The Rise of Video Games: Top Trends, Consoles, and Genres from 1980 to 2020
Introduction
Today, the gaming industry is one of the most popular entertainment industries. Advances in technology have made the development of the gaming industry more rapid and diverse. With the support of hardware and software innovations, the gaming experience has become more realistic and immersive, attracting millions of players from all over the world. Not only that, gaming industries also affected by the art and story of the game itself. This not only changes the way people play, but also increases the scale of game sales globally.
From 1980 to 2020, the gaming industry has gone through various phases, from the 8-bit era to the presence of stunning 4K graphics. In each decade, we witnessed the birth of gaming icons that changed the course of the industry, from Nintendo’s Tetris, Mario, and Pokemon, until Playstation’s Gran Turismo.
Game sales are not only an indicator of a title’s success, but also reflect consumer preferences and behavioral changes. With sales data accumulated over four decades, we can see interesting patterns in how certain games dominate the market, and how these trends shift as technology, platforms, and player demographics evolve.
This article will present an in-depth analysis of game sales trends from 1980 to 2020 for each region around the world, providing insights into the factors that drove game success in different eras, as well as how developers’ innovation and creativity played an important role in shaping the industry.
Dataset
The dataset contains information on video game sales, with the following columns:
- rank: The position of the game in the sales ranking, with 1 being the top-selling game.
- name: The title of the video game.
- platform: The gaming console or platform on which the game was released (e.g., Wii, NES, GB).
- year: The release year of the video game.
- genre: The genre of the game (e.g., Sports, Platform, Racing, Role-Playing).
- publisher: The company that published the game.
- na_sales: Sales of the game in North America, measured in millions of units.
- eu_sales: Sales of the game in Europe, measured in millions of units.
- jp_sales: Sales of the game in Japan, measured in millions of units.
- other_sales: Sales of the game in regions outside North America, Europe, and Japan, measured in millions of units.
- global_sales: The total worldwide sales of the game, measured in millions of units.
What is The Analysis About?
- What is the most popular video games genre?
The graph is a bar chart showing popular genres around the world from 1980 to 2020.
The graph shows that games in the “Action” genre are the most numerous, with over 3,000 titles. This indicates that the action genre dominates the video game market in terms of the number of games available.
After “Action,” the “Sports” genre also has a sizable number of games, although it is still far below action. Sports games have around 2,000 titles, indicating a fairly strong presence in the market.
Genres such as “Misc,” “Role-Playing,” and “Shooter” are also quite popular, with around 1,500 to 2,000 games released each.
Some genres such as “Strategy” and “Puzzle” have a smaller number of games, suggesting that they tend to be less popular or have a more specific niche market than genres such as action and sports.
Overall, this graph shows that genres with fast-paced and competitive action, such as action and sports, tend to attract more developers to release games.
2. What is the correlation for each region sales to global sales?
There is a very strong correlation between sales in North America and global sales with a correlation value of 0.94. This indicates that sales in North America strongly influence total global sales.
Sales in Europe also have a high correlation with global sales, with a correlation value of 0.90. This shows that the European market also contributes significantly to global sales.
Sales in Japan have a relatively low correlation with sales in North America (0.45) and Europe (0.44). This suggests that the Japanese market tends to differ in terms of gaming preferences compared to the other regions.
Sales in regions other than North America, Europe, and Japan (other_sales) have a medium correlation with NA Sales (0.63) and EU Sales (0.73), but lower with JP Sales (0.29). This indicates that other regions (other_sales) other than these three major markets are still influenced by sales in North America and Europe, but are less affected by the Japanese market.
There is a fairly strong correlation between sales in North America and Europe (0.77), which suggests that games that sell well in one region are likely to sell well in other regions as well.
Overall, this visualization shows that the North American and European markets play a key role in the global sales of video games, while the Japanese market has more unique characteristics and is less correlated with other regions.
