Video games buck downturn
DateTime:7/8/2009 5:21:12 PM

Sales of Microsoft Xbox gaming products and video games too have been 'very healthy...exceeding our internal targets', said the company's regional marketing manager Alan Chou.A check with other companies involved with gaming, including online games publisher AsiaSoft and gaming peripherals manufacturer Razer, revealed similar findings.VIDEO GAME hardware and software sales in Singapore continue to defy the economic meltdown because gaming is one of the cheapest ways to have fun.The gaming sector's health is in sharp contrast to the fortunes of practically every other industry, all hit by the global economic crisis, according to reports from their quarterly financial result releases.Sales for games and related products like game consoles in the United States was up 9 per cent last December compared to the same period in 2007, according to research firm NPD Group.

By comparison, he spent 'thousands of dollars over two years' on his previous hobby, the trading card game Magic: The Gathering.According to game companies, this is the main reason sales of video games, hardware and related peripherals like high-performance computer mouse have remained stable or even grown in the last few months.Electronic Arts, the company behind hits like Need For Speed and The Sims, registered 'low double digit' growth in sales in that period, said the gaming giant's general manager for Singapore, Mr Christopher Ng.