A portion of a Joystiq interview with Jay Cohen, Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences member...

J: Are games important?

JC: They are the most important entertainment medium of the near and long term future. Games combine the best of audio, visual, and interactive technology and drive progress and improvement within each discipline like no other medium.

J: What's the biggest challenge you see facing the industry?

JC: "Finding" our audience...there are so many platforms available in the home, at the office, on your mobile device, on the web, that it's becoming a huge challenge to stay connected with your audience and find them where they are when they are.