So is game development the gay science?

Yup, but development costs will crash when they move away. This might lead the companies to the conclusion that the market isnt viable anymore and will abandon it.

I think we need to establish how you pronounce Nietzsche (Nee-cha or Nee-chee) and niche (rhymes with quiche or rhymes with hitch).

Now I feel as if I am gazing into an abyss...

Gaming is not niche, in some countries it's even bigger than the movie industry.

Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood pretty much everything else is irrelevant.

Dat >10% though

Thanks Pemalite!

You know... that PC share includes MMO's and F2P and social games. Its not a very good graph.

Well considering the mobile market is basically purely social games, even if that 10% was in PC, that is still 28% of the PC market that generates revenue. Also, I cannae imagine that casuals would find much appeal in MMOs.

Maybe calling them casuals is a bit much, but theres plenty of casual MMO players. Especially in WoW, SWTOR and many of the F2P games.

If your point is that the PC market will hold AAA games development i'm afraid you are sorely mistaken.

Its an issue of semantics, but what I consider casuals to be anyone who isn't a gaming hobbiyist. Sort of how most people just watch movies to be enterntained. But actual Movie hobbyists care about their favorite movies.

MMO's require so much time investment, especially when most of them have most of their content in the endgame. Its a stetch to say that someone who doesn't have gaming as a hobby would enjoy MMOs very much.