While $14.8 billion is nothing to scoff at, that figure is down from a year ago: the estimate for 2011 is $16.34 billion, meaning that Americans spent 9 percent less in 2012.
That entire $1.54 billion difference is more than explained by 2012's rough year for physical, boxed games, which saw a 22 percent -- or $2.03 billion -- decline in 2012. Digital sales are on the rise -- up 16 percent from $5.09 billion to $5.92 billion -- but it wasn't enough to make up for retail's performance in a rough transitional year.