by Nick Dowell
A recent report by the NPD Group says that $15.39 billion was spent on video game content in the US in 2013. This number is an increase from 2012.
According to the report, $6.34 billion was spent by consumers on new, physical software, $1.83 billion was spent on other forms (like used or rented games) and $7.22 billion was spent on digital content (DLC, mobile games, etc).
There was an especially strong growth for downloadable content on all spectrums, enough to turn an 11 percent decline into one percent growth.
"Growth in digitally distributed content is vital to overall health," said Liam Callahan, an industry analyst for the NPD Group. He goes on to say that 36 percent of the US population age 13 or older are playing digitally-acquired games. This occurrence was seen most in teens and young adults. He also stated that the strength of hardware sales has increased as well, ending the year five percent higher than previous years.
At the end of the report, Callahan commented on what all the numbers actually mean:
"The bottom line is that the overall games market is growing," he said. "NPD reported declines in content and hardware spending in both 2011 and 2012, so the growth in 2013 is a positive indicator for future market growth as we enter the first full year with all three new consoles on the market.
------------
Photo credit to jimmakos.com
Follow me on Twitter @IAmTheWeregoose
