he believes it perpetuates a negative stereotype of Italian-Americans.

As if the hand of Dan DeCarlo was guiding me from the grave, I recently came across another potentially prophetic message coming from Archie Comics.

This instance is in an issue of Betty and Veronica Digest Magazine (no. 125, Jan. 2002) with a story titled “Game Gambit” featuring fictional game maker Zapco Games. The company has asked Betty, the blonde-next-door and sometimes gender-bending teenager, to help test a series of arcade games targeted towards girls.

As one of the Gamertell writers recently pointed out in an email, “Is it just me, or does September seem like the month of feminine games?” Indeed, it appears that way with a slew of demographically-targeted games being released throughout September 2008…

Maybe it’s time to start rewriting some of those rote gamer cliches. You know, like, “Your mom is such a gamer.” Statistically, thats not so far-fetched.

According to the ESA’s (Entertainment Software Association’s) annual report released during E3 2008, 40 percent of all gamers are women older than 18 and a quarter are older than 50. That’s up from 38 percent and 24 percent, respectively, from the 2007 release (PDF). The average age of gamers also ticked up to 35 from 33.

This is the sort of data that plays right into the…

On page 42 of the April 2008 issue of Wired magazine is a photo featuring six stereotypical Geeks: a Fanboy, Music Geek, Gamer, Gadget Guy, Hacker and Otaku. Each over-generalized category is exemplified by a person modeling what Wired deems appropriate garb and a brief description that includes disposition, beliefs and turn-ons.

Here’s the unusually derogatory description Wired writer/contributor, Troy Brownfield, writes of Gamers…

What comes to mind when you think of a gamer? Is it the image of a young boy in his mom’s basement, no job, no girlfriend, and sore thumbs? If it is, then you may want to hear what Matt Ringel has to say.

The commissioner for the World Series of Video Games, Matt Ringel, is not a teenager addicted to soda, potato chips and video games. He’s 40 years old, has a job and a mission to bring the real image of a dedicated gamer to the public. There’s no better way to accomplish this than publicity – lots and lots of publicity.

In order to accomplish his mission, Ringel has devised a plan: Make the world of video games into a glamorous TV-friendly extravaganza with real professional gamers that make frequent appearances. His vessel is the World Series of Video Games…