It is estimated there are over five million video games in existence (including 327, 491 games on Google Play). This colossal number of perennial hits, one-hit wonders, and games that disappeared without registering much interest, are high-speed racing adventures to perilous virtual dueling matches.
To mark the U.S.’s self-declared National Video Game Day, analysts at National Today undertook a survey 1,000 U.S. citizens to ascertain their video game habits. The survey reveals some interesting trends across the lucrative industry (the global gaming market is anticipated to generate $159.3 billion in revenue by the end of 2020, despite the restrictions imposed by COVID-19).
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In terms of the relative popularity of different consoles, the survey produced a tie between Xbox and PlayStation. With this, 38 percent of respondents indicated that their favorite console came from Xbox, while another 38 percent said they preferred PlayStation. A smaller proportion, at 21 percent voted Nintendo.
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In terms of the leading game, 47 percent elected to vote for Super Mario, which came top of the best video game franchise. The top ten are:
#1: Super Mario (47%)
#2: Call of Duty (21%)
#3: Donkey Kong (19%)
#4: Grand Theft Auto (19%)
#5: Pokemon (16%)
#6: Zelda (13%)
#7: Sonic the Hedgehog (13%)
#8: Final Fantasy (9%)
#9: Halo (9%)
#10: Crash Bandicoot (7%)
Other interesting facts, which signal the longevity of the industry was the finding that 54 percent of those surveyed said they play video games multiple times per week. In terms of how people access content, mobile video games remain dominant. In relation to smartphones, 66 percent of the people surveyed stated they play mobile games at least one per week.
