MBA or iMac

Hello.
I am buying my first Mac, but I'm not sure what to get; Macbook Air High End 11"(or even 13") or iMac 27" High End. I know these are not comparable, and I was wishing to buy iMac 'till now. And now I thought how cool it would be to have a small, quite powerful laptop. For example I could take it in bed with me (don't get me wrong ), in airplane, at the seaside, to my friend's place, etc. I travel, but not that much. Also I like games, so I would want it to play NFS World, Project Blackout, maybe even mw3, etc. I wouldn't get MPB, because I don't like it's resolution. And MBP retina is too expensive. Can you help me? I like iMac's big screen, and specs, but I like the smallness of MBA, and It's looks. Should I wait for 2013 MBA, I think it's possible they will get discrete graphics card, because I read somewhere Apple is importing new parts for new MBA's and MBP's. What do you think?

.... Also how long is the lifespan, and would the cooling pad help?
I don't know; all my Mac computers I ever bought from 1987 still work. As technology changes, they all become functionally obsolete at some point though. Exactly when that is depends on your needs.
I still use a G4 PowerBook regularly for iMovie and iDVD. It is more than fast enough for general computing work, email, iTunes, and basic Safari use, but forget about using it for streaming video. I have a smaller PowerBook that I used for travel a lot. It got sent through airport x-ray machines dozens of times, despite being manhandled by airport security goons it still works fine. That computer is over a decade old, older than even the original iPod. I prefer the larger 17 inch PowerBook for video work though.
Today I use my MacBook Air most of the time, probably because it is so light and easily carried to wherever I happen to be. I expect my newer MacBooks to last as long, but considering things like YouTube and FaceBook did not exist when I bought my G4 Powerbooks, who knows what I will want to do with them in the future.
I am not a gaming expert so I don't know how to advise you about that.

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