December 2007 topped off a record-breaking year for the video game industry, generating $1.5 billion in revenue in Canada alone ($18 billion in the US), which is a 56 per cent increase over Canadian sales in 2006 (a 43 per cent increase in the US).

According to data from the NPD Group, hardware sales and software sales saw a surge of 78 and 38 per cent respectively, while accessory sales jumped 66 per cent, making 2007 a year for the gaming industry's record books.

"What is interesting and unique about the gaming industry is the ability of one component of the industry to prosper without compromising the growth prospects of another," said Darrel Ryce, director of the NPD Group Canada. "In other industries, one hot product or brand causes competitors to suffer. However, gaming follows different rules, which is especially evident in the most recent holiday shopping season."

The NPD Group tracked the following in December 2007:

Video Game Hardware:

• 650,000 video game systems were sold in Canada
• The number one selling system was Nintendo's portable DS system
• Console sales were strong in December with an increase of 40 per cent from the same time last year

Top consoles sales are ranked thus:

1. Microsoft's Xbox 360
2. Sony's Playstation 3
3. Nintendo's Wii

Video Game Software:

• More than 4.6 million games were sold

Top games sold include:

1. Mario Galaxy for the Wii
2. Wii Play with remote for Wii
3. Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360
4. Assassin's Creed for the Xbox 360
5. Halo 3 for the Xbox 360

Video Game Accessories:

• More than 1.7 million accessories were purchased in December 2007.

Top five accessories sold:

1. Nintendo's Wii Nunchuk controller
2. Nintendo's Wii Remote
3. Sony's wireless PlayStation3 Sixaxis controller
4. Microsoft's Xbox 360 wireless controller
5. Nintendo's Wii Zapper with Link Training