So my Question is, are video games becoming mainstream? Well this cannot be answered in a single sentence; in fact, this question may not have a definite answer at all. When someone asks “hey what kind of movies do you like?” they assume that I like movies. People presume that everyone likes movies. This occurs because movies have been integrated into our culture, and thus becoming popular among the masses. However, when one would ask” hey what kind of video games do you like? ” a common answer would be, “I don’t like video games”. See people wouldn’t ask something like that, because they don’t assume that people like video games. Although this is reality, I like to think that it is about to change.

          Gone are the days when elementary and middle school kids dominated the video game market. According to a 2008 census, 60% of gamers are men and 40% are women in contrast to a higher difference back in the 90’s. In addition, 35% of gamers are under 18 while a whopping 65% are over 18. As of this year, the 50+ age group is growing almost exponentially. Of course, a changing demographic calls for a different or “modified” target audience. This has already happened with the Nintendo Wii and DS. Although they haven’t abandoned their core audience, they have released games and peripherals geared towards families, younger kids, moms, and even grandparents. Following Nintendo’s crazy success, Microsoft and Sony are finding their own ways to appeal to a wider audience while keeping their current fans.

          Next is the $18 billion entertainment juggernaut known as the video game industry. Yes over the last few years, this industry has thrived. The one-day record holder for most money generated the first day for movies being in box office was Spiderman 3 at $59 million during the first 24 hours and about $500 million for its run in the movie theaters. However Grand Theft Auto 4 had a record $310 million generated, only on opening day! Aside from impressive figures, the video game industry has grown a record 40% in merely one year, from 2008 to 2009.

          Of course, this leads me to my initial question, are video games becoming mainstream? Although no one can predict the future, with the enormous rise in revenue from the industry, the push to make games for new audiences, and the fact that it surpassed the film and music industry by miles, I am certain that at sometime in the future, it will be the medium of entertainment that will continue through generation after generation as the common standard.