When will games be as mainstream as The Dark Knight Rises?

Christopher Nolan's Batman epic is a reminder of how far games have to go before they're a mainstream cultural phenomenon.

[Jio]

As soon as the kids who grew up playing video games become adults and the ignorant people who bash video games are forced to see the medium they hate grow and mature.

[WeskerChildReborned]

Aha true, hell i might be gaming till i'm in my 60s.

[guitarded77]

I think we're starting to see it now... I'm in my mid-30's and gamers my age have really seen the medium grow into more than just a simple child's toy or distraction. Love it or hate it, franchises like CoD have really reached the mainstream level of movies/music where people who don't even game, know the franchise.

I love gaming, and I've seen the ebbs and flows of popularity in gaming. Sometimes it's very popular, and other times it's just a geek thing. The difference now is that more adults game now, and it's more socially accepted by all classes, races and genders. The biggest problem gaming has are the elitists within the community that keep the overall community fractured.

The quality of games and storytelling has come a long way, and with a more inclusive environment, and time, the gravity of games as a medium will grow. My 2 cents.

[DeadlyFire]

Why stop there? by the time your 60 you will be able to live inside of video games like being inside the Matrix.

[EVILDEAD360]

Don't know about the rest of the world (as this is anUK article) but in the US..Call of Duty is as mainstream as it gets and it has been that way since MW2..

Halo is pretty mainstream as far as awareness & popularity, but as far as this gen COD with its huge fanbase from all platfroms and yearly games from Infinity and Treyarch..nothing touches COD.

Evil

[jeseth]

Considering the 2 largest first day openings ever are now video games releases .... I'd say games are plenty mainstream ... have been since the early 90's.

What person doesn't know Mario? Halo?

Games have been mainstream since before this author was probably born!

[Disccordia]

Largest first day in terms of revenue yes but then a video game is four times more expensive than a ticket to see the latest movie.

[Awesome_Gamer]

Grand Theft Auto

[bakasora]

It has already been mainstreamed. Look at COD.

[Genecalypse]

or you know grow old and die lol

[farhad2k8]

Well, when CoD comes out, literally my whole city goes berserk. People play RIDICULOUS amounts of money for it if it gets out of stock on the first day, which 9/10 times has happened before.
So I would say CoD is pretty mainstream, not AS mainstream as some movies, but it's getting there.

[Them_Bones]

With articles like that in the hottest news section it's hard to believe they ever will, it would be awesome if I were wrong though.
I'd say quantic dream are still the closest developer to reaching public mainstream.

[DigitalRaptor]

Nah, their games are still shockingly niche though. In terms of actual mainstream popularity, no game QD ever make will have an impact on the general public. Sad.

I don't get where this article is coming from though. Call of Duty is like the most mainstream game of all time. Another sad fact, but even mothers know what Call of Duty is because it's always advertised and their kids go on about it. Nintendo made games ridiculously mainstream this gen with Wii and DS. There are several more examples.

The movie industry has had many decades to mature. Video games are still very much in their infancy and primarily aimed at young people. Sadly, games that try to mature the industry such as Heavy Rain and Beyond are ignored or go unnoticed and thus get the industry nowhere towards the sort of recognition that movies do. We need a lot more effort and time for it to happen, but as generations of people who call themselves gamers grow up, it will be more natural for people to play games. It's definitely a generational thing. I want there to be more diversity in the industry, and just like there are fun films, serious films, art films and mature films, I want to see the same categories being explored in gaming, as long as it's not gimmicky and elevates the medium.

I don't have confidence that the industry will grow and mature with many kids today being shooter/action fans and not much else, and they don't appreciate the legacy games that the gaming kids of yesteryear grew up playing.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

they are the complete opposite of mainstream, and thats what makes them so refreshing

[user5467007]

Do we really want games going more mainstream

The amount of people that I know who have went to see the Dark Knight Rises who...

A) Havent seen Batman Begins or the Dark Knight

or

B) Have never had an interest in Nolans Batman films

...has been unreal.

I suppose hype can make you do anything.

Same thing happens with games in a small way, how many people have a friend or know someone whos not really interested in gaming but have bought a sequel to a franchise which has become bigger then it's previous title yet has never played on any of the games in that franchise....just buying the game because everyone is talking about it.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Same with avengers... a good majority of the people who saw it have very little understanding of superhero's

[user5467007]

Agreed...the list goes on. Theres so many things over the recent years you can use as an example, films or video games

I think it has to do with the Wii making making games more mainstream back when it released in 2006. Now it's hard to actually find someone who is really interested in games, people assume that if you play on the big block busters games, own a console, go on a few games to kill time...then your automaticaly a gamer even though theres more to it.

