Whether you play them or not, anyone who’s even remotely interested in video games should listen to this clip from NPR’s Talk of the Nation in which Neal Conan interviews Tom Bissell, author of the book Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter.

Neal gets to the bottom line right away – “Video games sold $18 billion worth of product last year – more than books, more than Hollywood – which raises a question – if you have to be fluent with Casablanca and Citizen Kane to be considered a cultured person, if you have to have read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, do you also need to have played through Red Dead Redemption, Call of Duty, and Braid? And if you don’t, what are you missing?”

Screenshot from the fabulous & lovely game Flower, for PS3

The program also features Kellee Santiago, president and co-founder of thatgamecompany, which produced such innovative games as Flow, Flower, and Cloud.  The three discuss the evolution of video games, what place they occupy in culture today, and where they see the industry going from here. Great show, thanks TOTN!

Looking for comments – what are some of your favorite video games, past and present?  Have you played any lately that surprised and/or impressed you with their format, content, storyline, visuals, etc.?  Any other thoughts on how the role of video games has changed over the years?  Thanks!