The PC Gaming Alliance must have been relieved to read the result of their recent study into which was the world’s leading single platform for gaming.

The personal computer celebrated its 30th birthday last year and it’s estimated that over 1 billion are in use worldwide. The PC Gaming Alliance’s research into the gaming industry during 2008 shows that a quarter of those PCs are being used for gaming, making it the single largest platform.

According to the report, PC gaming generates annual worldwide revenues of about $11 billion, more than any of the consoles or portable systems from the likes of Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony.

Titled “The PC Gaming Alliance Presents the PC Gaming Industry in 2008” the report is packed with industry findings, of which the three most interesting are the impact of digital distribution (Valve’s Steam), the growth of free gaming based on micro-transactions and the proliferation in game card availability.

“The biggest story in PC games is the expansion beyond retail,” said Randy Stude, president of the PC Gaming Alliance. “PC games have successfully pioneered online subscription and distribution models that have resulted in a global boom that shows no signs of slowing. Despite the advances of the likes of Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, the online platform that remains the most accessible and robust worldwide is the PC.”

Written by DFC Intelligence, the report also draws attention to the major role that MMOs play in generating revenue, a genre that is played mostly on PCs. The ability of successful MMOs to sell a game at full retail price and then command a monthly charge to play has made them among the most profitable entertainment products ever.

Despite the recession, or perhaps because of it, the gaming industry continues to perform well, including the PC’s console and hand held cousins. Videogame software sales rose 9% in February to just over $733 million and hardware sales rose 11% to $533 million, reported The NPD Group last week.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!