I know people who go out every night to town, get drunk, have a hangover, go out the next night, have work full time or college aswell basicaly have no time for games. Yet say they're a gamer when you know someone like them can't be.

It's just that you grow up with a passion for something, which was often criticized back in the 80s, 90s for being geekish and now everyone wants a piece because it's mainstream and popualr...thinking they are up to your standards.

It could happen with anything really...

What if you studied Law/pollictics and someone just went on about a load of crap they saw in the newspapers or TV. Does that make them an expert in those fields like you.

What if you were a Media Studies student and people went on about films (big blockbusters like Dark Knight) and yet hadn't seen any classic films like Ghost Busters, Back to the Future, Big trouble in little China. Does that mean they are "Film Experts" like you

Or even if you were an art student and someone just put together a random painting and called it art. Does that mean they are an art student like you....

I know you shouldn't be bothered about this type of thing, some people I bet probably arn't fussed about it but I am because when you actually have a passion for something which was never as popular as it was, just for it to be mainstreamed into whats happened over this gen where now anyone can be a "Gamer" like yourself despite not really giving a crap....you would be a little p*ssed off.

[CarlosX360]

...Or any one of Marvel's characters.

This is the same reason why Marvel Vs Capcom was a genius marketing move by both companies.

[dericb11]

Its really sad too. I have to wait a few weeks to see because all those talkers, kids and just have to follow the hype movie watchers are going. Waiting 2 to 3 weeks to enjoy a movie is silly but I want to see all my $10+ worth lol.

[Pintheshadows]

I always wait anyway as it's pleasant to watch a film in a nice quiet cinema where people aren't talking or rustling food.

The only film i've been to see on opening day was Star Trek Nemesis. There were 3 people including me and my friend. I'm man enough to admit that I cried when Data sacrificed himself.

It still upsets me now. Why couldn't it have been Wesley Crusher.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Also, if the thing is talked about alot, then people become interested... avengers and TDKR were the 2 most hyped up films of this year

Its also why movies that win the oscars, and games that win GOTY, books that get oprahs seal of approval suddenly become so popular

Everyone wants to see what its about, even though there is a chance, they wont like it

[Pintheshadows]

I want to say first of that I like all 3 of the Nolan Batman films.

What bothers me is the people that say Nolan made Batman dark or realistic. These people call themselves 'huge Batman fans' but clearly they've never heard of Year One or seen the animated movie of the same name (which is still the best Batman film imo).

I mean Frank Miller created this arc in 1987 so it isn't like what Nolan has done is singlehandedly reinvented Batman as some would have you believe.

[matgrowcott]

There you go, that's part of the problem.

Who cares whether people aren't into it as much as you? Who cares if they're buying into games (or going to see films) that they don't fully understand? Sure, it's annoying to hear some kid going off like an expert when they have no real understanding or context for what they've seen, but it doesn't actually negatively impact on your life.

The opposite, in fact, because their money and their word-of-mouth advertising of said product will increase sales and give developers a basis on which to build their franchises further.

Complaining about it just alienates people and gives the impression that we're a community of elitist idiots.

[UnitSmiley]

What is this article talking about? Gaming IS already mainstream. Why do you think casual games and CoD sell so well? Because those games just ooooze quality? No. Because the casual games sell with parents/families and CoD is the "cool" thing right now so most of the people who play it don't even play other games. Then that results in more companies trying to copy CoD (and ruining already existing franchises in the process) and we end up with generic shooter clone 28492870294.

In fact, i'd argue that gaming becoming mainstream has actually hurt the industry more than anything.

[TopDudeMan]

But some people might start with call of duty, then hear one of their friends talking about this other game, say uncharted or something, so they try that out and love it.

Then their horizons get broader and broader until they're not content to just play call of duty and before they know it, they're a hardcore gamer. That's why I think these "cool" games are good for the industry. It helps people discover an interest for video games. I personally have around 3 friends who this has happened to and I've played with them on call of duty and suggested other games they might like and they got hooked. That's it.

We should be glad of all the attention games like call of duty are getting. It gives people a good entry point, because all their friends are playing it and they can pick up the basic skills that all games use pretty quickly. A lot of games out there wouldn't sell half as well if not for call of duty bringing more potential consumers. They might buy a console specifically to play call of duty or whatever, but that doesn't mean they can't be persuaded to play anything else.

[UnitSmiley]

I respect your opinion, and i'm glad that those 3 friends of yours are now more into gaming. But In my opinion gaming being mainstream causes more harm than good.