3. What is the most game counts and game selling based on publishers through 40 years?
Nintendo
Nintendo clearly dominated the video game market in the late 1990s to mid-2000s, as their global sales peaked at over 200 million units around 2007. This coincided with the launch of consoles like the Nintendo Wii and iconic titles like Wii Sports and Mario Kart Wii.
However, after 2010, there was a significant decline in Nintendo’s sales, both in the number of games released and global sales. This suggests that while Nintendo was strong in the previous era, they started to lose momentum after 2010, perhaps due to shifting technological trends or competition from other consoles such as PlayStation and Xbox.
EA
Electronic Arts (EA) started to emerge as a major force in the early 2000s and reached its peak around 2008–2010, both in terms of the number of games released and global sales. EA dominated global sales during the decade, especially with their famous sports games such as FIFA and Madden NFL.
EA leads in terms of total global sales compared to other publishers in the second chart, showing that even though they don’t release as many games as Nintendo, their average sales per game are very high.
Activision and Ubisoft
Activision and Ubisoft showed steady and consistent performance from 2005 to 2015, with peak sales around 2009–2010. Activision managed to achieve great success with series like Call of Duty, while Ubisoft relied on franchises like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry.
While their global sales weren’t as big as EA’s or Nintendo’s, they were able to maintain consistency in the number of games released and solid sales throughout the decade.
Sony and Konami
Sony Computer Entertainment and Konami are not as big as Nintendo or EA, but they still contribute significantly to the video game industry, especially with more niche or exclusive games, such as Konami’s Metal Gear Solid and Sony’s Gran Turismo.
Their sales are more stable without the huge spikes seen at other publishers, which may reflect their focus on game quality or platform-exclusive games.
After 2015
Both charts show a drastic decline for almost all publishers after 2015, both in terms of the number of games released and global sales. This may be due to the shift in trend to digital platforms, mobile gaming, or changes in gamer preferences. The decline could also be related to the industry’s shift towards games-as-a-service or digital monetization models that are not always reflected in physical unit sales.
4. What is the best selling genre and games for each region?
- Global
The Action genre led global sales with 19.6%, showing that games with fast, intense and action-packed gameplay are a favorite among gamers. Action genre games continue to be the most sought-after, in line with the trend of modern gaming popularity.
The Sports genre took second place with 14.9% of total global sales. This is in line with the fact that Wii Sports is the best-selling game of all time, with 82.74 million units sold. The innovation of motion interaction on the Nintendo Wii gives sports-based games great appeal.
Nintendo’s Mario franchise is particularly dominant, with several titles in the top 10 best-selling list of all time, such as Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart Wii, and New Super Mario Bros.. This shows the enduring appeal of the Mario franchise, especially on consoles like the Wii and NES. The Platform genre, largely influenced by Mario games, accounted for 9.3% of global sales, cementing the genre’s place in the video game industry.
In addition to action and sports, the Shooter (11.6%) and Role-Playing (10.4%) genres also contributed greatly to global sales. This shows the success of FPS (First Person Shooter) games such as Call of Duty and RPGs such as Pokémon and Final Fantasy, which attract a large player base.
Legendary games such as Tetris and Pokemon Red/Blue that have been around for decades remain among the top 10 best sellers. This shows that classic games remain relevant and have cross-generational appeal. Puzzles, while only accounting for 2.7% of total sales, remain a popular genre through iconic games like Tetris.
- Japan
From the chart of Top 10 Games with Best Selling in Japan, it is clear that the Pokémon franchise dominates the Japanese game market. Pokémon Red/Pokémon Blue became the best-selling game in Japan with sales of 10.22 million units, followed by various other versions such as Pokémon Gold/Silver, Pokémon Diamond/Pearl, Pokémon Black/White, and Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire. From the list of top 10 games, 6 of them are games from the Pokémon franchise. This shows the incredible power of this franchise in attracting gamers in Japan.
