Video gaming defies gloom as consumers go for fun at home

Video gaming defies gloom as consumers go for fun at home 家庭娱乐陡然升温，电子游戏销售强劲


The video game industry appears to be alone in bucking a retail recession as consumers turn to fitness workouts, musical jam sessions and fantasy worlds to take their minds off the credit crunch.

随着消费者转向健身锻炼、音乐会和幻想世界，以将他们的注意力从信贷危机转移，电子游戏业显示了在零售业普遍萧条时期的异军突起。

Microsoft has reported November as its biggest sales month in Europe for the Xbox 360 console, - sales rose 124 per cent on a year ago. In the US it announced its best Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, with sales up 25 per cent on the year.

微软发布报告称，11月是Xbox360游戏机在欧洲销售最好的一个月，同比增长了124%。在美国，微软称，在感恩节之后的第一天--“黑色星期五”（ BIack Friday）,成为历史上卖得最好的一个星期五，销售同比增长25%。

US industry sales are up 25 per cent so far this year, according to the NPD research firm. Game sales in October rose 35 per cent on 2007's total. The rises are in spite of a strong 2007.



根据市场调研公司NPD发布的数据，今年迄今为止，美国游戏行业销售增长25%。10月份游戏销售较07年全年增长了35%，而2007年销售非常强劲。

“We're forecasting it will be better than last year this holiday season,” said Edward Woo, analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Wedbush Morgan 证券公司分析师Edward Woo表示：“我们预计，这个圣诞节期间的销售将比去年更好。”

Europe's leading specialist game retailer Game Group bucked the gloom this month by reporting a rise in sales although it said the pace of growth had slowed.

欧洲领先专业游戏零售商Game GROUP本月报告，尽管增长速度有所放缓，但其销售业绩一扫整体大环境阴霾，出现了上涨