Jorge Arango

Forbes has an interesting take on why these things are so popular:

Now that generation [of people in their late 20s and early 30s who grew up playing coin-operated games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man] has cash to spend - and it no longer has Mom cutting them off from their games to make them do their chores and homework. It’s the same enduring moneymaking appeal that previous generations have shown for aging rock stars-part nostalgia, part making up for all those hours they wanted to play but couldn’t. Maybe that’s why French gamemaker Infogrames renamed itself Atari recently.

But it’s also because videogames are as much a modern necessity as a TV set and a cable connection.

That’s the first time I see a “respectable” media outlet referring to videogames as one of the essentials of modern living. I own a PS2, and I use it primarily as a DVD player. I’m usually so busy that I find it very hard to justify sinking time on the games, although I do love them dearly.