The Sales in Japan by Genre pie chart shows that the Role-Playing (RPG) genre dominated sales in Japan with a contribution of 27.3%. This fits well with the fact that Pokémon games, which are mostly RPGs, dominate the list of best-selling games in Japan. RPGs have a strong appeal among Japanese gamers, who prefer in-depth narratives and character development, as offered by the Pokémon franchise.
In addition to Pokémon, Super Mario Bros. games are also very popular, with sales of 6.81 million units, showing that Nintendo is a key player in the Japanese gaming market. The Platform genre, dominated by games such as Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. contributed 10.1% to game sales in Japan. This shows that the platform genre remains highly favored among Japanese gamers.
In addition to RPGs, the Action (12.4%) and Sports (10.5%) genres also contributed significantly to game sales in Japan. Although RPGs dominate, action and sports games also continue to attract many players, especially with titles like Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (4.87 million units), which takes the last spot on the top 10 list.
Games like Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day, which focuses more on learning and simulation elements, also made it into the top 10 list with sales of 5.32 million units. This shows that in Japan, there is a market for games that focus on education and personal development. The Puzzle genre, which includes games like Brain Age, also contributed 4.9% to total game sales in Japan.
- Europe
Wii Sports was the best-selling game in Europe with sales of 29.02 million units, followed by other Wii games such as Mario Kart Wii and Wii Sports Resort. This shows that the Nintendo Wii console is very popular in Europe, with games that combine sports elements and physical interaction being the favorites. This corresponds to the Sales in Europe by Genre pie chart, which shows that the Sports genre accounts for 15.5% of total sales in Europe. Sports games such as Wii Sports have wide appeal among European gamers, perhaps because of the interactivity and family fun of playing together.
The Action genre is the most popular in Europe, accounting for 21.6% of total sales by genre. Although specific action games do not dominate the list of best-selling games, the genre as a whole remains highly desirable in Europe. This may reflect the success of action games such as Grand Theft Auto V, which ranked fifth with 9.27 million units sold. GTA V is an example of an action game with open-world elements that managed to attract a large number of players in Europe.
In addition to action and sports, there is a diversity of genres in Europe with Shooter (12.9%), Racing (9.8%), and Platform (8.3%) also contributing significantly to sales. This shows that European gamers have diverse preferences and are interested in different types of gameplay. Games such as Mario Kart Wii (Racing genre) and New Super Mario Bros. (Platform genre) are on the bestseller list, showing that these genres still have a strong place in the hearts of European gamers.
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day which focuses on brain training also made it to the top 10 list with sales of 9.26 million units. This reflects the significant interest in Europe for educational and simulation-based games. The Simulation genre, which accounted for 4.7% of sales, contributed to the success of games like Brain Age in the European market.
Pokémon Red/Pokémon Blue made the list with 8.89 million units sold. While not as dominant as in Japan, the Pokémon franchise remains popular in Europe. However, the Role-Playing genre that the Pokémon franchise is based on only accounted for 7.7% of total sales, showing that RPGs are not as big as other genres such as sports or action in Europe.
- North America
Wii Sports was the best-selling game in North America with 41.49 million units sold, far ahead of any other game. In addition, several other Nintendo games such as Super Mario Bros., Duck Hunt, and Mario Kart Wii were also included in the top 10 best-selling games list. This shows Nintendo’s dominance in the North American market, particularly with the Wii and NES consoles. Super Mario games as a whole are also very popular, with three games from the franchise topping the list (Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Super Mario World).
From the pie chart Sales in North America by Genre, the Action genre was the most dominant with 20% of total sales, followed by the Sports genre with 15.6%. This is consistent with the popularity of games such as Wii Sports and action-based games such as Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros. that combine platforming and action elements. Shooters also contributed 13.3%, although no specific shooter game made the top 10 best-selling games list. This suggests that overall the shooter genre is highly desirable to gamers in North America, although the dominance at the top of the list may be more related to family and more casual titles such as Nintendo games.
