In the coming weeks, the onslaught of Halo 3 media coverage will undoubtedly cause an overload in our circuits. Some of us will probably reach the point of breakdown and finally snap (and many of us already have). Despite the love/hate extremes Halo 3 brings out of all of us, there is one underlying truth found here: Video Games are becoming the penchant of the entertainment industry. Thus, it is not surprising when analysts are predicting that Halo 3 will be bigger than this year's Hollywood blockbuster, Spider Man 3:

Microsoft expects "Halo 3? -- the conclusion to the sci-fi, man-vs.-alien juggernaut, to best the $151-million opening weekend of "Spider-Man 3? in a single day.

Let's get one thing straight here: Halo 3 = video game ; Spider Man 3 = movie. And if you still think Halo 3 is some freak accident, then this might change your tune:

In July alone, video games accounted for $925.5 million in sales nationwide.

Who said this summer was a slump for video games? There is an obvious trend here. Video games are fast becoming THE media standard for entertainment. Should Hollywood be scared? Probably not. However, ignoring this juggernaut of an industry would be a major oversight. I expect in the coming years we will see Hollywood more or less melding forces with the video game industry. And likewise, video game developers and publishers will be exploiting the resources and talents of Hollywood. It won't happen overnight, and it probably won't result in a glorious utopia envisioned; however, I have a hard time believing the two would ever be at odds. There is a lot of money and far too many resources to exploit.

Look at it this way, at least with consoles you don't have to worry about obnoxious smacktards talking and giggling during your movie. Plus, as found with DVDs, you can stop, divert attention, and then pickup where you left off. In case you haven't been paying attention, you will notice the 360 & PS3 are true first generation media center slash game devices. Not only that, but each are pushing the HiDef era as well (some would argue better than the standalone equivalents). This is something that directly competes against the movie theater business, since essentially you are bringing the movie theater experience to home with little or no compromise. Some would debate the PS3 is more one than the other. Semantics aside, the door is wide open now. It doesn't take much foresight to see something like TV shows and movies distributed simultaneously, if not exclusive, to consoles. Not the repackaged stuff like we see on Xbox Live right now, mind you. I'm talking about full on Battlestar Gallactica episodes for download the day it airs on TV. Commercial free? Who knows. The lines are now blurring. Interesting times ahead.

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