It’s amazing how video games have really changed since the days of the NES, huh? Back then, they were sort of cool, not nearly as popular, and often seen as a toy for a child instead of a mainstream form of entertainment. Fast forward 25 years and suddenly you have video games acting as the main source of entertainment for many many people.

I think Sony had a lot to do with this growth of the industry. While Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis did a decent job of growing the number of people owning consoles, the perception of these consoles being nothing more than toys really didn’t dissipate until late in the life of the PS1. It took another generation, though, for things to full swing in the opposite direction. With the introduction of the PS2 and some of it’s more mature titles, namely Grand Theft Auto, views of games being nothing more than colorful plumbers jumping on mushrooms changed and people began to realize that these devices could entertain adults, too.

Sony left that pitch still hanging, though, when Microsoft came around and, once and for all, solidified the position of video games as a legitimate form of entertainment for people of all ages. The combination of the Xbox 360 (the first console released this generation) and it’s online service, Xbox Live, people from all walks of life started coming together to play video games. Multi-player games, such as Halo and Call of Duty, brought large groups of people together, virtually, and gave them all something to talk about the next day. Some of those people were in a classroom and some were around a water cooler. For the first time, kids and adults were sharing the exact same experiences. Who made a great headshot on their friend? Who crushed their co-worker in a game of Madden? These questions are now just as common as reactions to the latest movies or songs.

It’s been a fun journey, when I stop to think about it. For those people who don’t get it or think that people like me are immature because we play these games, you need to realize things are a lot different now. Exit out of Farmville, log off of Pogo, and close that DS, and take time to recognize the fact that we’re all gamers, whether we think it’s dumb or not cause these games really aren’t a kid’s toy anymore.