Games Beat Out Movies in the U.K.

Money spent on videogames has exceeded that spent on films in the United Kingdom, according to number compiled for an article in the Daily Telegraph.

The videogame numbers, according to GFK Chart-Track, show that more than £1.73 billion was spent on games for the 12 months ending in September 2009. For that same period, the UK Film Council reported that £1 billion was spent at the box office and another £198 million was spent on DVD and Blu-Ray titles. Only music and television had a bigger year than videogames.

Tom Watson, a former cabinet minister and avid gamer, wasn't surprised by the numbers:

"Like anything digital, Parliament has a very narrow view of video games. Too many politicians think video games are played by teenage boys staying up all night shooting things in their bedroom.

"And yes there are plenty of those, but there also a huge range of people of many different ages who love playing games. The industry has matured over the last decade, and so too have gamers."

What makes these numbers even more impressive is that they do not include the sales figures for Modern Warfare 2, which came out in November.