Computer and Video Game Industry Continues to Enjoy Strong Growth

A new study from the Entertainment Software Association Have reports that the "US interactive entertainment software industry is, and has been, one of the most rapidly growing industries in the United States." The industry grew 10.6 per year from 2005 to 2009; the US economy only grew 1.4 percent during this same time span. Sales of computer and video games in the United States have grown from $7 billion in 2005 to more than $10 billion today. To put this into perspective, the US computer and video game industry now rivals the US film industry in annual gross income. Here are a few other interesting statistics from the study, Video Games in the 21st Century:    
   

There are currently III game developers and publishers in 34 states. Career opportunities are available at small developer

shops or at large game publishing companies that employ thousands of workers.       
 

Nearly 31,600 people are directly employed in the US computer game industry. About 62% were employed by small developer firms, with the remaining workers employed by large companies.   
    

More than 74 percent of directly employed game industry employees work in six states: California (41.27% of workers), Texas (10.47%, Washington (9.45%), New York (5.22%), Massachusetts (4.10%), and Illinois (3.63%).       
 

More than 120,000 workers are directly or indirectly employed in the US game software publishing industry. Game developer employees earned an average salary of $75,573 in 2009.    
 

There are many career opportunities in the industry. Breaking In: Preparing For Your Career in Games, a career website

(http://archives.igda.org/breakingin ) created by the International Game
Developers Association, divides the industry into six main categories: Audio, Design, Production, Programming, Visual Arts, and Business & Miscellaneous. See our article, "Gaming Industry Offers Excellent Career Opportunities," in Volume 31, Number 7 for a detailed overview of career options in the field. We will also post the article at our website, www.collegeandcareerpress.com.  

For More Info:

Entertainment Software Association (575 7th Street, NW,

Suite 300, Washington, DC 20004-1611, esa@theesa.com,

www.theesa.com)   International Game Developers Association (19 Mantua Rd, Mt. Royal, NJ 08061-1006, 856/423-2990, www.igda.org)    

(Entertainment Software Association, Video Games in the 21st Century)

Some Young Women Earning More Than Men

Young professional women in most metropolitan areas are earning more than men of the same age, according to new statistics from the US Census Bureau. In 2008, unmarried, childless women between the ages of 22 and 30 earned 8 percent more than their male peers. The greatest disparity in income was found in Atlanta, Georgia, where women in this demographic group earned 121 percent more than their male peers.
 

One major development that is fueling this trend is that more women are attending college. From 2006 to 2008, 32.7% of women between ages 25 and 34 had a bachelor's degree or higher. Only 25.8% of men in this demographic had at least a bachelor's degree. 
 

Significant pay disparities still exist when comparing salaries for men and women overall For example, women with a bachelor's degree had median annual earnings of $39,571, according to statistics gathered between 2006 & 2008, while men with the same educational credentials earned $59,079. 
 

(US Census Bureau)

Upcoming Meetings

• Youth Council Meeting: Tuesday May 17th 11:45am Career Opportunities    
       
• WIB Board of Directors Meeting: Tuesday May 24th 8:00am Career Opportunities