One of the many eternal struggles for video games has been the justification that it can be a popular form of art (/entertainment) such as books, movies and music. But I am sceptical about that, as there are hurdles to overcome for that to become a reality. Here are the the biggest reasons against it, in my opinion;

People don't "quit."

I've read about it and I've heard friends talking about it. People quit playing video games for a variety of reasons, though the biggest two seem to be financial and lack of time. But also a lack of interest in new games come into play. But I have yet to hear about someone saying they quit watching movies, reading books or listen to music to a similar set of reasons. They might quit a genre of movies, books or music. But not the entire form of entertainment. Sure, there are tons more books, movies and music acts in comparison to games, but only a handful of those are truly worth the time and money anyway. Strike one, nevertheless, against video games; people quit playing for one reason or another.

Price.

Contrary to other forms of entertainment, video games do come with a pretty hefty price tag. It's not the cheapest thing to entertain as a hobby, and that is certainly a big factor why (as said) some people quit. And others, simply don't get into it as they don't see the value. And it's hard to argue that one game is worth more than an artist's entire discography. Just imagine how many hours you've spent listening to your favorite album by your favorite artist and cross reference that with how many hours you've spent in your favorite game. Which one has the best value per hour?

Unity.. NOT.

If you could have one device that would play all your movies or several devices that handled particular studios' movies, which option would you pick? Naturally, the first one. Why would you go out and buy several different dvd players simply to be able to see all your movies, it would be stupid. But, to play all the games you want to play, you need a different set of consoles all at varying pricing, features and accessibility. This is also something I am curious about, because no other medium accepts this (and I am naturally not talking about the natural progression of technology). As the game industry is set up now, the consoles are the center stage and games come to visit. How many more companies will look at console gaming and go "Oh, maybe.." until we've been overly saturated with different console options and missed the whole point; the games themselves.

Don't take it seriously.

If I were to tell a random stranger that [game] moved me more than [movie] or [book], people would shake their head and wonder what was wrong with me. Because most people seem to be under the illusion that games are a high tech form of toys, not interactive entertainment. The illusion, though, seem to cover even those within the industry. They don't dare to tackle truly shocking subjects, push the envelope and stir around a bit in this circus of life. I will admit that it's getting better in this regard, but we still have a long way to go.

Independent Scene.

This is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome in gaming's current way of things. To get the same diversity as movies, music or books, there has to be an underground scene. Something from which things will grow and eventually turn big. But, games are not entirely underground friendly, especially not console gaming. With some new independent development tools coming here and there, there is the option, but it is still a pretty lackluster option. I suppose in general, it is easier to make a quality underground band,movie or novel than it is to make a game. At least from a business standpoint. People might pay and pick up the local band's CD at the store, but would they pay for a platformer made by some guy in town? Probably not. Perhaps the problem isn't in the support of the underground but rather the average's person's lack of appreciation for the craft itself. And, perhaps independent games simply don't have the same appeal as a local band's music, and never will.

Closing comment.

Video games are a form of entertainment that doesn't quite fit exactly into the box it's been given. It's a big many things to many different people. And while I may argue that video games will not be in the same halls as the other forms of entertainment, I am sure it will be at some point when it has overcome it's growing pains and matured into something more. It seem right now it is in it's teens trying to be everything to everyone. Once it has grown up to realize who it is, it'll settle down and be like all other forms of entertainment, in good and bad. And every form has their own problems and advantages, the video game industry just need to figure out it's strengths and build on them.

Life is all ups and downs, like your avarage theme park experience. And it seems gaming in general have that same pattern. I haven't touched my PSP in probably over a year's time and suddenly I'm playing it daily after having downloadedDef Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover from the playstation store. The game is simple, but lends itself perfect for a quick play here and there. No real investment, but you get some unlocks as you progress and which makes you come back on your next break. And having people at work look over your shoulder as you kick some dude's face in.. well, that has a value just of it's own. And post E3, the PSP's future is looking brighter than ever. Though I am not sure whether I'll spend money on a PSP Go, or simply buy the equivalent storage capacity on memory sticks and keep my old PSP, because I am really enjoying the downloading and having the games on the machine rather than using UMDs. But then, I've always liked new and shiny things, so it wouldn't surprise me if I eventually get the PSP Go.

Staying on Sony, I'm getting more and more curious about whether or not it's worth my money to get me a PS3. There are some games out, likeKillzone 2 and inFamous that is looking good. And there are upcoming titles that I am eager to see if they're good. Such as MAG, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Heavy Rain: Origami Killer. And naturally, being a big Rockstar fan, Agent is something I am all over. But at the same time, I dont know if I have the time or if it is worth the funds to get into another system. My 55+ Xbox 360 collection isn't all finished, and I am barely finding time to finish back catalog games such asSuikoden V and more recently I've been curious about Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. Ah, the headache of being a grunt with limited spare time.

As far as Xbox 360 goes, the biggest titles that I am eager to play are Assasin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2. They are games I had a ton of fun with. Mass Effect being one of the best games I've played in a long time. I would probably rank my investment in the game to be similar to playing one of the Metal Gear Solid titles, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare wasn't too bad either in the story department.. or rather, it's overall presentation of the story. While Assasin's Creed was a game that did a lot of things right, but lacked in variety. I am also curious to see if Batman: Arkham Asylum turns out well. A game I have paid no attention to until this E3 was probably APB, something of a surprise to me when I began reading about it. It does sound like a game down my alley, especially the customization options (something I am a real sucker for).

With lack of time, I am sure I am missing a ton of things right now. But I'll get back soon with something more.

So I've been catching up on some Bombcast episodes as of late (perfect on my mp3 player at work), and one of the episodes had the topic of sandwiches. I am a bit on the fence concerning sandwiches, considering they are so easy to mess up and one ends up eating something that is the food equivalent of sitting through infomercials while neither intoxicated nor tired. It's dull eating. But as they were discussing this, my own sandwich pick came to mind and I couldn't erase it, I craved me some sandwich for the first time in a long time. But, this caused a dilemma. For my sandwich to work, I need mayo (Hellmann's) from the US and not from here (Sweden), because there's a taste difference between the two and ours doesn't do my sandwich justice. Lucky for me though, there's a grocery store in town that has that imported. The twist though is that it's way off on the other side of town from where I live and that's just annoying when you dont have a car, but I go past it when I get a ride home from work by my coworker. Today I decided enough was enough and told him to drop me off by the store. This was going to be the day when I get my sandwich.

Once I got inside I started collecting the ingredients; tomato, bacon, cheese, turkey, mayo and white bread. My joy knew no boundries. I'll exclude the rest of the shopping of groceries that doesn't concern my sandwich, because they're irellevant! Well, aside from my paper towels I use to nuke bacon with. Microwaved, paperwrapped bacon, it doesn't get much crispier and tastier than that. It will be glorious! What wasn't glorious though was walking for 20 minutes carrying my groceries home under a unforgiving sun while having too much clothes on. I felt like a slave to my own sandwich crave.

Enough of the sandwich rant, hopefully they will turn out well and I will be in a state of bliss the rest of the evening. Which will be spent in front of the tv watching something worth watching. I would play the DLCs to Fallout 3, but after having 2 nights in a row with a max of 4 hours of sleep, I could use the rest and early bedtime. The phrase "there is a tomorrow" comes to mind, which is a sign that I'm getting older apparently.

I promise, my next entry will have more to do with games and less to do with sandwiches.