Copeland says that gamers are, in greater numbers, extending use of technology from one part of their lives into many different areas, to create a holistic digital lifestyle. "The gamer is now changing in what they use the computer for," he says. And a digital lifestyle can require a lot of throughput.

If Copeland's remarks and Eddy's story don't convince you about the growing sense of urgency by technologists around gaming as a platform, its opportunity and what it means for the IT space, consider this announcement that just crossed the transom within the past 24 hours:

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Feb. 19, 2008 -- Global leaders of the PC gaming industry announced today the formation of the PC Gaming Alliance, a non-profit organization that unites hardware and software creators, game developers and publishers, and others committed to the PC gaming market with the common purpose of advancing the PC as a worldwide gaming platform.

There is such a sense of urgency around this opportunity that it's bringing enemies together. The board of directors of the PC Gaming Alliance includes executives from Dell as well as Acer, Intel as well as AMD. Yes, alliances come and go and some achieve absolutely nothing. This one, though, gives off a different vibe.

From the alliance's announcement, the group says "(i)t will focus on driving coordinated marketing and promotion of PC gaming, consistent and accurate reporting of PC gaming market sizing and research, and creating forums for member companies to cooperate on solutions to challenges facing the PC gaming industry, such as hardware requirements, anti-piracy, and more. PCGA will develop and promote guidelines and recommendations and foster information sharing between members to accelerate the PC gaming industry."

If it's really less about gaming, and more about the "digital lifestyle," the implications of what happens when the folks from Dell sit across the table from the folks from Acer, and the folks from AMD sit across the table from the folks at Intel could loom a little larger than other alliances in the past.