Video gaming in the United States facts for kids

The United States has one of the fastest-growing entertainment industries, and it's all about video games! In 2010, the computer and video game industry added $4.9 billion to the US economy. Some experts thought the worldwide gaming industry might reach $70.1 billion by 2015.

A study from 2013 showed that 58% of Americans play video games. Most American homes have at least one game console, computer, or smartphone. People usually play games on their consoles or PCs. About 36% of US gamers play on their smartphones. Many gamers (43%) feel that games give them the best value for their money compared to movies or music. In 2011, the average American gamer spent about 13 hours a week playing games. By 2013, almost half of the Americans who played more games spent less time on other activities like board games or watching TV. When Americans play games, 62% play with others, either online or in person. They are more likely to play with friends than with family. Parents often play video games with their kids for fun family time or because their children ask them to. Over half of parents (52%) think video games are good for their child's life. Also, 71% of parents with kids under 18 believe gaming helps with thinking skills or education.

Who Plays Video Games?

US Marine playing Top Gun in 2010.

The average age of a US gamer is 35 years old. On average, US gamers have been playing games for 13 years. Only 29% of gamers are under 18.

The gamer population in America is 54% male and 46% female. Interestingly, women aged 18 and older make up a larger part of the gaming population than males younger than 18. The average female gamer is 44 years old, while the average male gamer is 33.

Video Game Market Facts

Games market of the United States by revenue per platform in 2015.

In 2012, the most popular console game types were action, shooter, and sports games. For computer games, the best-selling types were role-playing, strategy, and casual games. When it comes to online games, puzzle/trivia, action/strategy, and casual/social games were the most popular.

While many American companies create video games, Japanese games and companies often appear on the annual best-seller lists.

In 2012, the US computer and video game sales reached $14.8 billion. This was a drop of $1.6 billion from the year before. The number of units sold also dropped, with 188 million units sold compared to 245.9 million in 2011. Overall, US gamers spent $20.77 billion on the game industry. Physical copies of video games (like DVDs) still sold more than digital copies at that time.

Top-Selling Video Games

Here are the top ten best-selling video games in the United States. This list includes console and PC games, but not games bundled with consoles, arcade games, mobile games, or free-to-play titles. Out of these top ten, six were made or published by the Japanese company Nintendo. Two were published by the American company Activision, and two came from the British developer Rockstar North and American publisher Rockstar Games.

History of Gaming in the US

The Early Days (1940s)

Video games started way back in 1940! An American scientist named Edward Condon created a computer that could play a game called Nim. Thousands of people played it, even though the computer won 90% of the time. Seven years later, Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr., a TV inventor, patented a device that let players shoot a gun at a target on a screen.

The 1950s

In the early 1950s, another American, Claude Shannon, wrote down ideas for how a computer could play chess. Even though the game OXO was made in England in 1952, American inventions helped make it possible. The US military even got involved with a war game called Hutspiel, which showed NATO and Soviet commanders fighting. Computers like the IBM 701 played games like Blackjack and Checkers. Later, an IBM computer could even think four moves ahead in chess! The 1950s also saw a tennis game by William Higinbotham that was similar to the famous game Pong.

The 1960s

The military kept using video games in the 1960s. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Defense Department made a war game called STAGE. This game was meant to show how the US would win a nuclear war. The idea of playing video games on TVs came from engineer Ralph H. Baer. With his team, Baer made two successful TV games. The first computer game you could interact with, Spacewar, later inspired the founders of Atari to create an arcade version called Computer Space. This was the first video arcade game ever released!

The 1970s

The 1970s brought the first video game consoles. The first one was called Magnavox Odyssey. Around the same time, Atari was founded and started making Pong. When Pong was finished, it became the hottest Christmas gift of 1975. Consoles quickly got better. A few years after they were invented, consoles got microprocessors and games on ROM cartridges. This meant players could change games by just swapping cartridges. Important consoles from this time included the Telstar, Fairchild Channel F, and Atari 2600. Arcade games also improved with Space Invaders, which let players track and display high scores. A year later, Asteroids let high scorers enter their initials.

The 1980s

New technology from the late 1970s led to the Intellivision in 1980, which had better graphics but cost more. In just two years, the Commodore 64 changed the market. It was the most powerful console at the time but also the cheapest! With lower prices, video games became even more popular. The first video game magazine, Electronic Games, was printed. However, too many companies tried to copy the success of the Atari 2600, which flooded the market. This led to the video game crash of 1983, which badly hurt the industry in the US.

