According to the latest report from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) digitally sold games, downloadable content, mobile games, and social media games are becoming stronger than ever in the United States. In 2016 video games in total made more than $30.4 billion USD in the US and 74% of the software section came from digital purchases alone.
It should be noted, however, that some of the following aspects may have affected these results. Firstly, the ESA has only asked 4,000 households; secondly, the mobile market and PC games are distributed almost exclusively via digital, which should have a great effect on the numbers as well; and thirdly, the publisher's focus on DLC expansions and microtransactions may have also influenced the survey. Besides these details, we also found some other interesting facts from the survey:
• The average age of people playing is 35 years.
• There are considerably more women over the age of 18 who play video games than men under 18.
• Over 90% of those who purchased a virtual reality headset are satisfied with the purchase.
Do you think digital is becoming the standard now?