Once again, the gaming industry has proved itself to be most viable, especially with titles like Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 and Skyrim making huge dividends in regards to sales.
In fact, these titles did as much, if not more business than other arms of the entertainment industry, especially for popular titles. If you need an example of just how popular the concept of gaming has become, just spend some time with Reddit’s gaming section, and it will become clear. Granted, the mega-popularity of the three aforementioned games — particularly Skyrim — only helps in regards to attractive sales figures, but it takes more than just three titles to sustain an entire industry.
Other releases like L.A. Noire, Batman: Arkham City, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Uncharted 3 also reached states of massive popularity.
All in all, 2011 was another fine year for gaming. It could also be seen as a time the true gamers took the title away from those who play on social networking platforms and mobile devices, although, that battle has yet to be decided. However, thanks to a strong end-of-the-year push, helped in large part by the three aforementioned titles, when gamers are mentioned, the first image that pops into your head should not be related to someone playing Angry Birds on their iPhone.
To help remind us of how great a year it was for the video game industry — not just Nintendo, or Xbox, or the PlayStation, either; the entire industry — here’s a two-minute reminder, courtesy of Malcolm Klock. While it may be difficult to encapsulate the industry in under two minutes, Klock’s video does an admirable job:
According to the video description, the following games were featured in the video, based on order of appearance:
Battlefield 3
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Assassins Creed: Revelations
The Witcher 2
RAGE
Uncharted 3
Dark Souls
Gears of War 3
Catherine
Saints Row: The Third
Portal 2
Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
From Dust
Yakuza 4
Dirt 3
L.A. Noire
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
Rayman Origins
Shadows of the Damned
Child of Eden
Dragon Age 2
Infamous 2
Alice: Madness Returns
Batman Arkham City
Resistance 3
Driver: San Francisco
Outland
Dead Space 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Fear 3
As indicated, this is not a comprehensive list. Far from it. It does, however, do a fantastic job of highlighting the many bright spots the industry had this year.
The sad thing about this video is, if SOPA or PIPA were approved, such a thing wouldn’t exist because it’s doubtful Klock received permission from these publishers to use their IP in his video, but then again, who needs fair use, right?
H/t to Neatorama for the lead image.