Honestly, I think one of the most amusing things I ever hear people say is in regards to my gaming hobby. "I just don't get [games]." It's a simple sentence, but at the very core of it is something I don't get: How can you not "get" games? Seriously, the concept alone baffles me. It's not that I think those people are stupid, but rather, I cannot understand the concept of "not getting" a video game.

   For example: Are you into music? Art? Sports? How about movies? If you answered "yes" to any of them, then you've "got" video games. What? That didn't grab you? Okay. Video games are a form of entertainment. Read that carefully. Video games are a form of entertainment. What's so different about video games is the level of interactivity they share with both the creators of the games, and the consumers of the games.

   When you go to a concert, you can't control the songs that the band plays. Or how loud the speakers are. You don't control when it begins, or when it ends. A painting? You have no influence over how it looks when it comes out, or where the painting is stored. And a movie? I think you get my point. Each medium allots for only so much interactivity, but each one stands on its own merits as a form of legitimate entertainment.

   This is why I get annoyed by the narrow-minded individuals who go so far as to assert that any medium is "superiour" to the medium of the video game. The video game grants the consumer the rare opportunity to "control" what they're seeing. If you don't like a scene, you can skip it, or look in another direction (in some games). In other games, what you do in one section can affect what happens in another (positively, or negatively). This applies not only to people, but items, quests, and even endings. The video game medium allows for the player to (in most cases) craft a story based on themselves.
   Good examples of this are RPGs (Role Playing Games) such as Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3, Borderlands, and most Dungeons & Dragons games. These games give you a basic character model, in which you can allocate points to strengthen your character to suit the way you think and play the best. Some people prefer power, so they'll allocate their points into strength, and use strong weapons to deal massive damage right away. Others prefer stealth, and will allocate points into agility and silent skills (like backstab).
   Another example would be the Grand Theft Auto series. While having a linear story, the GTA series allows the player to approach most objectives in the manner they see as best. Whether that is ramming their car into the objective til it explodes/dies, or firing rockets from a rooftop.

   The basis of gaming is to allow the player to experience a story that is driven by THEIR actions, and involves the player in the decisions of the Player Character (PC). This creates a medium that is completely UNLIKE the other art mediums out there. But that's not all.
   Gaming (like music, and art) has many genres and sub-genres. One of the more popular (current) genres is the "Rhythm Music" genre (Rock Band, Guitar/DJ/Band Hero). The genre consists of a game built around pre-existing musical tracks (from all different types of musical genres), and allows the player to "play" the song, by hitting pre-set "notes" on-screen. One of the benefits of this genre is the improvement of hand-eye-coordination. In fact, this isn't just limited to "Rhythm Music" games, but Light-Gun games (Time Crisis, CarnEvil, House Of The Dead, Silent Scope, et al.) as well. In fact, many games rely on the player developing a good reflex system, and ability to adapt to varying situations.
   A good example of this is in the latest PS3 exclusive release, Demon's Souls. It is a game that is touted as one of the hardest games ever made. The game is hard, but with the ability to adapt to each enemy, and situation, you can progress further within the game, and drive the story to its conclusion. This is what sets the gaming medium into a different realm of art than other formats. This is not to say that gaming is BETTER than other forms of art, but that it is unique, and a valid form of entertainment; as well as a beneficial past-time.

   It's not hard to "get" video games, because there is nothing to "get". Gaming is simply an interactive medium; a hobby. Gaming has come a long way since the days of PacMan, and Missile Command. Games today carry steep budgets (Infinity Ward's "Call Of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2" cost $40-50 million to produce), and "Blockbuster/Hollywood" storylines (See: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves). Games try to introduce in-depth characters, dramatic set-pieces, hard hitting action set-pieces, and are trying harder and harder to immerse players into their fantasy worlds. Gaming is also undergoing studies to determine the positive, and negative effects of playing them.
   Gaming has definitely matured since the conception of games in 1947; not only as an entertainment medium, but as an art form. Brushing it off because you can't enjoy it, is pretty much as ignorant as claiming a person's musical tastes is "wrong". And trying to "get it", will only stop you from being able to enjoy it.