In general, sales of music have been struggling while video game sales have soared. In 2007, video game retail revenues tripled while music sales fell 10%.
But according to an NPD Group report, hardcore gamers are actually more likely to buy music and DVDs than video games.
This trend is particularly apparent among teens. Video game purchases by teens increased 41% in 2007, while CD sales declined 45%. Video games were one of the top reasons teens cited for buying fewer CDs.
Surprisingly, however, core gamers who play video games daily or several times a week spend more of their entertainment budgets on non-video game forms of entertainment. In fact, in the past 6 months, 58% purchased a new DVD, 46% bought a CD, and 43% purchased a console video game.
”We have this perception of hardcore gamers glued to their consoles,
and immersed in virtual worlds, when in fact, they are still spending a
lot of time with, and money on, music, movies, and other pastimes,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment analyst at NPD.