Literally two days ago I had to argue with someone who said "Nobody even plays "sword games" anymore, only noobs. Everyone plays shooter games now" (He literally called rpgs sword games and the rpg fans noobs). The sad part is he thought he was a real gamer and that he was correct. :/ At that point it becomes incredibly difficult to correct someone in a polite manner without sounding like an elitist prick.

[TopDudeMan]

Haha, "sword games"! That's comedy gold right there. But there's always gonna be people like that.

[UnitSmiley]

Yeah I suppose. I guess as long as their are always those that admire gaming as a hobby and aren't so easily swayed by popular opinion, things will more or less be alright. :p

[Young_ART]

I agree with you 100% about CoD's success ruining existing franchises. I played Socom ever since the ps2 days, and now the series has been ruined because they tried to appeal to the casuals.

You used to be able to go in a gaming section or store, and see a large variety of games. now? its all shooters. you might see a few rpg's but its still all modern day, or futuristic shooters. i hate it...

[NastyLeftHook0]

people don't all grow up the same, some are more attached to games then others, and some cant live without them, it just so happens movies tend to be more mainstream because of its culture dating back in the early 1900's

[JBSleek]

Gaming is already mainstream so this article is irrelevant. And by it going mainstream and it has it's pros and cons but I enjoy that more people can enjoy video games just as much as I do.

[HammadTheBeast]

if CoD can succeed, you have the evidence right there. If the game had been released maybe 10 years ago as it is now, it wouldve been a laughingstock.

[OneAboveAll]

Since when was TDKR main stream? It's a movie. People will see it then forget about it. Then it will come out on DVD and they will watch it a few times then it will sit on their shelf and collect dust because why put it in your DVD player when it's on cable tv?

Your definition of "mainstream" is hilarious.

[Megaton]

It is. It's called CoD. It shatters records across all entertainment types.

[refocusedman]

Cod shatters sales records across all entertainment types because its a 60 dollar product. The fact that movies can even compete with that means tbar at least 3x the amt of people are actually exposed to it. U can't compare video games with other types of entertainment, its like apples and oranges.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Mainstream doesn't like talking about games. The only games they'll talk about is well, Halo and Cod. But if something negative happens in our society (The Colorado shooting) then mainstream can't seem to get "videogames" out of there mouths

As far as batman is concerned, or all those comic book characters its all about the demographic. I'm a guess the ages between 6 to 60 years old. Batman as well as Spiderman, are well known, and have been around for ages (Batman a little over 70 years) Spider man 50 years. Our parents grew up reading the comics when they were kids. And in our generation, we grew up watching the Tv shows, movies, and playing the video games.

[NonApplicable]

Diablo and League of Legends are extremely popular where I live. Not to the point where parents know about them, but girls in their 20s are aware of the term "LoLing"!

[extermin8or]

COD sort of is isn't it? Using that as an example I'd rather they weren't although TDKR was an awesome film ;)

[ACBAA]

tdkr is a movie and games are, well, games. article doesnt make sense

[ChunkyLover53]

So that's what happened with TDKR, it went too mainstream and I think it lost a little something when compared to the other two films in the series.

Games are mainstream, well some games are anyway. Halo, Call Of Duty and GTA all make the news and they break records when they release. When I say make the news, they make the news in a positive way for the most part.

[PixL]

Mainstream things are usually crap. We have enough crappy games to want more.

[Swiftcricket]

Games pretty much ARE mainstream now. Anyone that gamed back in the 80's and 90's will notice the huge difference in gaming popularity and hell, even acceptance. Used to, playing games made you a "nerd" or a "dork" even if you were a kid, now it's completely normal for kids and adults to play games. Save for a select few close-minded people of course.

[StreetsofRage]

Call of Duty and Halo are mainstream.

[TheFallenAngel]

Call of Duty yes, Halo? no. Plus everyone knows what Mario is.

[StreetsofRage]

^^^^^

Says the sony fanboy...

[DJ]

Once Sony and Microsoft develop consoles that are not replaced for 20 years, then we'll see mainstream popularity.

[Lord_Sloth]

This is why I lose interest in major movies before even seeing them...EVERYBODY bring it up all the time and when it finally comes out, I'm already tired of hearing about it. I'm burned out.

Even gaming websites looking for a reason to mention TDKR...

[ginsunuva]

Tdkr isn't mainstream. In fact it's made for people who've seen all 3 films, and have a decent knowledge of batman lore. The Warner Brothers advertising is all over the world, and hypes people up insanely.

So it's good: Batman fans have a movie that somewhat caters to them, and everyone else (who dont even understand what went on in the films) gives Mr. Nolan a ton of money to make more films.

