Fuel and food prices rocketing, mortgage and rent costs rising, banks imploding, but still the game goes on. Yes, researchers have confirmed, yet again, that gaming is fairly immune to economic downturn. The report argues that in the same way movies did in the economically depressed 1930s, games offer people an escape from hard times. Slightly patronising then but you can see their point. So why has gaming taken over from movies as the main form of escapsim? David Riley of report author NPD Group sees it simply as a matter of value:
The difference, obviously, between a movie and a video game is the amount of time that you get.
Clearly the growth in social gaming – think Singstar, Wii and DS – has also played a part. After all, splashing out 30 or 40 quid on a game is much easier to justify if the whole family can play. And then there is the trade-in value too. Compared to the price of taking a family to the cinema a game starts looking like pretty good value. Of course you need to factor in the cost of the console itself but the point is still valid. Or is it? Are you planning to cut your game consumption as times get tougher? Or are games the last thing you'd give up?
