In the United States, annual revenues are
about $12.5 billion, which is bigger that the United
States domestic box o?¬? ce revenues from the ?¬? lm
industry. Because of this, many people refer to games
as ???bigger than movies??? these days. This is not precisely
true??”movies make most of their money today
on DVD sales, as well as rights for broadcast, cable,
and foreign distribution. The $12.5 billion number for
414 Chapter 15: Understanding the Game Industry
industry has remained strong, even in the face of
recession, and has grown steadily over the past
decade. Figure 15.1 shows the growth of video
game sales (PC and console) in the United States
since 2001.
Digital games have become a signi?¬? cant form of
entertainment since their introduction in the 1970s.
Today, more than 60% of all Americans, or about
145 million people, play games on a regular basis.1
The split between men and women players is closing
as well, with women comprising 40% of gamers.
Women comprise 44% of the 45??“54 demographic, and
women actually outnumber men in the 25??“34 demographic,
mostly due to the popularity of casual and
online world games.
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