Dead Pixels 5: The Way They Were

Raise your hands, or varied appendages, if you kind of sort of think games used to be better. I don't mean better technologically; after experiencing Bioshock and Gears of War I doubt anyone could return to the original Doom with a straight face. I think what I mean is more creative.
If you're only recently new to gaming, you may not even know what I'm talking about here. But there was a time in gaming when you could take the most insane, possibly acid-induced plotline, mix it with characters straight out of a fever dream, and have a hit for the ages. To cite the most obvious example, I seriously doubt anyone could get away today with a game starring an overweight plumber stomping on living mushrooms. But there were others. Jump for joy if you remember, say, The Adventures of Lolo, in which your fearsome powers included block-pushing and turning enemies into eggs. Congrats, you recall a day when gaming was one big trip.
Anymore, those types of games would be relegated to DLC or handhelds. They don't possess the major component that makes for a hot seller now: guns. Guns and more guns.
This isn't to say I don't like guns. I do, at least in a virtual sense. It just bothers me that every original game that hopes to be a major hit absolutely must have them. Yes, many games that fit that mold really are great. Bioshock took my breath away, and the Ratchet and Clank series blends classic gaming with modern gunplay in a way that is consistently entertaining and hilarious (penguin gun=best thing ever).
There are exceptions to this rule, sure. Assassin's Creed flew off shelves lacking a single firearm. Of course, many people sold it back when they realized they had to be patient and planning and not kill something every five seconds. But that's beside the point. The point is, Altair is the exception to the rule. Take a look at the major hits of the last handful of years: Gears of War. Call of Duty. Halo. Half-Life. Resistance. Killzone. Resident Evil. And of course, perennial video game scapegoat Grand Theft Auto.
A lot of these games have a lot more to them than violence. Resident Evil 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV have a hallowed place in my personal collection. But the thrust of my gist is, it's the violence that draws people in. Witness the number of used copies of Grand Theft Auto IV you find, sold by people who found out they had to actually endure a story and characters instead of just kill people.
Whether I agree or not, it is honestly not too much of a shock that gaming gets such a black eye in the general press. Sales drive development, and as long as gems like Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts and Zack and Wiki endure dismal sales while even the blandest new bloodfest shooters fly off shelves, gaming will not break the reputation of being a blood-drenched adolescent power fantasy.