So, the global video game industry is expected to top $197 billion USD
in 2022.*

Sadly, the majority of that money comes from mobile games - 53% or
$103.5 billion USD. Frankly, I can't imagine how that's the case;
mobile games are - by and large - terrible and I can't imagine
spending more than a few bucks a year on them. Is it just that more
people play mobile games (but still, one PC game costs 20 times a
mobile title, is the disparity in populations that large?) or is it
all the microtransactions that make up the difference?

Consoles and PC make up second and third place, but they're fairly
close ($53 billion to $40 billion USD). Of course, console sales
combine multiple platforms whereas PC is just PC (well, Macintosh too,
I suppose, but MacOS game revenue is so miniscule as to not even be a
rounding error). And people say the PC games market is dying? Hah!

The global film and video industry, incidentally, raked in about $235
billion USD, just so you have something to compare. The global poultry
industry pulls in about $350 billion. Video games ain't got nothin' on
Big Chicken. ;-)

-------------------------
* https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-07-26-global-video-games-market-predicted-to-hit-usd197bn-in-2022

On Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 11:11:29 AM UTC-7, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> So, the global video game industry is expected to top $197 billion USD
> in 2022.*
>
> Sadly, the majority of that money comes from mobile games - 53% or
> $103.5 billion USD. Frankly, I can't imagine how that's the case;
> mobile games are - by and large - terrible and I can't imagine
> spending more than a few bucks a year on them. Is it just that more
> people play mobile games (but still, one PC game costs 20 times a
> mobile title, is the disparity in populations that large?) or is it
> all the microtransactions that make up the difference?

It boggles the mind. All I can imagine is there's a bunch of whales out there
who like to throw money away to feel like they're making progress. That
seems like an awful lot of whales though. Could they be making money
on the ads? It just seems like most of the ads are just for other games
though.

I have bought a few mobile games, but nothing approaching that of the PC
and never spent anything on microtransactions.

> Consoles and PC make up second and third place, but they're fairly
> close ($53 billion to $40 billion USD). Of course, console sales
> combine multiple platforms whereas PC is just PC (well, Macintosh too,
> I suppose, but MacOS game revenue is so miniscule as to not even be a
> rounding error). And people say the PC games market is dying? Hah!

Most games are on both consoles and PC now (except Nintendo,) so I'm
not sure it even makes sense splitting them up anymore.

> The global film and video industry, incidentally, raked in about $235
> billion USD, just so you have something to compare. The global poultry
> industry pulls in about $350 billion. Video games ain't got nothin' on
> Big Chicken. ;-)

I probably spend 100x on food what I do on games :/

- Justisaur

On 7/27/2022 11:11 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> So, the global video game industry is expected to top $197 billion USD
> in 2022.*
>
> Sadly, the majority of that money comes from mobile games - 53% or
> $103.5 billion USD. Frankly, I can't imagine how that's the case;
> mobile games are - by and large - terrible and I can't imagine
> spending more than a few bucks a year on them. Is it just that more
> people play mobile games (but still, one PC game costs 20 times a
> mobile title, is the disparity in populations that large?)

Yes

> or is it
> all the microtransactions that make up the difference?
>

Yes

> Consoles and PC make up second and third place, but they're fairly
> close ($53 billion to $40 billion USD). Of course, console sales
> combine multiple platforms whereas PC is just PC (well, Macintosh too,
> I suppose, but MacOS game revenue is so miniscule as to not even be a
> rounding error). And people say the PC games market is dying? Hah!
>
> The global film and video industry, incidentally, raked in about $235
> billion USD, just so you have something to compare. The global poultry
> industry pulls in about $350 billion. Video games ain't got nothin' on
> Big Chicken. ;-)
>
Huh, I was under impression that the video game industry had blown past
the movie industry years ago. Is that "film and video industry"
including stuff that is streaming only?

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

>So, the global video game industry is expected to top $197 billion USD
>in 2022.*

I did see a story that noted China's gaming market decreased by 2% or
somesuch, interesting. I wonder how much of that is due to increased
censoring.

rms

On Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:53:53 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>On 7/27/2022 11:11 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>> The global film and video industry, incidentally, raked in about $235
>> billion USD, just so you have something to compare. The global poultry
>> industry pulls in about $350 billion. Video games ain't got nothin' on
>> Big Chicken. ;-)

>Huh, I was under impression that the video game industry had blown past
>the movie industry years ago. Is that "film and video industry"
>including stuff that is streaming only?

It blew past the Hollywood film industry years ago, but the numbers
above are both global and include "video", which I believe includes TV
but not stuff like YouTube or streaming. I believe, however, that this
just includes the revenue for TV show production divisions and not how
much the television industry makes in total, as that's supplemented by
advertising.

Either way, it's an indicator of just how big gaming has become. It's
not just for kids anymore.

The global print publishing industry (which includes books, magazines,
newspapers, and those annoying circulars they still inexplicably stuff
into my mailbox) is about $250 billion USD, with about $130 billion
coming solely from book publishers. Which all sounds impressive - and
it is - but the print publishing industry is far more diverse, meaning
that money is split amongst many more companies.

On 7/27/2022 5:02 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> On Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:53:53 -0700, Dimensional Traveler
> <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>> On 7/27/2022 11:11 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>>> The global film and video industry, incidentally, raked in about $235
>>> billion USD, just so you have something to compare. The global poultry
>>> industry pulls in about $350 billion. Video games ain't got nothin' on
>>> Big Chicken. ;-)
>
>> Huh, I was under impression that the video game industry had blown past
>> the movie industry years ago. Is that "film and video industry"
>> including stuff that is streaming only?
>
> It blew past the Hollywood film industry years ago, but the numbers
> above are both global and include "video", which I believe includes TV
> but not stuff like YouTube or streaming. I believe, however, that this
> just includes the revenue for TV show production divisions and not how
> much the television industry makes in total, as that's supplemented by
> advertising.
>
> Either way, it's an indicator of just how big gaming has become. It's
> not just for kids anymore.
>
> The global print publishing industry (which includes books, magazines,
> newspapers, and those annoying circulars they still inexplicably stuff
> into my mailbox) is about $250 billion USD, with about $130 billion
> coming solely from book publishers. Which all sounds impressive - and
> it is - but the print publishing industry is far more diverse, meaning
> that money is split amongst many more companies.
>
And is also tanking because of ebooks and self-publishing made easy by
the likes of Amazon. Of course the print publishing industry has been
in decline for at least a couple of decades.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

On 7/27/2022 3:35 PM, rms wrote:
>> So, the global video game industry is expected to top $197 billion USD
>> in 2022.*
>
>   I did see a story that noted China's gaming market decreased by 2% or
> somesuch, interesting.  I wonder how much of that is due to increased
> censoring.
>
I suspect it has more to do with their economy slowing down. There is a
serious problem in China with people who have mortgages for apartments
that haven't been built and are looking like they never will be built
but they are being required to keep paying off the mortgages.
Potentially blood on the tank treads serious.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

>
>Consoles and PC make up second and third place, but they're fairly
>close ($53 billion to $40 billion USD). Of course, console sales
>combine multiple platforms whereas PC is just PC (well, Macintosh too,
>I suppose, but MacOS game revenue is so miniscule as to not even be a
>rounding error). And people say the PC games market is dying? Hah!

*--

Happy to see PC game sales are doing so well.