[Mikey]

Putting aside technical advancements (which are sort of obvious and not what I think you're talking about, Luvcraft) I'm not sure that I think games are maturing quite as quickly as you say. To be sure, SotC and HL2 are some pretty big milestones, and there are promising new IPs on the way which I hope will foster further changes in game design.

I mean let's compare games to film, for a moment, so I can try to draw out an awkward comparison.

Let's say for the sake of argument that Super Mario Bros. played a role in the history of games similar to something like Citizen Kane. One of those things which people commonly regard as a big step forward in each of their respective mediums. (Arguments can be made about the greatness of either, but just go with me for a moment).

So, extending the comparison, where are we now? Maybe Final Fantasy VII was roughly equivalent to Star Wars? I.e., not especially amazing on their own merits but with enough power to leave a very strong impression on an entire generation; and also spawning an obsession in both industries with technical advancement.

So going with a movie/game comparison, where do you think the games industry is?

[Mikey]

Only if you try to make your games into movies - otherwise I think the comparison isn't a bad one, since both are relatively young forms of entertainment/expression/wutevah.

[Mikey]

James, I'm actually pretty intrigued by your games/advertisement comparison - the sports comparison is obvious and pop art/pop music seems sensible enough; but ads? I'm not sure I would have looked at them that way unless you just brought it up - lay it out for me?