How often do we hear/read stats about the money made in videogames when it's compared to more "legitimate" forms of entertainment like movies? The truth is that the money made by videogames is becoming quite impressive; $2.9 billion in profits last year. Does that prove that games should be considered a legitimate industry? Definitely. The numbers reported by Video Games in the 21st Century: the 2010 report (first found via Ars Technica) show statistics that are far more impressive; the number of people employed in the entertainment software industry.
Over 32,000 people in 34 states work in videogames. Whether administrative, creative, or legal minded all of these folks work together to produce a product that's consumed on a global scale. The report focuses on the United States so you better believe there is certainly more than just 32,000. For the past four years the number of employees in the industry grew at an average of 8.65% annually to the current numbers for 2009. It is my belief that, while some are attracted because of the money, most of this growth is due to folks from various professions wanting to become involved with a "hobby" that they love. In other words, the majority of the folks employed in the industry sought out their jobs because it is something that they WANT to do. Just as gamers themselves are investing in their products because they WANT them to produce more and better games. Whether that means videogames can hang with the big dogs of media like movies and television is inconsequential. I'm a gamer and right now is a great time to be a gamer.
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