A few years ago during the economic meltdown of the U.S., the video game industry held strong with many companies posting impressive quarterly numbers. The question arose as to whether or not this particular industry might be recession proof. Now, in 2011, the recession is slowly reaching a level of stasis. Folks have begun to find some balance in their wallets and what started as a shock to the system and fear of foreclosure has subsided and people are now comfortable spending a bit of money on leisure activities. Nielsen reports, however, that that money is not being directed toward our favorite pasttime – plopping down on the couch (or standing in front of a TV) and losing ourselves in the virtual world.
Instead of video games, Nielsen tells us that the monthly budget on leisure activities like going out to eat and interacting with mushy things called people along with ”cellular phone-related entertainment” (Angry Birds and that Ke$ha ringtone) have increased year over year. We gamers haven’t been doing our part, with the percentage of the monthly budget on the decline. To put it in perspective, if you’re an average American and you buy one video game a month at $60, that means you’re probably shelling out just over $500 in food and wine. Nielsen posits that, though one explanation is a change in spending habits caused by the recession, it may also be that the proliferation of smart phones has caused the shift from the big screen to the small screen.
What about you? Have you made space in your back pocket for the device in your front? Are you braving the scary world beyond the comfort of your home? Or are you staying true to the cause and committing your hard earned dollars to the industry’s bottom line? Let’s hear about it!
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