Trade

The video game industry is a major U.S. employer and economic contributor.  

The U.S. video game industry directly employs more than 104,000 people and supports a total of 350,000 jobs across the 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Employees in the industry earn an average compensation of about $168,000 a year, ranging from $67,500 in the video game retail sector to $197,800 in the video game software sector. Across all sectors of the industry, including developers, publishers, hardware and accessories makers and game-specific retail, there are more than 5,600 video game companies in the U.S. 

In 2023, total U.S. video game industry revenue was $57 billion, more than U.S. box office revenues and the entire music industry combined.

The video game industry’s growth relies on fair and open access to international markets.

The U.S. video game industry has grown by enabling interactive play and shared experiences across national boundaries. Today, 61% of Americans play video games. By 2030, the industry expects there to be 3.8 billion players worldwide. Sustaining and expanding that growth will depend on open markets with fair rules that apply equally to domestic and foreign companies. 

Trade rules that create a level playing field are essential to a thriving industry.

The following trade priorities are essential to the ability of the U.S. video game industry to create jobs, promote economic growth, innovate state-of-the-art entertainment devices and deliver unique, immersive entertainment experiences globally:

Strong IP Protection and Enforcement. Video game companies face a range of challenges around the world that, if not addressed, could restrict sales of physical and digital games. Among other challenges, international piracy or theft of video games threatens the industry and its ability to grow and deliver new, innovative game content to consumers around the world. 

Common Sense Digital Trade Policies. Consumers increasingly seek to access games through digital channels. To reach more consumers around the world, game publishers have embraced digital distribution to deliver engaging content, services and more vibrant experiences. It is critical that the data flow across international borders remain open so that players worldwide get the benefit of digital delivery of game content. 

Removing market access barriers enables consumer access to video games.

The video game industry supports eliminating or lowering barriers to trade, investment and the mobility of businesspersons between countries.

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