AfterDawn: News

UK videogame sales surge

According to data from both Chart-Track and ELSPA, UK video game sales have risen over 40 percent year-on-year for the first 6 months of 2008 to 31.3 million units. Revenue increased to GPB 738 million.

Wii, Xbox 360, PS3 and Nintendo DS software accounted for GPB 690 million of the total with PC gaming accounting for the rest. The low 3.9 million units sold of PC software represents a 29 percent decline year-on-year from last year.

"Games are now one of the most popular pastimes of the British – hence these remarkable figures," said Paul Jackson, director general of ELSPA.



"Our gamers are more mature than those of most countries – the average age of a player here is now 33 – and as our core gamers have grown up, so too have the revenues they bring in. Games are also proving themselves to be robustly recession-proof.

"Other retailers in the High Street have been struggling this year, but those selling games are not having such a tough time."

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Jul 2008 14:12

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• 2 comments

• BobH29

  Ofcourse games are recession proof. I can buy a second hand (or new) game for £15 off eBay which will keep me entertained every evening for a couple of weeks, or i can spend upwards of £50 on a single night out in town. When times are hard which form of entertainment am i going to do?
  
  Not only that, i'm far less likely to be involved in violent crime or get a teenager pregnant while sat in front of my games console that i am out on the lash!

  14.7.2008 22:11 #1

• 7thsinger

  Quote:Games are also proving themselves to be robustly recession-proof.
  I could argue that with a couple of titles, but hey...who's counting?
  
  I'm still waiting for the survey that claims that gamers may commit violent crimes but are less prone to teenage pregnancy.

  14.7.2008 23:49 #2