Physical Game Sales Percentage Saw Steep Decline In 2010

The percentage of home video games purchased on physical media in the United States saw a steep decline in 2010, according to a new study. The Entertainment Merchants Association's annual D2 Report on physical media suggests that 71 percent of video games purchased in the United States in 2010 were on disc. By comparison, last year's edition of the report said that between 80 and 90 percent of games purchased in 2009 were physical. According to the EMA, 44 percent of home console households have purchased downloadable game content. That number is expected to grow to 58 percent by 2013. Despite the drop, the EMA says the numbers are encouraging for the retail market, given that physical game sales still represent the majority of purchases. "The home entertainment industry should be encouraged by the strong consumer support for packaged media demonstrating that discs and digital content will coexist in the foreseeable future," said EMA president and CEO Bo Andersen. The study also showed that 40 percent of the usage for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 was for non-gaming purposes. For the PlayStation 3 specifically, 27 percent of that was used to play DVDs and Blu-rays, and 13 percent was spent downloading or streaming movies. The EMA's annual D2 Report compiles data from Adams Media Rsearch, Digital Entertainment Group, The NPD Group, and others. The full study can be purchased here.