As American-made games struggled, Nintendo successfully launched the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in America in 1985. This brought the market back to life with new consoles like the Sega Master System, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, Atari 7800, and the TurboGrafx-16. Systems started to support 3D graphics and use discs instead of cartridges.

The 1990s

The early 1990s saw the arrival of the Super NES, PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Tamagotchi, and Dreamcast. Their sales helped the video game industry recover. During this time, the PlayStation became very popular, selling its 20 millionth unit.

In 1993, the first big debate about violence in video games began. This led Senator Joe Lieberman to push for rules about violent games. From this, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was created in 1994. The ESRB gives games a suggested age rating printed on their packaging.

The 2000s

The 2000s brought even more fame to Sony when its PlayStation 2 was so popular in America that it was hard to find in stores at first. The PlayStation 2 is still the best-selling console ever in the United States. Microsoft and Nintendo also became very popular with their own consoles, the Xbox and GameCube.

With the internet becoming widely available, consoles could connect online for multiplayer games and digital stores to sell games. Digital stores also helped independent games grow, moving from computers to consoles. Games that used motion control, like those on the Wii console, also became popular. In 2006, about 45.7 million US homes (about 40%) owned a home video game console.

The 2010s

In the 2010s, there was a big move towards casual and mobile gaming on smartphones and tablets. This brought in more female and older players. The idea of "Games as a Service" became popular, where developers could keep making money from a game long after it was released. Many independently developed video games became as good as those from big companies. It became easier to share and sell them through digital stores on computers, consoles, and mobile app stores.

All three major console makers released new consoles: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. Big steps were made in mixed reality games (like augmented reality and virtual reality) as the cost of the needed equipment dropped. Esports also became a huge market in the United States, after first becoming popular in Eastern Asia. In 2015, 51% of US homes owned a dedicated home video game console.

The 2020s

In November 2020, Microsoft and Sony released their newest consoles: the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Both systems offer amazing graphics, realistic lighting, and game streaming. Nintendo has continued with their Nintendo Switch.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, many people started playing video games, which caused a huge increase in sales from 2019 to 2021. One report showed that video game sales in North America in March 2020 were up 34% from March 2019, and game hardware sales were up by 63%. Game companies also found new ways to entertain. For example, Epic Games hosted the first-ever live in-game concerts in Fortnite, with artists like Marshmello and Travis Scott. The Travis Scott concert had over 12 million players watching at the same time!

Jobs in Gaming

Getting Ready for a Game Job

Video game designers need many skills, like computer graphics, animation, and software design. A good designer also needs a strong imagination and knowledge of how different consoles work. Knowing about programming and computer parts is a must, because games are complex computer programs.

To get into this field, many colleges offer classes, certificates, and degrees in computer programming, computer engineering, software development, computer animation, and computer graphics. Internships or apprenticeships are important for getting hands-on experience. If you want to be a game designer in America, you might also do freelance work. You can even try designing a game on your own using different software. Making your own game can be a bit risky, but the finished product shows employers what you can do, just like a portfolio.

The Game Job Market

The US video game industry is a big source of jobs. Right now, video game companies directly and indirectly employ over 120,000 people in 34 states. The average pay for direct employees is $90,000, adding up to $2.9 billion across the country.

The job market for game design in the US is very competitive. However, the US Department of Labor expects a 32% increase in software publishing jobs soon. A game designer's salary in America depends on where they work, who they work for, and what kind of designer they are. The International Game Developers Association says that entry-level salaries are usually $50,000 to $80,000 per year, averaging $57,600. Another report suggests a starting salary could be around $37,000 per year.

Game Ratings and Rules

Before 1993, there was no standard way to rate game content in the United States. But as games became more violent and had more realistic graphics, parents, politicians, and others wanted the government to step in. The 1993 congressional hearings on video games focused on games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap. These hearings showed that the industry needed a standard rating system.

While companies like Sega and Nintendo had their own rating methods, they weren't the same. This led to problems, like violent games being sold to kids. Members of Congress said they would make laws to control video games if the industry didn't create its own solution.

In response, the industry formed a group called the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) in 1994, which is now known as the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). They created the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating system, which solved the government's concerns. The ESRB first focused mainly on console games. Computer games used a different system until 1999, when they also started using the ESRB.

Arcade games in the United States have their own "Parental Advisory System." This system was created by arcade industry groups and includes rules for where more mature games should be placed in arcades.

See also

• History of video games