Here in Chicago, the Sun Times and Chicago Tribune (the two big papers in town) continue to ignore video games or only report the negative -- just like the vast majority of other news outlets. Sure, they both have the occasional feature articles, but the coverage is minimalist and often lacking in scope.

The best example of this is the Sunday section of the Tribune -- which has a giant "Arts & Entertainment" section. In it, you can get news and reviews on every conceivable art form known to man: music, movies, TV, plays, art fairs -- literally everything you'd expect. It's a standard section that seems to be well organized, and well written with one glaring exception. There are no video games mentioned. AT ALL -- ever.

Time and time again, I look at the section and just shake my head. And, this is just the smallest example of this trend in the mass media. The video game enthusiast press covers what traditional gamers want, but what about all these new supposed casual gamers? The mass media was plenty happy to report on Wii shortages and the crazy Halo 3 launch, but you'll never hear them report about "that new hit game _____ that everyone is picking up."

Rather, they continue to droll out the typical entertainment mumbo jumbo: weekend box office numbers and celebrity gossip. Do they seriously think that gamers wouldn't be more attracted to their format if their primary hobby was at least mentioned in passing?

The facts speak for themselves.

TOP 10 INDUSTRY FACTS – provided by the ESA

1. US computer and video game software sales grew six percent in 2006 to $7.4 billion – almost tripling industry software sales since 1996.

2. Sixty-seven percent of American heads of households play computer and video games.

3. The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years.

4. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 38 years old. In 2007, 92 percent of computer game buyers and 80 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

5. Eighty-five percent of all games sold in 2006 were rated "E" for Everyone, "T" for Teen, or "E10+" for Everyone 10+. For more information on ratings, please see www.esrb.org.

6. Eighty-six percent of game players under the age of 18 report that they get their parents’ permission when renting or buying games, and 91 percent say their parents are present when they buy games.

7. Thirty-six percent of American parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together.

8. Thirty-eight percent of all game players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (31%) than boys age 17 or younger (20%).

9. In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999.

10. Forty-nine percent of game players say they play games online one or more hours per week. In addition, 34 percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cell phone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, gaming has officially passed music in total yearly sales and by 2011, the worldwide gaming market will be worth $48.9 billion.

There's this really weird disconnect going on. In fact, it's so bizarre I'd almost classify it as a conspiracy theory. Now, before you run away and assume I'm crazy, just consider the extremely skewed views of editors and producers who don't see the inherent monetary value in these stories for their viewers and readers.

With 67% of American households owning a game console and the media's target age being 18-35 (gaming's core demo), it doesn't take a genius to figure out there is a giant piece of the puzzle missing.

So, what gives? Isn’t this a perfect match? Wouldn't you think they'd be dying to get readers and viewers in that age bracket by grabbing them with things that THEY'RE interested in, like video games? You’d sure think so.

No matter which why I flip it, dissect it or analyze it -- the logic fails. My only conclusion? The mass media is AFRAID of gaming and only cares to report on the ill contrived negative perceptions that are thrown about on PURPOSE. Popularizing stereotypes -- like all games having graphic sex and violence --will keep the average American fearful of the medium. By keeping games in the gutter news department, they can continue to try to sell the public on it being a niche, a trend, a temporary fad -- all while they make billions in ad revenue.

NEWS FLASH: They’re flat out wrong. Gaming is not going away. And no combination of spin, lies and ignorance can do anything to change that.

Fox News (surprise!) jumped on the anti-video game bandwagon again this week by attempting to claim Mass Effect contains graphic sex (it doesn't if you didn't know). The ignorance and lack of subject knowledge on display below is frightening. I imagine I'd be just as useful if you put me in a room of pregnant women entering their final month and then asked my opinion on epidurals. Sometimes you just need to know when to keep your mouth shut.



EA's Jeff Brown, VP of Communications, immediately jumped to action following this report. And, it appears that I'm not the only one who thinks TV might be actively trying to sabotoge the game industry through this type of bogus reporting.

"As videogames continue to take audiences away from television, we expect to see more TV news stories warning parents about the corrupting influence of interactive entertainment. But this represents a new level of recklessness.

Do you watch the Fox Network? Do you watch Family Guy? Have you ever seen The OC? Do you think the sexual situations in Mass Effect are any more graphic than scenes routinely aired on those shows? Do you honestly believe that young people have more exposure to Mass Effect than to those prime time shows?

This isn't a legal threat; it's an appeal to your sense of fairness. We're asking FNC to correct the record on Mass Effect."