Simple, classic games like Duck Hunt and Tetris remain very popular in North America, ranking third and fourth in sales respectively, with over 20 million units sold. This shows that North American gamers not only favor games with advanced graphics or complex storylines, but also appreciate easy-to-play and entertaining gameplay. The game Kinect Adventures!, which utilizes motion technology on the Xbox, also made the list with 14.97 million units sold, showing interest in motion-based games and casual interactivity.
From 10 best-selling games, four were games from the Super Mario franchise. This shows that the characters and world of Super Mario have cross-generational appeal in North America, further cementing Nintendo’s dominance in the market. While the Nintendo Wii led the way with Wii Sports and other games such as Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Wii Play, older games such as Super Mario World from the Super Nintendo era still made the list, showing Nintendo’s continued appeal.
- Other Region
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the best-selling game in other countries with 10.57 million units sold, followed by Grand Theft Auto V with 4.14 million units. This shows that Action games have huge appeal outside of traditional markets like North America and Europe. The Sales in Other Countries by Genre pie chart supports this, with the Action genre accounting for 23.5% of total sales in other regions. The popularity of open-world and action games like GTA emphasizes the dominance of this genre.
Wii Sports came in second on the list of best-selling games with 8.46 million units sold. This shows that sports games, especially motion-based ones like Wii Sports, are also very popular in other countries. The Sports genre was the second most popular outside of North America, Europe and Japan, contributing 16.9% of total sales. This indicates that sports games, whether in the form of realistic simulations or casual interactives, are well received in various regions.
Gran Turismo 4 became the third best-selling game with sales of 7.53 million units, showing that Racing games also have a strong player base in other countries. This is supported by the fact that the Racing genre accounted for 9.7% of total sales in other countries. Car racing games, especially those that emphasize realistic simulation like Gran Turismo, are gaining wide acceptance.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 made the list with sales of 2.93 million units, reflecting the huge popularity of soccer games in various regions of the world. The game, while not a global bestseller, clearly has great appeal in regions outside of major markets such as North America. This popularity is consistent with the Sports genre’s position as the second largest genre in other regions, which includes popular sports games such as soccer.
Although Grand Theft Auto dominates, Nintendo’s Mario and Wii games still have a strong presence with games such as Mario Kart Wii, Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. and Wii Play all being on the best-selling games list. The Platform genre, which is often associated with Nintendo games, accounted for 7.5% of total sales in other regions, reflecting that Nintendo remains relevant to players around the world.
5. Which region that have the most selling games through 40 years?
There was a sharp increase in video game sales from the mid-1990s to its peak around 2008–2010. This represented a golden period for the video game industry, primarily driven by the release of major consoles such as the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. The global market experienced exponential growth, with increasing contributions from all regions, including North America, Europe, Japan, and others.
Sales in North America (marked by the blue area) dominate this graph, indicating that this region was the largest market for video game sales during the peak period. The contribution of NA Sales peaked around 2008–2010. This is consistent with the fact that many of the best-selling games come from companies like Nintendo and Microsoft, which are very popular in North America.
Europe (dark green area) shows a strong contribution to total global sales, with a steadily increasing sales trend from 1995 to peak in the same year as North America. This indicates that Europe is also an important market for the global video game industry.
Japan (light green area) also played an important role in global sales until around 2010, but its contribution tended to be smaller than that of North America and Europe. After its peak, sales in Japan experienced a steep decline, reflecting a market shift to other regions or perhaps signaling a change in market preferences in Japan towards mobile gaming platforms and digital games.
After peaking in 2008–2010, there was a decline in video game sales globally across all regions. This decline is likely due to factors such as:
- The shift to digital: Many players started to switch to digital game purchases and online distribution platforms such as Steam, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Live, which are not always recorded in physical sales.
- The increasing popularity of mobile gaming: Mobile games became more dominant in the market after 2010, which is not captured in console sales data.
- Lack of new consoles: After major releases such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii, a significant new generation of consoles was not released in the near future, causing a decline in physical game sales.
