Computer and Video Game Design

Popular interactive games range from sedate word games like Words with Friends or Wordle to high-adrenaline, first-person shooters like the Call of Duty series. Games may invite players to interact with highly complex simulated worlds such as the one in Second Life or involve the simple slingshot action of Angry Birds. Players can find games on many hardware platforms, from arcade machines to home consoles to smartphones.

One indication of the reach of the industry is the fact that 78 percent of U.S. households have played at least one gaming device in the past 12 months, according to the ESA. Although video games have the image of being primarily a diversion for teenage boys, the average player was 36 years old in 2024. Forty-six percent of all gamers were female.

Total video game sales in the U.S. reached $57.2 billion in 2023 (up from $56.6 billion in 2022), according to data released by the ESA and Circana (a consumer behavior advisory firm). A total of $48.0 billion was spent on content, $6.6 billion was spent on hardware, and $2.6 billion was spent on accessories.

Today smartphones, tablets, and social networks are widely popular gaming platforms. A 2024 Quarter 1 survey conducted by Statista.com found that 68.7 percent of internet users worldwide played video games on smartphones. Personal computer gaming via desktop or laptop was ranked second (34.9 percent), followed by gaming consoles (24.4 percent).

The ESA reports that there are 2,756 software companies and 77 hardware companies that produce video games and the hardware that is used to play them. The U.S video game industry generated more than $101 billion in total economic impacts and contributed nearly $66 billion to U.S. gross domestic product in 2023. Zippia reports that the top video game companies by revenue in 2022 were Sony Interactive Entertainment (Japan), Microsoft (United States), Tencent Holdings Limited (China), Nintendo (Japan), Activision Blizzard (United States), and Electronic Arts (United States)

From its beginning in the early 1970s, with the simple geometric action of Pong, to today's high-definition games, the industry has pushed the limits of the available computer resources and has inspired advanced technologies that later became common on desktop and mobile devices. In fact, 78 percent of gamers are now playing on their smartphones. Online gaming has become extremely popular in recent years. Today, nearly 90 percent of gamers enjoy some form of online gameplay—up from only 18 percent in 1999, according to the ESA.

The industry sometimes faces the criticism that it desensitizes gamers to violence and encourages social isolation. Although playing video games is safe for most people, studies show that excessive use can negatively impact one’s mental and physical health. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially included gaming disorder in its International Classification of Diseases, 11th Edition, under the category, “mental, behavioural, or neurodevelopmental disorders/disorders due to addictive behaviours.” Organizations such as Game Quitters, Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous, and The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction seek to educate people about the dangers of video game abuse.

Game hardware and software development finances the cutting-edge innovative efforts of many hardware and software engineers and technicians. Game development also involves designers, artists, voice actors, programmers, and testers. In 2023, the U.S video game industry created and supported more than 350,000 jobs, according to the ESA.

Marketers and a network of distributors bring the games to players. With such a large base of players, the industry also supports numerous fan publications, many of them Web-based. Popular characters and settings have inspired movies, such as the Lara Croft and Resident Evil series, and television shows, such as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Last of Us, and Fallout.