A company called Verdict Research has issued a report stating that video games sales are doing better than music or DVD - and will continue to do so.

The press release from the company (available here) states that, "One surprising aspect of the games market over the past year is that the more severe the economic downturn has become, the better the gaming market has performed. Games represent a relatively cheap, but also exciting and innovative, pastime."

One of the report's authors, Matthew Piner, also wants us to know that video games have made an overnight sensation of themselves, "2008 has seen video games catapulted into the mainstream entertainment market, popular with men, women, children and families alike".

So, we're now in the mainstream. Who would have thought it?

In order to confirm this, the report - entitled 'UK Music & Video 2008and UK Video Games & Consoles Retailing 2008' - gives some figures for this mainstream, overnight success:

Video and music spending by the great British public for 2007 = £4,434; for 2008 = £4,461.
Video game spending by us Brits for 2007 = £3,270; for 2008 £4,643.

So, that apparently indicates a year-on-year growth for video games sales of 42%, while music and video slugged its way to 0.6%.

Stats, eh?