Video game spending passed that for movies several years ago in the US, and the trend continues. In 2007, US domestic box office spending for movies reached $9.6 billion, according to the Motion Picture Association of America's "Theatrical Market Statistics" report.

PC and console video game software alone, excluding hardware, accessories and subscriptions, reached $9.5 billion, according to the Entertainment Software Association.

In 2008, game revenues will approach $40 billion, according to a July 2008 report by IBISWorld.

The company also predicted that video game industry revenues would jump more than 60% by 2013 to $63.2 billion.



The market for video games is diverse, ranging from subscription-based fare with complex graphics, including World of Warcraft, to simple electronic versions of board games, such as Scrabble.

Excluding games played on PCs - and therefore associated subscription fees - eMarketer predicts that video game hardware and software revenues will reach $21 billion in 2012.



eMarketer also predicts that video game advertising of all sorts—in-game, console - and PC-based, and Web-based—will reach $1 billion in 2012, up from $665 million in 2008.