LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Many Americans are finding ways to trim their holiday budgets this year , but reports are showing that buying video games is one place consumers are not cutting back . Through November , video game sales are up 22 percent over 2007 . According to market researcher NPD Group , U.S. retail sales of video games totaled $ 2.91 billion in November , a 10 percent jump from a year ago . Overall sales this year through November are more than $ 16 billion , up 22 percent from 2007 . Anita Frazier , an analyst from NPD , cites the industry 's wide content variety on newer generation consoles such as Nintendo 's Wii , Sony 's Playstation 3 and Microsoft 's XBOX 360 as a reason for the strong performance . Frazier also says that video games are a relatively cheap form of entertainment , considering the hours of value they provide . Matt Helgeson , senior editor at Game Informer magazine , agrees . `` Video games can take between 10 and 40 hours , sometimes 50 hours , to complete '' depending on the title , Helgeson said . `` Gamers can often get two to three months out of one game . '' Furthermore , during these recessionary times , Helgeson explains that video games `` provide the ultimate escapism . '' According to NPD , some of the top-selling game titles in November include `` Gears of War 2 , '' which sold 1.6 million copies , and `` Call Of Duty : World At War , '' which sold 1.4 million . Nintendo 's `` Wii Play '' and `` Wii Fit '' put up impressive numbers , as well . With those kinds of sales , video games have potential to be one of the most popular stocking stuffers for kids this holiday season . Helgeson says that these days , games are a core part of being a kid , and it 's no longer a question of `` do you play video games ? '' Instead the question is `` what games are you playing ? '' `` Ages , races , social groups -- video games cut across all platforms , '' Helgeson said . Whether you 're shopping for a hardcore gamer or something for the family , `` there is something for everybody . ''