Ever since the creation of the first gaming system, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), video games have become huge in the United States.Gaming has evolved so much that according to Gamer Jeremy Espino, “friends can now play each other from across the planet with the help of internet access and that is what makes games fun.” But even though video games have many capabilities, retail games and console sales have been declining over the past couple of months, according to the National Purchase Diary (NPD).
The NPD’s statistics show that video game consoles sales have dropped 37% year over year, and game sales have dropped 25%. NPD analysts say that the drop of sales is due to gamers not playing for long periods of time anymore, but instead they play in “snacks sizes.” Gamers can play for fifteen minutes and be done, such as playing a game on a Smartphone in a waiting room. Also the NPD says that retail is losing money because games are now being distributed digitally. Games can be downloaded directly, making it unnecessary to go to a game store like Game Stop and buy a game. Gamer Jeremy Espino says that game sales are going down due the U.S. economy, where most people want to use their money to buy food rather than a game.
The gaming experience is improving as technology grows, and with that, game expectations also grow. Espino says that when looking for a game, he wants “good graphics, a good story, easy to use controls, and now a very good multi-player experience.” Even though most games have these features, most people do not want to be in one place for a long period of time. This is why the NPD says downloadable games and apps for smart phones make up the sales money that retail is losing.