Everything you need to know about the U.S. gaming industry.

Do you think you know everything about the gaming industry? Excellent. The Entertainment Software Association is here to help, with the 2010 edition of their annual report subtly entitled "Essential Facts about the Gaming Industry", collecting precious information and statistics on sales, demographics and gaming usage. Click on "Click to read more" to read more.

Here are the key demographics learnings:

• 67% of Americans play games.
• Average game player age: 34 years old.
• 1 gamer out of 4 is over 50 years old.
• 60% of gamers are male.

The myth of the gamer being an acne-packed teenage boy in his dorm room isn't valid anymore. Women age 18 or older represent a significantly greater portion than boys 17 or younger (33% vs. 20%).

Gamers are more social than ever, as 64% of them play with other gamers in person. They also constitute a great family lubricant as they allow parents and children to develop collective experiences.

The ESA also quotes data from NPD to provide a useful breakdown of video games sales by genres, underlining that 70% of the market is made 4 categories: action, sports, shooters and family entertainment games.

The PC landscape is very different, with Strategy games representing 1 game out of 3 in 2009.

The ESA also quotes historical data from NPD Group, revealing that the gaming market shrank in 2009 (vs. 2008), but is still two times what it used to be 10 years ago (1999).

Source: The Entertainment Software Association, with some data provided by the NPD Group.
Image: The amazingly talented Orioto.