Actually, a lot of people from the 80s and 90s have gone on to enter both the 'media' industry and gaming industry.  The problem is, those two industries are so lucrative, you have to have both extreme credentials AND pretty much 'know the right people' to get anywere.  As for melding both those industries together, we've seen what happens with that idea with sites like IGN, GameSpot and etc....that's just an extension of the worldwide problem of media bias.  And I doubt if a new group of people took over those sites that we'd see much of a change, just a new set of bias.

Perhaps, but I think gaming was and still is in it's infancy. even in the late 80s and early 90s it was still seen as more a thing for children to do. Playstation introduced the concept of an older audience with it's games, to the mainstream, but that's still less than a full generation (not console- 20 yrs) ago. Although PC games may have been seen as mature before, they really didn't enter mainstream attention. There are probably very few gamers in senior management positions within the mainstream media.

The thing that's different about the gaming industry is, there's a lot of smaller companies started by 'gamers' who are now in their mid 20s or early 30s.  Even some major companies like 2K2 games and such which are run by the younger generation.  True, most of the major corperations such as Nintendo, Konami, EA, Midway are all probably run by people over 45, but there's a lot of newer blood in the industry.  From the small 3 man groups making WiiWare/Live games to the Upstart companies signed on with the big companies like EA, SCEA, Nintendo.  So they're out there.

As a storytelling medium it's pretty juvenile. As a game it lacks any real national or international competitive aspect like sports do. When it manages to conquer one or both, it'll get treated differently. I mean what's there to report as opposed to a thousand other toys that also get a bad rap? 

the maisntream media cant seem to get over the fact that games arent for kids anymore, games liek Mass Effect (mentioned in the article) are a perfect example of an adult storyline, with amazing voice talent, art direction, etc

and yet since you can have sex in the game it gets blasted

You mean a medium which has hitherto prided itself on almost exclusively chasing juvenile males gets a bum rap with the rest of society?

Shock and awe, man. Shock and awe.

I meant gamers that work in mainstream media outlets like Sky, Fox etc. (Well, maybe not Fox as it's a big joke for news). There are probably a good number, but how many are in higher management positions where they can actually influence what is being broadcast or published? Unless that changes the mainstream media will never take gaming as a hobby or form of art seriously.

The thing about consoles is that you can't make a game that would be a drama or slice of life-esqe, since most people want to have fun while gaming and are not even prepared to see a game that would tell a story from the likes of Forest Gump or the sixth sense and still hold the same intensity that the movies had.

Not only that, would gamers even buy games like that? games that would indeed make you sad or happy or reflective on life? Current games on display give us that for maybe 2-3 minutes while the rest is testing our manual control ablities and reflex. And while these games are fun, no doubt, they hardly are made to convey a serious story at the same time.

Interestingly, last year the Associated Press had two reporters at E3.

The video game reporter panned Nintendo.
The general features reporter loved Nintendo.

Hmmmm. Differences in perceptions, is it not.
While there are differences in all forms of media, what video game journalists and the video game industry often celebrate is not what resonates with the general public. And there be the rub.

Mike from Morgantown

The mainstream media will take this art form more seriously when the industry itself matures.

From reviews, critics, journalists to analysts. It has been shown many times before. Until the industry "all grows up" it will still be looked down upon by other forms of art. And honestly, rightfully so.