Australian market enjoys 47% growth in 08
Family game sales propel industry to record sales numbers, totalling almost $2 billion
The Australian videogames market demonstrated huge growth in 2008 according to the figures compiled by GfK Retail and Technology Australia.
The country saw record sales numbers for the industry, up 47 per cent to AUD 1.96 billion (USD 1.30 billion), fuelled by a massive increase in demand for products in the family games genre.
That particular sub-section of the market jumped by 137 per cent, making it the most popular genre, followed by action titles.
Software was up 57 per cent overall, while console sales jumped 43 per cent and peripheral sales were up 68 per cent.
"Sales figures for the past two years actually show that the industry has grown over 112 per cent since 2006," said Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia CEO Ron Curry. "The industry has really witnessed phenomenal growth, which has largely been driven by people playing games together."
"There is a huge variety of games now on the market, with a wide selection for the entire family as well as specifically for adults, and it's a great way for people to spend time together," he added.
Recent research undertaken by Bond University indicates that the average age of gamers in Australia is 30, while 68 per cent of the population claims to play videogames.