Trevor Rivers Assistant Producer GameSpot Live	Now Playing: Battle Realms, again, Adobe Premiere, Red Alert 2, Microsoft Word Most Wanted: Fellowship of the Ring (Xbox), MechAssault, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge Suggested tagline: "Peace, love, and video games, people. Peace, love, and video games."

Cannonball Into the Mainstream

Something that's been hanging in the back of mind for some time now is coming to pass. In fact, it's been gradually happening over the last few years, and only now has it becoming plainly apparent to me. Video games are finally becoming a mainstream item, so much so that I can't evade advertising on television, on the radio, in print, and online. This isn't surprising--it had to happen sooner or later, after all. I've always thought that games could, and would, be a step beyond television in terms of entertainment value and flexing the mental muscle. They're even on a level with some lesser books sometimes, despite what Bruce Geryk might think about Neverwinter Nights or games with a story in general. In some ways, I've always thought of gaming in a similar way to how hippies in the '60s and early '70s thought of their own lifestyle. Hippies thought they could change people's minds about war and society just by showing them a different way to live. My aspirations have never been as high, but I've always thought that most people would embrace gaming if they'd just give it a chance. Call me a gaming hippy, I suppose.

But now, many more people are in fact embracing games. Just look at the numbers. Games have gotten much more realistic and mature, so they appeal to a wider demographic than they used to. It's not just some crazy plumber chasing wild-looking mushrooms or blue rodents moving at the speed of sound anymore. You've got carjackers, cops bent on revenge, and realistic simulations of every vehicle imaginable. Heck, you've even got the US military developing games now.

The wider acceptance of games was never more apparent to me than this last Father's Day--my first. In celebration, many members of my family--from my side and from my wife's--gathered at our house for a barbecue. My Xbox was still only days out of the packaging, and I was engaging in a wicked match of co-op Halo with my brother-in-law (who's condemned every console first-person shooter since GoldenEye). My parents, who've finally come to grips with the fact that I "play video games for a living," have gotten rather used to me playing games all the time, so this sight was nothing new to them. However, my wife's aunt and uncle were present, and they watched the game of Halo unfold with something that looked akin to awe on their faces. I jumped into salesman mode for a moment, declaring that the Xbox had just dropped to $199--and another unit was moved. These are people who typically wouldn't give games a second thought, but after seeing what they've evolved into since last taking a look, they were able to put aside their preconceived notions of video games and accept them as a respectable form of entertainment.

"This game converted some of my relatives."

Part of what's now rattling the house that Mario built is the expansion of demographics, something that I think originally started when PC games erupted onto the scene (at least I hope so--I'd hate so see Custer's Revenge get credit for starting the mature games trend). Consoles started going down the same path quite a while ago, and it's a path that is quickly being beaten into normalcy. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox have a clearly defined target age group that skews older. The Nintendo brand still perhaps embodies the stereotype of video games being for kids, and for what it's worth, Nintendo's trying harder than anybody to shake the disease. Thankfully, people are starting to disregard the overall notion, partly because many people who played games as kids have now grown up, and partly because games have grown up quite a bit as well.

My parents are the type of people who are uncomfortable with newer technology, not because it's scary, but because they have no idea how to utilize it. When it comes to anything like a VCR or DVD player--much less anything but the simplest of programs on a PC--their brains just shut down. God forbid that their lives ever depend on something technically complex, because I don't think that they'd make it. It's a phenomenon that I've never understood, partially because whenever I'm faced with some new gadget or program, I find myself intrigued and challenged to figure it out. I attribute this to my gaming habit (can it even be called a habit anymore?) more than anything else. Games constantly challenge me to think differently and to find ways around innumerable different challenges. No other form of entertainment does this as well as games do. Our most widespread and accepted platform for entertainment is television, which is a passive experience through and through. Viewers sit still and absorb a steady flow of images and sound over which they have only the most basic of control. Considering the intellectual level that most popular TV shows are on, how are video games any less mature? With games, you have much more control, as you are essentially projected into the experience by having an actual avatar that you use to navigate a game. Maybe some people are just too used to the idea of letting their television do all the work.

"This game assured me that video games won't be watered down."

Games still haven't made it completely into the limelight, but there are four big feet in the door with the PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. While we still haven't shattered all of the preconceived notions out there, many of them have been dealt a severe blow. People are starting to realize that games aren't just for kids anymore, that interacting with your television is a good thing, and if that's not enough, how about a $10 billion industry that's a whole lot stronger than some other markets out there right now?

Peace, love, and video games, people. Peace, love, and video games.