For decades, cynics have argued that video games have no real artistic value. They're mindless escapism, they say: gaming is nothing more than a button-mashing, meaningless medium which can't compete with the subtleties and subtext of films, television or books.
Of course, for entertainment history buffs, all this negativity sounds familiar. Radio was judged inferior to books, silent films were inferior to radio, talkies were inferior to silent movies, and television was a lesser medium than film.
But the new media eventually usurped the earlier media. The sales figures for video games suggest that they are doing that, too. Over the past four years, video games have consistently outdone films in terms of release-week sales.
Last December, Call of Duty: Black Ops became the highest-grossing game in history when it took in US$1 billion - in just over one month of release. It was the biggest entertainment opening of all time - bigger than Titanic, Avatar and every other Hollywood blockbuster.
That's just money, critics say. It's rich parents tossing US$50 to their spoiled kids to buy the latest ultra-violent shooter. Video games aren't art and they never will be. But even that tide is turning. Just last month, the US National Endowment for the Arts expanded on its Arts in Media guidelines to include digital games and it will offer up to US$200,000 in funding to designers.
As the summer rolls around and the film industry tries desperately to regain box-office composure by raising ticket prices for the endless stream of 3-D films, video games are doing what they do best. The slate of summer releases is exciting, and while their 3-D aspects are currently limited to one console, that might all soon change (see sidebar).
Until then, if you are a video game fan interested in what's coming up over the next few months, read on. For anyone bold enough to leap into the newly-dominant medium, our handy recommendations are useful for easy mental adjustment.