UK consumers spent £2.9bn on games in 2012

Don't believe the doom-mongers - our latest research shows the games market is doing better than you think.
Our annual look at the total size of the games market taking into account all revenue streams shows that £2.892bn was spent on video games software, hardware and accessories in 2012.
The figures is calculated by combining last year's data from a variety of leading market trackers and analysts.
We've covered toys and merchandise, online and mobile estimates plus the classic core of boxed software, hardware and peripherals.
The total, £2.892bn, is down on last year's calculations of £3.266bn (a number which we're proud to say became a go-to statistic on market size for publishers, trade bodies and government agencies).
But the drop of 11 per cent beats the boxed product market's 26 per cent collapse.
So while console shrink dealt a blow to the revenues being spent on all forms of games and spin-offs – the boom in digital goods and merchandise shows games have an unstoppable pulse.
Although the High Street is struggling as the current generation of consoles wraps up, new research from MCV has underlined the real size of digital content versus boxed goods.
In fact the figures show that it is only this slump in console product (boxed media, accessories and hardware) - excepted by many to pick up some pace later this year with the introduction of new machines from Sony and Microsoft - that have held the market back.
Pretty much every other category shows growth or stability.
The biggest boom was in mobile games, expected to have made £234m in the UK last year - up 48 per cent.
Online gaming revenues were up 25 per cent year on year too to £655m.
That means last year 45p in every £1 was spent on online or mobile games.
Toys and merchandise revenues were up 28 per cent to £77m.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/uk-co...n-2012/0112028