I come from a slightly older era in video games.. when 3d games were starting to become popular I started to play them. For whatever reason, it just fascinated me in an artistic sense. I grew up on Doom, Heretic, System Shock and the like. It was a strange time in the industry, or maybe that's how I perceived it. Things were changing, and the results of that era are visible today, undoubtedly. Somewhere along the line though(2 years ago), I started growing more and more distant from the entertainment style I knew and loved, for the simple reason that games seemed to rely more on style than substance, that pretty 3D graphics made or broke a game.

Finally, I think we're in the midst of a great time for the art of video games, as they're finally(or continuing) starting to break through from the simple restraints they once had. Nowadays its just as(if not more)fulfilling to watch a movie in the theatres as it is to load up a badass game. It's amazing what can be accomplished in this medium these days. Gears of War, BioShock and Call of Duty 4 are some of my prime examples here, because finally I think games can be visually stunning and full of amazing gameplay at the same time. The content and the style compliment each other in games like that. You really have to step back and gaze in wonder at just how far games have come sometimes. Who ever knew that there'd be products like Half Life 2 available during the early 90s?

All in all, what I'm getting at here is that this seems to be a brilliant time to love video games and to be a part of the giant community they spawn, and now is as good a time as any to get into it if you haven't already for some reason.