In the US, the video game industry grows at four times the rate of the US economy.

According to a report published by the Entertainment Software Association , the Industry grew 9.7 percent from 2009-2012, whereas growth for the US economy was just 2.4 percent. In the same period, video game-related employment rose at an annual rate of 9 percent versus total US employment, which increased at an annual rate of 0.724 percent.Incidentally, total employment – direct plus indirect – that depends on the video game industry in the US now exceeds 146,000. Of direct employment, in 2012 42,000 employees from 36 states earned over $4 billion in compensation.Also in 2012, the average annual compensation – which covers wages and salaries along with employer contributions for pensions, insurance and social insurance – was $94,747 per employee.As for the breakdown of annual sales; 2009 saw $10.1 billion; 2010 raised $17.1 billion; 2011 took $16.7 billion; in 2012, $15.2 billion; and finally, 2013 drew $15.4 billion. All of which leaves the Industry's value added to the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as over $6.2 billion.If you fancy some more financial figures, Nintendo recently announced its financial results for the second quarter of the financial year, covering the period between July and September.

Wesley Copeland is a freelance news writer, but you probably already guessed that. For more obvious statements, you should probably follow him on Twitter