According to eMarketer, revenues from video games are still increasing, even with the current recession of the US economy. Video game industry revenues are projected to be $38.9 billion in 2008, an increase of $3.3 billion from 2007.
The Good News
eMarketer just reported that 7 out of 10 US consumers now play video games. This is up from about 6 out of 10 in 2006. So clearly there is opportunity to make money gaming..as a developer, game tester, advertiser, etc.
The Bad News
Surprise, surprise, the gaming audience is fragmented. There’s PC gamers, console gamers (Xbox, PS2, Wii, etc), mobile gamers, online gamers, etc….and that’s just the types of platforms. Then you have the grannies, hardcore girl gamers, family gamers, angry teenager gamers, people who play games to learn, casual gamers, etc….
So what does this mean for you?
You don’t have to view the video game industry as a big, confusing landscape. It’s a huge and growing cake and there are plenty of pieces to go around. If you’re a developer, choose one platform and one demographic to target. If you’re an advertisers, don’t worry about trying to get in every game—find the ones that are most relevant and then “own” them. If you want to play games for money and maybe even join a competitive league, then focus on one game or genre.
With video game spending online to increase by about $7.5 Billion between 2006 and 2012 (according to eMarketer), there is definitely an opportunity to help brands figure out this space. If you can help them understand in-game advertising and sponsorship opportunities within online games, you can make money with video games. Our eBook will give you a good foundation of what you need to do, but you still have to do the work.
With overall video game revenue estimated to reach $47 billion in 2009, there is an opportunity to get involved from so many levels—creating games, selling games, helping brands advertise using games, making money by playing games…the list goes on.
Check out the links to your right for more information…why waste this great chance to be a part of this booming video game industry. Start making money with video games now.
Gaming is a huge industry and it is growing fast. Once a niche market and considered by some as a curiosity in the mid-1970s, the computer and video game industry took in about USD$9.5 billion in the US in 2007 (ESA annual report). Halo 3, the top selling game in 2007, brought in more money in its first day of sales than the biggest opening weekend ever for a movie–Spiderman 3.
The ESA’s report showed that 63% of the US population plays video games, and 30% played more in 2007 than in 2006. This acceptance of gaming, along with the expansion of demographics that are spending time and money on gaming, has made some in the retail world take note, and it’s expected that more stores in the future will begin allocating more shelf space to games and related hardware. Sales of video game hardware and software will be at $21 billion in 2012, according to eMarketer.
All this spending and gaming has gotten marketers attention and more and more advertisers are becoming integrated into video games, since that’s where people are spending their time, attention and money.
The opportunities to make money gaming are there. Will you take advantage of them?
In January, video games accounted for $1.18 Billion in sales, according to analyst NPD. The Nintendo Wii held a slim lead over other consoles, selling 274,000 unites, compared to 269,000 for Sony PS3 and 230,000 Microsoft Xbox units.
People: You can be a part of this Billion dollar video game industry. And no, I don’t mean you have to buy games to be a part of this. You can make money with video games. It’s not always easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.
