I’m half-asleep so I apologize if I come off as a rambling mess, but somebody needs to slap CNN. Within a matter of days of the news that Electronic Arts would be shutting down at least nine studios, in addition to the (apparent) closures of both Free Radical Design and Factor 5 and the continued financial troubles at Midway, CNN ran a report that more or less called video games “recession-proof”. (NOTE: Video Only Works in IE… for the most part. I know, I know. I hate it, too.)

Nevermind that this report was filed less than a week after the proverbial shit hit the fan, this is just the latest example of the mainstream media trying to stick their noses in an industry that they simply don’t understand. Now the reporter, Eunice Yoon, does mention that “some video game makers have started laying off workers”, but that’s a bit of an understatement — by the end of January, we’re looking at upwards of twelve studios that could be shut down, including a fairly large publisher in Midway.

Yes, gaming as an industry is still strong, but the raw sales figures don’t tell the entire story. Video games will survive this recession, but a lot of the smaller to mid-level developers won’t. Tell them that gaming is recession-proof.

Popularity: unranked [?]