Caveo_Meee's Blogs

When you watch the 6 o'clock news or read the newspaper, you notice a lot of doom and gloom about the global economy and the recession but, wonderfully enough, it won't be affecting the gaming industry as much as in other industries.

WHY NOT?

Let's have a look at why the recession is happening: Rising house prises, people borrowing money when they can't repay it back and then the news telling everyone that we're going into a recession. All of these affect first homebuyers, middle-to-low income families, people who need to spend money on stuff they need.

First, notice how this doesn't affect the apparent main target market of video gamers: teenaged boys who have part time jobs but don't need to pay mortgages or rent, food, electricity, rates, phone and Internet. They have money to spend and spend it they will, on whatever they please.

Second, entertainment is still as popular as ever, being an easier way to escape the dreary reality but everything else entertaining has become more expensive.

• Movies ($20ish with popcorn and a drink?)
• Holidays overseas ($1000+)
• Nice dinners out (Depends if you go to McD's or some French restaurant).

Why pay so much for a couple of hours of entertainment or an arm and a leg to go to another country to just pay another leg to do stuff? Instead, spend two thumbs and buy a new game for $50 that will give you at least 20 hours of game play in story mode and unlimited laughs in multiplayer?

Sure, everywhere is going to get hit hard by the recession.

_{Best Buy, No. 1 electronics chain in the US predicted a much lower profit for the year and Circuit City filed for bankruptcy.}

_{From the Dominion Post, 17 Nov 2008.}

_{Click to embiggen and yes, I did cut out the models.}

But we know the game and we're gonna play it, with predictions of growth for the video game industry in 2008 and 2009.

My advice for this ‘difficult' time? Spend as much money as you're earning (paradox of thrift and all that)

For more information:

Reason for Global Recession (I liked the bit about NINJA)

Is the Video Game Industry Recession Proof?