Throughout our society today, video game sales have skyrocketed. Whether its PC games, Xbox 360 games, Wii games, or Playstation 3 games, nothing seems to be slowing their sales. The increase in sales can be contributed to many different things.
I believe the huge increase in video game sales to be attributed to the game content. In the last few years, huge leaps have been made. These include things such as the graphics of the games, the online capabilities and the immense overall potential of the games. Take for example, the very popular game, Skyrim. In the game’s first 2 days it sold over 3.4 million copies. Skyrim is expected to sell out it’s predecessor, Oblivion, in a matter of weeks. Both games were a hugely popular hit, but 5 years later, Skyrim outsold Oblivion in less than a few months. The graphics in this game are stunning, the game play being amazing too. The only downside of it in a lot of people’s eyes is the fact that there is no multiplayer content.
Now if you take into account the new release, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which in a little over a month, sold approximately 16 million copies, you would realize that the gaming industry must be making a lot of money. Modern Warfare 3 is expected to become one of the top selling video games of all time. This game, like Skyrim, also has stellar graphics. Combined with an unmatchable game play, and a superb multiplayer experience, there is no wonder why the global video game sales are skyrocketing.
The expected worldwide value of video game sales in 2012 is forecasted to be around $68 billion. Just five years earlier, in 2007, the worldwide video game industry was $41.9 billion. In just 5 short years, the video game industry’s worth doubled, making it the fastest growing part of international media. And in 1994, the industry was just $7 billion.
As of now, the video game industry is out-doing many of the other forms of entertainment. The music industry is currently making around $30 to $40 billion globally. The movie industry is at around $27 billion globally. The book industry is running close to the video game industry with about $63 billion globally.
Honestly, as the games the industry put out, keep getting more and more advanced, I see no reason why the sales will not continue to go up. In half a decade, the amount made from video game sales doubled. I can’t even begin to imagine what the sales will be in another ten to twenty years, especially with the technology that is beginning to come out.
