Some numbers are being thrown out showing a decrease in sales of video games. First off let me point out this a month over month matrix, which is pretty ridicules way to measure sales, but we are going to assume there is still a decrease. Best summed up by alphadog:

The recession appears to have finally caught up with the video game market. Sales of video game hardware and software were down by around one-third in June compared to the same month last year. After initially showing positive growth as the US slid into recession, the latest figures mark the fourth month of declines and the largest year-on-year decline in almost 9 years. ‘The first half of the year has been tough largely due to comparisons against a stellar first half performance last year, but still, this level of decline is certainly going to cause some pain and reflection in the industry,’ said Anita Frazier, a games analyst with NPD Group. She added, ‘The size of the decline could also point to consumers deferring limited discretionary spending until a big event (must-have new title, hardware price cut) compels them to spend.’ The entire video game market in the US was worth $1.2 billion in June, down 31 percent from the same period last year, according to NPD Group.

The problem here is not with the economy in my opinion. Sure things have been tight, but most research has shown that people are not really dropping hobby spending. What is hurting them is the horrible $59.99 price that they all seem to think is appropriate. I honestly can’t believe they are not blaming piracy in this article. I can’t remember the last couple of games I have bought, but it has to do more with quality of titles. When I was younger there seemed to be a new game every week that was a “must have,” but now it is maybe one a year.

(Via Slashdot and NetworkWorld)