Anatomy of the Game The global gaming industry is expected to reach $40 billion in revenue by 2012.1 Here are some cheat codes to help you win a piece of it.
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Who's playing
40 percent of computer and video gamers are female.2 (Lesson: More kick-ass girl characters, please.)
The average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman.3
The average age of the most frequent game purchaser is 40. More than 25 percent of gamers are older than 50.4
41 percent of social gamers work full time.5 (That probably means they're playing at work.)
How else gamers spend
Rovio has made $24 million selling more than 2 million Angry Birds plush toys.9
4.2 billion cans of Red Bull (Keeping gamers going since 1987) were sold in 2010, up from 7.6 percent in 2009.10
3 billion pizzas are consumed each year, for total sales of $32 billion.11 Pizza is gamer-friendly food: It's portable and can be eaten one-handed so eyes can stay glued to the screen.
And finally: How gamers choose their mates
39 percent of women said they would find it a turn-on if a man listed "video games" as a personal interest.12 Gamers everywhere are switching screens to update their online dating profiles.
How they play
80 percent of females play the Wii as their primary console.6
42 percent of Americans play games on wireless devices.7 So go mobile.
Consumers bought $7.3 billion worth of virtual goods in 2010.8 (Lesson: Gamers are not afraid to spend real cash--they just don't always spend it on real-world stuff.)
Corrections & Amplifications: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the number of Red Bull cans sold in 2010. The correct figure is 4.2 billion.
Sources: 1CSMG, 2, 4, 7Entertainment Software Association, 3, 5PopCap Games/Information Solutions Group, 6Nintendo of America,
8In-Stat, 9Rovio, 10Red Bull, 11PMQ, 12Maxim/Yahoo! Shine
