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Economic Impact
Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2010 Report quantifies in detail the specific contributions of the U.S. entertainment software industry to the nation's economy. It is the second such study conducted by Economists Incorporated and was released by the ESA in August, 2010. The study found:
Growth – From 2005 to 2009, the entertainment software industry's annual growth rate exceeded 10 percent. Over the same period, the entire U.S. economy grew at a rate of less than two percent.
GDP – In 2009, the entertainment software industry's value added to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $4.9 billion.
Employment – The entertainment software industry also continues to grow as a source of employment. For the four-year period of 2005-09, direct employment for the industry grew at an annual rate of 8.6 percent. Currently, computer and video game companies directly and indirectly employ more than 120,000 people in 34 states. The average salary for direct employees is $90,000, resulting in total national compensation of $2.9 billion.