Games eclipse DVD/Blu-ray sales

While many sectors tanked last year, 2008 was a banner year for the gaming industry. In the US alone, hardware, software, and accessory sales brought in a record US$21 billion in revenue, up 19 percent from the US$18 billion the industry made in during 2007, according to notable stat-tracking firm NPD Group.

That monumental growth helped propel the gaming industry for the first time past combined DVD and Blu-ray movie sales in terms of worldwide figures, according to research group Media Control GfK International. As reported by Video Business magazine, packaged home entertainment goods on the whole grew 6 percent worldwide in 2008 to US$61 billion.

Of that tally, game sales amounted to 53 percent of the total haul, or roughly US$32 billion in global revenue. Combined worldwide DVD and Blu-ray sales, which do not include the rental market, fell 6 percent on the year to US$29 billion, reported Video Business, with the UK and US' figures recording an 8 percent drop on the year.