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     Many video games feature an invincibility power-up that makes the player impervious to damage, at least for a while. As the economic crisis hit in late 2008, some said the same about the industry itself. The theory went that sales of video games, which had been strong in 2008, would also be strong in 2009, because games are a relatively cheap form of entertainment that let people escape from gloomy economic reality.
     At first glance the sales figures seem to debunk the idea that video games are recession-proof. In June 2009, for example, sales of games in America were 31% lower than in June 2008, according to NPD, a market-research firm. In July sales were down 26%, the fifth successive monthly decline. But the year ended with a record-breaking December, as people bought consoles and games for Christmas. Globally, says Piers Harding-Rolls of Screen Digest, a consultancy, sales of games were down by 6.3% in 2009. The decline was biggest in America (9.3%) and smaller in Europe (3.5%) and Japan (2%). The number of Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles sold was flat in 2009; sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 were up by 22% after a price cut.
     In some respects, this stumble reflects gaming’s new popularity. When it was less of a mainstream activity it was not so connected to the wider economic cycle. The success of the family-friendly Wii has broadened gaming’s appeal, but the new players it has attracted are less avid gamers who are more likely to cut back in hard times. During 2009 more people turned to mobile, web-based or second-hand games, says Mr. Harding-Rolls.
     Another way of looking at things, however, is to say that spending on gaming is driven by big hits, and that the slight decline in 2009 reflects creative rather than economic weakness. Entertainment industries always have their ups and downs, says Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative force behind many of Nintendo’s biggest games. There was an unusually large number of hits in 2008, which boosted sales, and fewer big releases in 2009 until late in the year, which may explain the weak mid-year sales. The biggest hit was “Modern Warfare 2”, released in November, which became the fastest-selling game in history, selling 7m copies worldwide on its first day. The top 20 games took a larger share of sales in 2009 than in 2008, which show that the games industry, like the film industry, is becoming increasingly polarized between hits and misses. Hence the hit-and-miss results of the big publishers of video games.
     Overall, says Mr. Miyamoto, 2009’s crop of games may just have been less compelling. “We were not able to produce fun-enough products,” he says. That highlights the importance of continued innovation, he says—but it leaves unanswered the question of whether gaming is indeed recession-proof.

Why are the sales of video games expected to be strong?