Where have all the gamers gone?

Last month was brutal for the video game industry. Retail-sales tracker NPD Group reports that hardware, software, and accessories sales fell a staggering 34% in January relative to the first month of last year.

Diehard gamers will argue that January lacked meaty releases, but that is typical for this time of year. Developers like to get their more popular titles out in time for the holiday shopping season.