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Games Industry Downturn is a Myth
Gamers with Jobs has a piece on the supposed industry downturn, stating plainly that any problems are figments in the minds of analysts. From the article: "I concede, things are not bright sunshine and frolicking puppies for the gaming industry at the moment. There's a less-than-stellar Xbox 360 launch, a lot of very proficient people pocketing pale pink slips, a disappointing sales sheet from the most recent holiday season, and a lot of industry insiders wailing and gnashing their teeth. Now is the winter of our discombobulation. In short, gaming seems to be at its own throat lately, and from the cheap seats, watching happily, cackle the pundits, cheering the bloodletting ... It's baloney. What isn't being talked about is the fact that consumers are buying more games than they ever have. They are just spreading the money out a bit more, putting dollars into the used market, into handheld devices, into services like Live Arcade, and into direct downloads. The handheld market alone, which just cracked into the billion dollar range in 2004, soared 62% to 1.6 billion for 2005 on the backs of the ever sturdy GBA, the largely successful launch of the PSP, and the coming of age of the DS."
Apparently frolicking puppies are paying off for at least one company.
I concede, things are not bright sunshine and frolicking puppies for the gaming industry at the moment.
Nintendo seems to be doing quite well with the frolicking puppies, and it's always a sunny day in World of Warcraft (at least until the next patch that adds weather effects).
G.
Civ 4 has kept me too busy to be amazed...
putting dollars into the used market
err isn't this something that the games industry has been bitching about?
also, can we please shoot the next person to make a puppies and sunshine joke/pun. guys, there is a reason you're posting on slashdot and not out on the comedy circuit. stop. please.