I wouldn't say that E-rated games would have "big, bad, and edgy" characters, but I do think that a number of T-rated games have them too.

And here's another reason why I think games are not mainstream in American popular culture: we don't get that many game-related merchandise here. For example, while only the first Kingdom Hearts soundtrack was released here in the United States, the soundtracks to all the other games were released in Japan only. In addition, they also tend to have many other merchandise and memorabilia such as action figures and posters, and they even have soft drinks and fragrances with video game characters on them! You do see that anywhere in America, now. do you?