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Are Video Games Really Bigger Than The Music Biz?
I'm an avid gamer, and I'm tired of the idea that videogaming is some sort of niche media populated by pimply Internet trolls who haven't seen the sun since World Of Warcraft came out. Sure, those guys actually exist, but Nintendo's strategy toward more casual games like Wii Sports—not to mention the whole rise in popularity of music games—proves that gaming's audience has a lot more room to grow. Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime once asked this pertinent question:
Do you know anyone who has never watched TV, never seen a movie, never read a book? Of course not. Now, do you know someone, maybe even in your own family, who has never played a video game? I bet you do. If we want to consider ourselves a true mass media, if we want to grow as an industry, this has to change.
While gaming is mainstream for the first time since the release of the original Nintendo Entertainment System, there is still plenty of room to expand. Video games are also surprisingly recession-proof, racking up big sales while most other major media, such as network TV or the music biz, struggle with declining revenue. Consequently, we've been treated to a lot of "Gaming Is Bigger Than Hollywood/Music Biz" stories recently.
Just today, the BBC reports that games are on pace to outsell music and video in the UK. Let's everybody take a deep breath.
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