[Afterlife]

Wii Fit
Just Dance
Halo
Call of Duty
GTA
Mario
Pokemon

[kornbeaner]

What is this article referring to? Videogames have grown into something that very few movies can ever dream of matching. Movies as a media form has been around 120 years while videogames have only been around 30 - 35 years, but have managed to produce huge franchises that for better or worse are recognized the world over. Franchises like Halo, Call of Duty, Grand theft auto, Final Fantasy, Donkey Kong and Mario.

20+ years ago there were lines forming around blocks to go watch "The Wizard" because it had the first footage of a little game called Super Mario 3. This is something no Movie can ever match, especially in this age of the internet. Movies got about a 100 year head start on Videogames, but videogames have truly fanatic fans that love 1 or more franchises to the point where they spend hours upon days playing the same game over and over. What movie can truly say "our fans will watch our movie non-stop for days and months at a time"? None.

While Videogames as a media, I believe have a lot of maturing to do, especially when it comes to how a story is told, its success as a media, is something I believe, no other media outside of books, has been able to match to the extent of what Videogames has done in its short history.

[BitbyDeath]

They became mainstream back in the PS2 era with games like Buzz and SingStar, the Wii further propelled it, followed by COD.

But hey, welcome to the year 2000.

[MeatAbstract]

Gaming is one of, if not the, largest entertainment industries in the woorld. I think it's pretty mainstream.

[dcbronco]

Yeah, I'm not sure how much more mainstream it can get. The games industry is larger than the film industry at this point I believe. And the three highest openings are games. The last two CoDs and GTAIV. The story is from the Guardian so I think this is one of those situations were an old person still thinks something is still big from when they were younger. Black Ops made over 400 million in the first 24 hours in NA and the UK alone. And Halo 3 held the entertainment record back when it was released.

It might be time to retire old man.

[taquito]

:(

dammit, i had a whole clever comment written and deleted it

:(

[Xenomorph]

When they sell millions in the first weeks...oh wait they already DO.

[adamant715]

The question is moreso when will games mature to the levels of movies like TDK, Avatar, etc. With actual meaning rather than just mindless shooting like in CoD and Battlefield.

Basically, when will games like Uncharted or Heavy rain become the norm.

[jerethdagryphon]

Mainstream really refers to . Publicly acceptable. In that way e sports made the first inroads towards public acceptability. House hold names halo gears cod gt conti.ie to push the idea of gamers from pimply faced greasy fat kids living like troglodytes. To working men and women who play games the same way . Housewives stereotypically watch soaps. There still a ways to go before gaming is mainstream enough to be satirised publicly in prime time shows. Technicaaly gamers are still a subculture. Abeit one with more members and.less risk of being mistaken As perverse. When gaming as a whole loses the stigma then it will truly be mainstream. Face book and popcap bring casual games to everyone's mind but those army the type of game generly covered by the term. Core gamers are what i refer to .

Typed on a phone sorry for formating

[honkayjeezus]

2004

[lpc]

Lun babay ka games best ha

[Mr Tretton]

Who cares? If anything, too much success ruins everything.

[Qrphe]

But they are national sports in other countries so they have already become more important than DKR

[Pana]

The plot and dialogue in Rises was abysmal compared to its predecessors, so this is basically insulting videogames.

[ShiftyLookingCow]

Games will become mainstream when Kratos, Marcus Fenix, Nathan Drake and Master Chief get together to open a babies daycare center ...

Just watch that old Mario movie. You will forget mainstream and get back to playing games.

[ReconHope]

Funny because i was watching dark knight and during the previews they had a trailer for Black Ops 2. This old lady next to me was cheering and clapping talking about how she was going to the midnight launch with her son.

[CanadianTurtle]

I'll be gaming till the day I die :D

[mamotte]

In my country:

Dark Night Rises: 2,5 dollars to see it. 3 hours of my life spent doing it.

Batman: Arkham City: 55 dollars. 15 hours of my life playing it.

And people still wonder why cinema is more mainstream that videogames...

[Fateful_Knight]

Don't let passion within our own industry, and the subculture in which we swim in here every day be mistaken for anything close to mainstream. Gaming is NOT mainstream. We just like to think that because we know a few people who play COD. Mainstream suggests understanding and acceptability within a culture at large. So far this hasn't happened yet. Gaming is still a socially immature hobby in the eyes of most people in society. We are still treated like outcasts by all nongamers.

Let me ask you this...After the tragic theatre shooting in Colorado why has nobody stepped forward to condemn the comic book industry? or the superhero genre in general, and it's part in contributing to the M.O of the assailant? Because comic books and their mythology are an accepted part of the mainstream. If the attacker was wearing a COD shirt instead of red painted hair, then gaming would be in the hot seat once again.