Proof that gaming STILL isn't mainstream entertainment

[AppleQueso]

Meh, maybe you're just overly pessimistic about the current gen.

I don't think it's so much that there are more uninteresting games coming out now than back then, but maybe that there's just less interesting ones.

[Weekend_Warrior]

Since when is Facebook the deciding factor in what is mainstream and what is not?

What about the sales of Modern Warfare 2 surpassing all other other forms of media to become "the biggest entertainment launch in history?"

And if video games aren't mainstream yet... then what the hell are they - underground?

[AppleQueso]

I think when we talk about "mainstream" in the context of gaming, what it boils down to is: gaming will be considered "mainstream" when non-gamers accept it as a valid entertainment medium.

[Weekend_Warrior]

I think when we talk about "mainstream" in the context of gaming, what it boils down to is: gaming will be considered "mainstream" when non-gamers accept it as a valid entertainment medium.

Well if that's the case.. is Rap music still not considered mainstream then? After all, a lot of musicians and non-rappers still don't accept it as "music."

Video games have been around for nearly 40 years (surely longer than Rap music), and become a fairly large part of our popular culture for about the last 25-30 years. Not just in the United States, but all over the world. Is this not proof enough that video games have become commonplace and "mainstream" in today's modern society?

[Jrecee]

deviantart asks your favorite game and game system. Although the game part could mean any sort of game; tag, monopoly, baseball.

[Octopod]

I think that gaming has been mainstream since the PS1 days.

[Gamerforlife]

Since when is Facebook the deciding factor in what is mainstream and what is not?

What about the sales of Modern Warfare 2 surpassing all other other forms of media to become "the biggest entertainment launch in history?"

And if video games aren't mainstream yet... then what the hell are they - underground?

Sales don't mean anything. There are plenty of people not spending money buying movies or tv shows on dvd yet still will rent them or catch them when they are on tv and then talk about them with their friends at work. People who don't buy music but listen to it on the radio or on tv and talk about it with friends and co-workers. Sales figures don't mean anything at all with regards to how mainstream something is. The fact that gaming is lucrative doesn't make it mainstream. The porn industry is lucrative, but how often do people talk about it?

And considering how HUGE Facebook is now with so much media coverage and tons and tons of people on there, it is a bit telling that gaming isn't mainstream when a site as big, popular and well known as that doesn't even list it as a category.

But maybe I'm wrong, but I'll ask you guys this. Go up to a random person at a supermarket, mall or at work and try to talk to them about music, tv, movies or videogames and see which is more likely to get a real conversation going. I'm guessing more times than not it won't be video games. And I mean a REAL conversation, not someone saying they remember Pacman or boy that Wii thing sure looks like fun or talking about Farmville on Facebook(which is not a real videogame, in fact, Facebook refers to these things as "applications")

[lisalover1]

I've got too much time and nowhere near enough games.

That's not what your PSN trophy count says.

[FiftyDollarCurse]

I'm sick and damn tired of all the Gears of War, God of War and Modern Warfare clones out there. Everytime I see a Singularity, Darksiders or (New) Medal of Honor, a part of my soul dies.

Funny. I'm not even sure which game is being compared to which game. Darksiders and Singularity are awesome. I'm assuming you think Darksiders is a God of War clone, which it isn't. At all. Extrapolating, Singularity is just like Gears of Wars? That's even further removed. Medal of Honor is a Modern Warfare clone? Fair enough, but this is the same as saying Sonic The Hedgehog is a clone of Super Mario Bros. Something can be a clone and still good. It isn't mutually self-exclusive.

Allow yourself to enjoy things. It's really okay.

Also Facebook doesn't allow me to display who my favorite football player on my front page. Does this mean the NFL isn't mainstream? Please.

Go up to a random person at a supermarket, mall or at work and try to talk to them about music, tv, movies or videogames and see which is more likely to get a real conversation going.

If I went up to a random person at a supermarket and started a conversation about any thing I would only ever expect to be ignored, punched or arrested.

Ironically, if someone came up to me at the supermarket and started talking to me about how great Red Dead Redemption is, I would think they were a complete idiot and back away slowly and try not to frighten them. I would also do this if someone asked me what my favorite Buck 65 song was. Or what I thought of the series finale of Lost. Or if I like the new Nickelback/The Killers/Katy Pery/WTFever song. This is a ridiculous conversation.

I edited this 5 times? Sheeeeesh, calm down Fifty Dollar Curse. You only have mild O.C.D. and you still see typos. Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean.

[Weekend_Warrior]

Since when is Facebook the deciding factor in what is mainstream and what is not?

What about the sales of Modern Warfare 2 surpassing all other other forms of media to become "the biggest entertainment launch in history?"

And if video games aren't mainstream yet... then what the hell are they - underground?

Sales don't mean anything.

In America it does. When you're talking about a video game having a bigger opening sales week than the movie "Titanic" or one of the Harry Potter books.. it says a lot about the gaming industry. It says that "Yes. Video games are becoming just as popular as reading books and watching movies." It marks a shift in culture

Need further proof? Look at how big video games and virtual apps are getting on the iPhone now. We are becoming more and more tied down to technology and gaming is right there at the forefront. It's a very interesting time