Report Claims Game Industry Is Worth A Cool $74 Billion In 2011.

The game industry is anything but struggling. While my lemonade stand ain’t rakin’ in shit this summer, the companies behind some of our favorite distractions are cumulatively rolling in the cash. In large part thanks to the behemoth that is mobile gaming.

Joystiq:

Video games are the big earner on the block, a forecast report from technology advisory firm Gartner Inc suggests. Gartner says video games will pull in $74 billion this year alone and are projected to rake in a staggering $115 billion a year by 2015, thanks in large part to mobile gaming.

“As the popularity of smartphones and tablets continues to expand, gaming will remain a key component in the use of these devices,” said principal research analyst Tuong Nguyen. “Mobile games are the most downloaded application category across most application stores. For this reason, mobile gaming will continue to thrive as more consumers expand their use of new and innovative portable connected devices.” Because of this, Gartner surmises that 2011 will see stronger sales of software than hardware (with online revenue coming in third), a pretty ballsy call considering  Sony will launch its PlayStation Vita later this year and that in 2011, we saw the launch of  the iPad 2,  Nintendo’s 3DS, some Android tablets and the  Xperia Play.

Angry Birds and Farmville, the gaming industry salutes you! Even if most companies find the implications behind your success a bit scary.