No financial pinch for gamers

As financial times seem to be getting more difficult and consumers are saying they can't afford to get to work, feed their children, or buy houses, the gaming industry seems to be completely unaffected. An article at Ars Technica shows that sales of game consoles and games are higher than ever... leading me to wonder how dire our financial situation can really be.

The article says that sales of game consoles are up 27% from last year, and that sales in general for the gaming industry are up over last year. Software sales hit almost $1 billion in March of this year, a 63% increase over last year.

So here are the questions this raises: Are economic times really as hard as people are suggesting? Is the gaming industry just one of those industries that is "recession-proof"? Is the increase simply related to a widening popularity of gaming? Or are gamers die-hard nutcases who will find money for new systems and games no matter what? I have no idea what the answer might be, I just thought it was interesting that during a time when so many industries are struggling, this particular one is doing well.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.