In the same way that nurses take exception to those inevitable conversations about their work uniform, I’ve grown increasingly weary of people who call me a nerd, or openly laugh in my face when I tell them I work in the games industry.

This week, gaming became the new film star, as it established itself as the world’s largest and most profitable entertainment medium.

Having worked in games for the last 18 years, I’ve seen it transform from the bedroom to the boardroom.

Statistics from UK industry body UKIE (Association for UK Interactive Entertain-ment) have the average gamer now at 32 years old, which has taken it far away from the preserve of the teenage boy in his bedroom.

Children still game and play with their parents, while those parents also play a whole new breed of games aimed at adults.

A new UK developed game called Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) has taken the entire gaming world by storm; grossing over a billion dollars in its first three days globally. Across Wiltshire and the UK, there were massive queues for midnight openings, with an astounding £65 million taken through the tills in the same time period.

If you’ve never played a GTA game, it’s a crime heist in the vein of the classic films Heat or The Getaway and you play the bad guy, out to rob, cheat, extort and even murder.

The virtual world of Los Santos is one of the biggest-ever seen in gaming. You can drive from the beach to the city centre, to the suburbs and out into the mountains, all in one persistent world.

Games like this get headlines due to their controversial content, but, as the games industry widens its remit, titles like GTAV will be made for older audiences.

Increasingly, it’s the role of parents to ensure that their children do not get their hands on titles that they deem have unsuitable content. You wouldn’t let your nine-year-old watch Robocop, so take an active role in what games they play. GTA V is a tremendously written game, which gloriously pokes the fun out of modern America and, thanks to its unrivalled size and scope, has been labelled a masterpiece by many critics around the world.

The next time I get asked what I do, I’ll be proud to say I work in the games industry.