Remember those kids you used to know who rocked the arcade every day after school?  Well, they’ve grown up, and they’re not giving up their Video games.

Accorting to “Nielsen-NetRatings”
More than one in three U.S. adults who go online, or 37 percent, own a video game console and 16 percent own a portable gaming device.The majority of those console owners, 71 percent, are married, and 66 percent have at least one child in the household.

"As game consoles have become increasingly sophisticated, families have incorporated them into their centralized home media centers, which include the television, digital recording device, digital music player and the PC," said Carolyn Creekmore, senior director of
media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings.

Microsoft and Sony are having a good old-fashioned Knife Fight for the top spot in the 30 million dollar industry. Their respective systems represent the “Next gen” consoles. Digital hubs that sit in a home theater systems and become a part of daily life.

Sony in particular is taking a huge gamble on success. They installed a Blu-ray high-definition DVD player in each of its new PS3 consoles, which are available for $500 or $600. The Playstation brand has always been a pillar for Sony, and if blu-ray fails…. It’s possible Sony fails.

Nintendo took a different approach. They created a party console. Rather than depend on a system that used buttons and analong sticks, they created a controller that responded to your very movements. This means that the learning curve is so low, anyone can pick it up and play, your auntie, your grandpa… ANYONE.

It’s pretty clear that video games are moving out of the basement and into mainstream culture. Maybe its time you listened to the Xbox slogan… and “Jump in”
 

Andrew "Aleon" Leon

-I'm out