Agreed on all points. I would venture to say the median age of so-called "gamers" is somewhere around late teens to early twenties perhaps, but even at that, the demo for game devs is squarely teens. Also, the parallel between gaming and animation that you brought up bears emphasis. Devs are in dire need of taking a page out of the animation industry's book. The reason Pixar can come out with a masterpiece like Toy Story 3, or Frederator with Adventure Time, is precisely because they have a clear understanding of consumers outside what would traditionally be their demo and how to deliver content that can be engaging for those viewers. While games may do their damnedest to be (M for) "mature" and introduce more complex concepts than they did say, 5-10 years ago, they almost universally lack the subtext or nuance that the shining examples of animated works possess. In the end, instead of being compelling, these themes just come across as hollow and pandering. Don't get me wrong, it's slowly getting there and notable exceptions do exist, but they're few and far between.
I could go on, but I feel like I'm rambling already. Hope that makes sense.
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