Washington State Gets Billions From Video Games

(NAPSI)—The video game industry stands tall—economically—in the Evergreen State. 

A new study by Entertainment Software Association (ESA), shows the video game industry in Washington state generates $11.6 billion in annual economic output, either through direct industry output ($5.7 billion) or via other participants in the video game ecosystem, such as suppliers and other supported output ($5.9 billion). What’s more, the video game industry accounts for about 48,800 jobs in the state, either directly through industry jobs (about 15,000) or through supplier and other supported jobs (about 33,800).

Overall, the U.S. video game industry’s annual economic output is $90.3 billion and accounts for nearly 429,000 jobs. 

These are among several key findings from “Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2020 Economic Impact Report,” a review of the industry and its wide-ranging impacts released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). The report outlines ongoing advancements in technology and vast participation in gameplay that transcends all demographics (in fact, one in three citizens of the world play video games). 

Video games are vital in numerous other aspects of Washington life. Americans across age, gender and other demographic measures find many positive benefits to video games. For instance:

• More than 214 million Americans play video games

• 64% of U.S. adults and 70% percent of those under 18 regularly play video games

• The average age of a gamer is 35-44 years old

Further, the report outlines video games’ effect in developing innovative, far-reaching technologies, such as virtual reality, advanced computing and machine learning.

“Video games are a source of much-needed entertainment, stress relief, escape and social interaction,” ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis pointed out. “The statistics in this detailed report reinforce the significant impact video games have on the U.S. and state economies, including job creation and providing family-sustaining wages in a wide array of careers.” 

Learn More

For further facts and stats and to see the entire report, visit www.theesa.com. 

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