If you drag out the word billion when you say it, you can almost hear Dr. Evil laughing from his volcano lair. Well the jokes on him, as it looks like the video game industry has once again proven it’s still one of the most profitable industries on the planet (and that includes evil dictator bent on world domination).
In a recent press release from the NPD Group, we learn exactly how this huge pile of cash ($15.9 billion to be exact) breaks down. While the overall total is only up by 1% from the previous year, it looks like the largest portion was still spent by those at brick and mortar stores. The second largest consists of digital content (like DLC and mobile gaming), with rentals making up a third.
One analyst, Liam Callahan, says additional research was conducted regarding the digital content highlighted in the initial report. The conclusions they reached were, “…36 percent of the US population ages 13 and older was playing games acquired digitally, with incidence highest among teens and young adults. Interestingly, however, there is no particular point after age 25 where incidence declines significantly… The bottom line is that the overall games market is growing.”
The original report was released in fall of 2013 and is available from the NPD Group.