Game On!

The game sector is one of the unsung success stories of the Irish economy. Games have come a long way from humble beginnings as little more than electronic toys. The industry now has annual sales in excess of €50bn. The largest game release in history, "Call of Duty: Black Ops" made over $650 million in sales in its first five days, more than any movie or book has ever achieved.

The games industry can be broadly segmented into two distinct markets. One market is for "hardcore" games. These are the big ticket, graphics- intense and expensive products which are designed to be played on dedicated games consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's Play Station 3.

Hardcore games tend to cost in the region of €50 to purchase and are often launched to much fanfare as part of expensive marketing campaigns. Ireland plays a key support role in this sector.