Video Games Need to be Taken Seriously by the Media

Entertainment is a pretty big business and highly observed by the masses because, well, that’s their audience. We mostly talk about music, movies and television: who’s starring in what show? What singles are in the top 10? When it comes to video games, however, not many people or news sources seem to give a d*mn. In reality, the video game industry has a drastic effect on pop culture and the entertainment industry as a whole, and many people actually play video games regularly. Should the video game industry be taken seriously by the media and society alike?

Video games are the biggest medium nowadays, with 65% of American households having at least one member who games for three or more hours a week. Nasdaq says that video games now make more money than music and movies. Critics may think that only children play video games, but since they have been popular 30 years, and many more different kinds of video games have surfaced and evolved, people of all ages and backgrounds have come to enjoy playing video games.

People, along with the media, should talk more about video games and recognize that they are important. Too many people don’t understand the true power and influences video games have on society, leaving the industry in an awkward stage in between being an original, sensational product to being a highly respected and desired technological centerpiece. It’s time to take video games seriously and recognize that they do have a major impact on society.

In a society where everything revolves around money, it’s surprising to think that video games aren’t widely recognized for being the insanely successful technical innovation that they are. With the three sectors of the video game industry – PC, console, and mobile – the industry has sparked an economic wildfire that dominates the film and music industries. With these three sectors, video games cater to diverse audiences that help drive massive amounts of revenue.

Many people are probably unaware about how much the industry actually makes, and would probably draw suspicion to hearing such facts. It is important to be aware because money is power, and when certain entities have so much power, they influence societies in different ways. For example, we all remember when Meryl Streep called out Donald Trump at the Golden Globes, as she posed Holly wood against the president. The film industry has a lot of influential power in politics and how people think. What if the gaming industry were to make such affects?

Actually, video games do sometimes enter the limelight when discussing important issues, but it’s usually negative and is related to violence. Often times, critics claim that violent video games, such as the Grand Theft Auto series, incite violence and make people think that it’s morally okay to actually carry out the actions that are played in the game, such as shooting guns and killing people. However, video games don’t influence people to become violent, and these claims are made only as excuses as to why people lash out violently.

Tradition is hard to break, and perhaps that is why so many people tend to see video games as irrelevant to society and popular culture. Film used to be a way for people to come together and enjoy high culture together at theaters, and it gave them things to talk about. Eventually, it became a widespread medium the virtually everyone enjoys. Video games also bring people of all backgrounds together and offer conversational points, but aren’t nearly at the same level of importance to society than film is. Hopefully someday, video games will become more normalized and will be valued for all that they have to offer.

I think it will eventually happen. If you think about it, those who grew up playing video games probably still play video games because it’s an act of familiar pleasure. Certain brands, such as Mario and Pokémon, keep expanding, leaving players more and more content to explore. The younger generation that once flooded the video game market are now having kids and family, which provides potential for their love of video games to be passed down.

With such a large demand and market, video games continue to outperform all other forms of media, and despite the influences that games have on society, people and the media continue to not take the video game industry. We should care more about the industry because it’s still rapidly growing and has a lot of positive effects on people that are often overlooked. By giving the industry the credit it deserves, more people will understand the power of video games, and video games will surface and become prominent to society. Game on.