Video games and the mass media have had a complex relationship for about as long as there have been reasons to talk about games in any meaningful sense. It hasn’t always been civilized or fair, mostly on the part of talking heads whose only knowledge of games comes from uninformed word-of-mouth instead of serious, hands-on time. So what better way to end the decade then to take a look back at some of the mass media's best and worst moments of the past 10 years, and reflect on how far (or not so far) the media have come in their understanding and portrayal of video games.

1. Mass Effect, Fox News and Amazon Ratings Bombing

The spark that ignited this particular powder keg of controversy came when self-help author Cooper Lawrence appeared on Fox News’ The Live Desk with Martha MacCallum, and strongly criticized BioWare’s critically acclaimed sci-fi role-playing game, Mass Effect for reducing women to nothing but sexual objects and giving players the chance to engage in graphic sexual acts. In response to Lawrence’s lies (for which she later apologized), gamers descended on the Amazon page for her book, The Cult of Perfection: Making Peace with Your Inner Overachiever, flooding it with 1-star ratings and vicious attacks on her book as well as her personally. Amazon eventually removed the majority of these ratings and comments, but even today, most of her reviews are 1-star.

2. Virginia Tech Massacre, Counter-Strike and Jack Thompson

Thanks to Fox News (once again) and disbarred anti-violent video game advocate/Looney McCrazy-Balls, Jack Thompson (among others), the primary topic of discussion following the horrific mass shooting at Virginia Tech University in 2007 was the influence of Valve’s first-person shooter Counter-Strike on crazed gunman Seung-Hui Cho. Even though several sources and police examinations of Cho’s possessions strongly indicated that he had little to no exposure to Counter-Strike or other violent video games.

3. PBS Special: "The Video Game Revolution"

This PBS special aired back in 2005, and unfortunately, most of the video segments that remain are small, pixilated Real Player clips, but the essays and articles are still available and encompass one of the most comprehensive and reasoned examinations of the history of video games you’ll likely ever see from a media outlet. Interviews with developers, popular gaming myths debunked and even classic game cheats; the full spectrum of the medium is represented, and this is exactly why PBS is PBS.

4. Wii Media Madness!

When the Nintendo Wii launched back in 2006, it was kind of a big deal. And while it’s expected that the media would be remiss to avoid covering the launch of a new game console, the coverage bordered on creepy-obsessive leading up to the launch. And over the past few years, that adoration has continued to the point where you have programs like The Today Show featuring the console in various segments to show off the wide-ranging appeal of the console. At one point earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey caused minor mass purchasing hysteria when gossip site TMZ spotted her shopping for a Wii in Hawaii, and all anyone could talk about was whether the Oprah effect would cause Wii sales to skyrocket. That of course didn’t happen, but it was definitely worth getting all worked up about.

5. "No Russian," No Problem

After word leaked that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 included a sequence in which players would participate in a horrific terrorist attack in a Moscow airport, gamers everywhere started stockpiling rations, stacking up sandbags, boarding up windows, and securing their anti-violent video game-proof vests in preparation for media hellfire to reign down on their beloved medium. And while Fox News once again attempted to have a “fair and balanced” debate about the game, "No Russian" didn’t generate the media tsunami that everyone expected it would. And it was much appreciated. Then again, it will be interesting to see how the media responds should someone actually shoot up an airport in the near future.