Europe is Now The Second Largest Video Game Market…If You Don’t Count All of North America
By Jonathan on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 7:38 PM PST In Gamer Life, Games Industry
Delayed release dates and price gouging be damned, it seems. A recent study by Nielsen Games is now showing that the European Union is now the second largest video game market in the world. During 2007, the EU generated $11.4 billion through gaming, compared with $11.5 billion for Asia and $10.7 billion for the United States. In addition to this, the research came up with a synopsis of European gamers by interviewing 6000 people, ages 16-47. For example, 81% of parents game with their children and 93% of all Europeans can recognize the PEGI ratings.
“This research confirms what the industry has realised for a long time – gaming is now enjoyed by an incredibly diverse audience,” said ELSPA managing director Michael Rawlinson, “And the UK is a particularly mature market – we have the oldest, most passionate gamers across Europe. The fact that gamers are growing up and enjoying gaming with their children illustrates the enduring nature of the medium. It’s fair to say that, compared to other forms of entertainment, games are doing well.”
Not to rain on the parade, Europe, but I’d really like to know what Nielsen was trying to research, since they decided to leave the rest of North America and anyone under the age of 16 out of their findings. Something tells me that just throwing in Canada would put that continent well over the top, not to mention if you account for higher prices of games in Europe. And really, how can you create an accurate profile of gamers if you leave out children? That has to skew the results quite a bit.
Being from Canada, I can attest that gaming is a HUGE hobby for us. It doesn’t help that we spend almost half the year below -20 celsius. I’m sure Canada alone generates a few billion in profit, despite only being around 40 billion people.
lol, 40 MILLION. Sorry guys.
how can they compared the European union to the United States.. that completely unfair. Split that EU up and the US easily beats every nation.
Yeah so stop fucking realeasing games weeks later!! Learn EA learn damn you! .. (I want my Mass Effect)
Nah, nobody plays games in Canada. They haven’t discovered fun there yet.
“how can they compared the European union to the United States.. that completely unfair. Split that EU up and the US easily beats every nation.”
US is divided into states, EU into countries, what’s so unfair about it?
Are you kidding me? The EU is larger than the U.S. I don’t get how you can’t understand that it isn’t fair. The U.S. is one country. If you bunch up several countries to get a mass statistic used for comparison against one country, it won’t be fair to the one country.
US = One huge country .. EU = Many semi tiny countries.
Do you expect them to do a US vs Holland comparison? LOL, what a moron.
The size of the country doesn’t matter. Russia is fucking huge but it’s not in the top list is it? Japan is one of the smallest countries, yet it has the highest population density. It’s not just the EU though. Europe vs. North America – North America wins. Read the title.
I dont wish to be pedantic but the EU doesn’t actually count all of Europe just the countries who are members of the Union. There are 27 members but over 50 countries in Europe so if you want to count the whole of North America the whole of Europe should be counted also and North America would still probably be last.
Once again, read the title.
@ Opiate for the Retarded
What on earth are you going on about?
The title is talking about Europe and North America yet the article is about the USA and the EU. Some people on here dont seem to understand that the EU and Europe are not the same thing just like the USA and North America aren’t. The EU has a population of 500m while Europe has over 700m.
EU is smaller in size than US.
Whole Europe = 10,180,000 km²
US = 9,826,630 km²
EU = 4,324,782 km²
(note: numbers taken from wikipedia because I’m lazy)
Who cares what is the largest video game market anyway?
In America, you like to be the biggest and best-est. That’s ok, but you don’t need to diss other places, because that only makes you look small, not big.
The pop. of all of Europe is way bigger than N.America, but what’s the problem? There are some countries in Europe that I couldn’t live in – just like states in America that I couldn’t live in either, but I certainly wouldn’t diss them. There are also some really excellent places too in both continents. Moviestars know this, and like to hop back and forth over the pond.
America and Europe are each other’s biggest partners, and each other’s major lifeblood and security. We work for your companies, you work for our companies. We drive your cars, you drive ours. We fly in your planes, you fly in ours. We both produce tons of software.
We both import massive amounts from Asia, and export our products in South America. We’re all ethnic meltingpots, and we’re all democratic now, and we both will continue to work to help our Asian and African brothers in poorer countries.
The EU population alone is 550 million. The USA population is 300 million.
Team N.America can add Canada + Mexico and get about 450 Million. Team Europe can add Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland, and Russia which will immediately add 300 million, to give about 850 million. Big deal. Take away Russia, and you still have 700 mill. So what? Cold war is over. We’re all the same.
The EU is struggling to become a single country with a single president and the struggle continues. Just like the USA did, so please, my North American friends, give us a frickin break already!
[...] right, I should have specified/qualified my statement: Europe is Now The Second Largest Video Game Market…If You Don’t Count All of North Ameri… Asia as a WHOLE is the largest, but barely over "just" the USA. The entire European [...]