As an ophthalmic assistant at Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates, PA, in North Carolina, Donnie Rhett Koonce utilizes JMP Statistical Software to run data analysis in support of local research projects. Donnie Rhett Koonce maintains a number of interests outside of work, including reading and playing video games.
The video game industry represents, by far, the most lucrative sector of the global entertainment industry. For reference, video games generated more than $152 billion in 2019, compared to the worldwide film box office, which generated less than $42 billion.
When it comes to individual titles, few gaming studios have experienced the success of Mojang Studios, creators of Minecraft. Released in 2009, the resource management game has sold more than 200 million copies and maintains a global player base of 126 million, making it the single most successful video game title of all time.
While Minecraft thrives on low-res pixel art, its main competitor revels in 3D realism. Released in 2013, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V surpassed 135 million units sold in 2020, just a year after surpassing 110 million units sold. The game grossed approximately $1 billion within its first 3 days of release, a record only matches by the studio's own Red Dead Redemption 2, an open-world Western released in 2018.
It should be noted that both Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto V are individual games. Sales figures for the most popular video game series and franchises are much higher. Nintendo's Mario franchise, for example, has sold more than 639 million total copies, while the Super Mario series specifically has sold nearly 345 million units.
