ArsGeek

Staying in and playing videogames is becoming more popular than going out to watch a movie, according to new research from the NPD Group.

In a recent survey, NPD found that 63% of respondents had played a videogame, be it console-based or a social/casual online game, whereas just 53% had gone to see a movie at a theatre.

“Videogames account for one-third of the average monthly consumer spending in the US for core entertainment content, including music, video and games,” said Anita Frazier, video games industry analyst for NPD. “While a portion of that share stems from the premium price of console games, we’re also seeing an overall increase in the number of people participating in gaming year-over-year.”

The average gamer spends around $38 per month on games and related equipment, found NPD, but there is also a shift towards other methods of gaming such as online casual and social gaming.

The number of people that paid to download a game from the Internet rose from 2% last year to 5% this year and currently around 10% of consumers admit to having played games on social networks. In fact, two of Facebook’s largest games, Pet Society and TexasHoldEm Poker, command around 11 million and 12 million monthly active players, respectively.

“As with video and music, sales of physical gaming products still account for the bulk of consumer spending on video games, but digital downloads and other delivery and game-play formats are also rising in popularity,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.