Video games aren't going anywhere. But where and how we play them has shifted dramatically in recent years, thanks in large part to the smartphone explosion.
Sales of physical media are down after a peak in 2008 -- no surprise there. But despite the proliferation of apps and digital delivery systems like Steam, Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, discs still drive the majority of the industry's revenue, and consoles remain strong. But tides are slowly turning. In 2011, it was a 69% / 31% split on physical vs. digital downloads.
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And while the types of games people play are shifting as well, even the most successful mobile game ever -- Angry Birds -- only generated $106.3 million in 2011. Compare that with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the best-selling game of that year, which reached $1 billion in sales after only 16 days.
Our friends at Statista have broken down a number of compelling figures in the infographic below. Get a bird's-eye view of the industry, and let us know where you see gaming headed in the next few years.
Thumbnail courtesy of iStockphoto, adamfilip
This story originally published on Mashable here.