6. Which platform that have the most video games?
PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation 3 (PS3) dominate with the largest box sizes, indicating that these two platforms have the largest number of games compared to other platforms. This reflects the huge popularity of PlayStation during the console’s era and the large number of games developed for these two consoles. In addition, the PS1 and PSP also have large contributions, showing that almost all PlayStation consoles have a significant developer base and number of games.
The Nintendo DS (DS) also has a large box size, indicating that this handheld console has a large number of games released. This reflects the great success of the DS as a portable gaming platform with an extensive collection of games. The Wii and Xbox 360 (X360) also have large areas in this treemap, indicating that they were popular platforms with many game titles, especially in the 2000s.
The PC also has a large box size, indicating that it is a platform with a large number of games released. The popularity of the PC as a gaming platform has been around for a long time, especially with the flexibility it offers for various game genres.
Besides the DS, other handheld consoles such as the PlayStation Portable (PSP), PlayStation Vita (PSV), and Game Boy Advance (GBA) also have a significant number of games. This shows that portable consoles play an important role in the gaming ecosystem, especially among gamers looking for a flexible gaming experience.
Some older platforms such as the Atari 2600 (2600), Nintendo 64 (N64), and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) have smaller box sizes, indicating that while these platforms have an important gaming base, the number of games released is smaller compared to modern consoles. Newer platforms such as PlayStation 4 (PS4), Xbox One (XOne), and WiiU have a lower number of games in this visualization, perhaps because they are still in active game development or are at the end of their lifecycle.
Some platforms such as Sega Saturn (SAT), GameCube (GC), and Nintendogs (as a handheld franchise) have smaller sizes, indicating that while these platforms have influence, the number of games released for them is limited compared to more popular platforms such as PS2, PS3, or DS.
Conclusion
Here are the conclusions in point form based on all the analysis that has been done:
- PlayStation Platform Dominance:
PlayStation 2 (PS2) and PlayStation 3 (PS3) have the most games, showing PlayStation’s dominance as a console with many games released over several generations.
- Handheld Console Success:
Nintendo DS (DS) and PlayStation Portable (PSP) are among the platforms with a significant number of games, highlighting the success of handheld consoles in attracting game developers and producing a large game catalog.
- Popular Nintendo Platforms:
Wii and DS are platforms with many games, reflecting Nintendo’s great popularity, especially with games that rely on physical interaction and portability.
- PC’s Important Role in the Gaming Industry:
PC remains one of the platforms with the most games, reflecting its flexibility as a platform for various game genres and its wide acceptance among developers.
- Action Genre Success:
The Action genre has consistently been the most popular genre across regions, driven primarily by the success of games such as Grand Theft Auto and other action games.
- Popularity of Sports Games Across Regions:
The Sports genre is extremely popular across regions, with games like Wii Sports dominating sales in various markets, highlighting the appeal of interactive sports games.
- Global Sales Decline After 2010:
After peak sales in 2008–2010, there has been a significant decline in video game sales worldwide, likely due to the shift to digital gaming and the rise of mobile gaming.
- Diversity of Genres in Global Markets:
In addition to action and sports genres, genres like Racing, Shooter, and Platform also have significant contributions across markets, indicating diverse preferences among global gamers.
- Presence of Classic Consoles:
While classic consoles like the Atari 2600, SNES, and N64 may not have as many games as modern consoles, they remain relevant and have contributed to the history of the gaming industry.
- Nintendo and the Mario Franchise Remain Strong:
The Mario franchise and Nintendo games like Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart remain favorites across regions, demonstrating the cross-generational appeal of Nintendo games.
- Specific Japanese Market:
Game sales in Japan are dominated by the Role-Playing (RPG) genre, unlike other regions that prefer action and sports, indicating unique Japanese market preferences.
- Market Shift to Digital:
The decline in physical sales after 2010 indicates a shift to digital game purchases and online distribution models, which are not captured in traditional sales data.
