Video games sales remain strong in slow economy

CNN reports that video game sales are strong even thought many Americans are finding ways to trim their holiday budgets this year.

According to market researcher NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of video games totaled $2.91 billion in November, a 10 percent jump from a year ago. Overall sales this year through November are more than $16 billion, up 22 percent from 2007.

Video games can take between 10 and 40 hours, sometimes 50 hours, to complete. Gamers can often get two to three months out of one game.

Furthermore, during these recessionary times, Helgeson explains that video games "provide the ultimate escapism."

According to NPD, some of the top-selling game titles in November include "Gears of War 2," which sold 1.6 million copies, and "Call Of Duty: World At War," which sold 1.4 million. Nintendo's "Wii Play" and "Wii Fit" put up impressive numbers, as well.

With those kinds of sales, video games have potential to be one of the most popular stocking stuffers for kids this holiday season.

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