On this, the launch date of Halo 3, I would be delinquent if I failed to devote at least one post to the language of gaming. Or gaming’s impact on language. Or the games we play that play games with language.

For those of you who’ve just woken from a centuries-long sleep á la Ash in Army of Darkness: Gaming is a big deal. The Tokyo Game Show just ended and Master Chief began his final campaign, yet the mainstream world is slower than frozen molasses when it comes to acknowledging that gaming is the mainstream. Why is it finally happening? Is it Nintendo’s adeptness at engaging the entire family in playing the Wii? Is it the killer consoles and games that take graphics, interactivity and fun to an entirely new level?

Sure. That, and a lot of money.

Quite a few articles mention Halo 3’s new features and fantastic gameplay, but many have focused on the filthy lucre. Seth Schiesel’s story in The New York Times quotes a statement from Microsoft: “In our first few hours on sale, all signs indicate that we will indeed have achieved the biggest entertainment retail day in history.” “Entertainment retail” doesn’t just mean games, people. We’re talking bigger than blockbuster movie weekends.

Want more proof? Here’s a clip of Master Chief presiding over the closing bell at NASDAQ today.

gamers, gaming, Halo 3, language, media, news, writing