The most popular item of entertainment last year was a video game, proving that adults are increasingly turning to games consoles as their main way of unwinding in the evening, rather than music or films.
For some years of the British video games industry has trumped the film industry in monetary terms, but that has been because the average video game costs in excess of £30, while most new DVDs cost less than £15 and a cinema ticket is usually less than £10.
However, statistics from the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) show that in 2010, two of the top three titles in volume terms were video games, beating all forms of music, both physical and digital and DVDs. The most popular title of the year was Call of Duty: Black Ops, a so-called "shooter" game, involving the player pretending to be a soldier behind enemy lines during the Cold War. It sold 3.27 million copies between its launch in November and the end of the year, beating Avatar, the futuristic film, which sold 3 million.
This was despite Call of Duty's hefty price of between £35 and £50.
The third most popular tile was Fifa 11, the football video game, which sold 2.39 million copies. The DVD of Toy Story 3, the animated film, was the fourth most popular title, with 2.08 million copies sold.
In the top ten there was just one music title, Progress by Take That, which sold 1.93 millon copies.
Steve Redmond, spokesman at the ERA, said: "We've long been used to the idea that in value terms the video games industry is bigger than film or music. But it is a significant moment when a game outsells all over forms of entertainment.
"It's also a sign that the biggest titles, be it for music, film or games, are getting bigger and bigger, while the mid-range titles are getting squeezed."
Sales of video games actually fell by 12 per cent last year, with 62.9 million in total sold, hindered by the lack of new consoles or hand-held devices being launched by the hardware manufacturers, and the recession.
Guy Cocker, at Gamespot, the games industry website, said: "Many people will be surprised by how popular video games have become, but they are a key part of many people's lives and a hugely profitable industry."
He pointed out that the statistics would not have captured the increasing number of games that are played by people on their mobile phones, via "apps" or software applications, the most famous of which is probably Angry Birds, which has been bought by at least 12 million worldwide.
Last week Nintendo launched its 3DS, a hand-held games console that allows players to play 3 dimension games without the need to wear glasses. Nintendo said it sold 113,000 units during the first two days of sales, making it a faster seller than its previous hit, the Wii.
