GAMES:The games industry is shotgunning the zombie economy with continuous double-digit growth and sales estimated at $32 billion last year, more than DVDs.
It’s good-value entertainment. Games offer hours of fun for a fixed price, and trade-ins are popular. The second-hand games market is estimated to be worth 20 per cent of games retailing and is growing.
Consumers love it, but developers don’t because those Impressive top-line figures conceal the fact that it’s hard to make a profit in this business. Top titles can cost upwards of $25 million to develop. With just 100 million consoles in the world, it can be difficult to sell enough to get a return. And publishers don’t get a dime on second-hand games.
Meanwhile, in the consoles market, the PS3 is selling better than ever. With Resident Evil 5, Killzone 2, Streetfighter IV and other hard-core ditties topping the charts, core gaming is back to the fore.
During the Great Depression in 1935, Monopoly was the world’s best selling game. The board-game offered players an escape from their mundane, wealth-less experience. The dream of hope lives on in games and that’s why they are great sellers in any recession.
