The MCV article by Neil Long:

Nintendo Wii has eclipsed Star Wars and iPod as the most-searched for terms on Amazon.co.uk in 2006, with Brain Training on DS coming out on top as the biggest selling game.

Even though the Wii has only been available since December 8th in the UK, it still proved to be the most popular search term in Amazon’s 2006 poll, with a huge 300,000 searches in just one week during the Christmas period.

Amazon’s top ten selling titles of last year revealed that games buyers increasingly plumped for more family friendly titles, with Brain Training, Lego Star Wars II and The Sims 2: Pets claiming the top three spots, while Animal Crossing, The Sims 2: Open for Business, New Super Mario Bros and The Sims 2 took fifth, sixth, seventh and tenth place respectively.

The only other games to have made into the top ten were football titles, with FIFA ’07, Pro Evolution Soccer 6 and Football Manager 2007 named as the fourth, eighth and ninth best selling games of 2006.

The dominance of family titles marks a significant change in games buying habits, says Amazon’s report: “As systems such as the Nintendo Wii and DS expand the appeal of gaming beyond the traditionally perceived audience of teenage boys, sales of videogames on Amazon.co.uk are reflecting a real change in the types of games Brits want.”

“2006 saw top-selling violent games of the past, such as Grand Theft Auto and Medal of Honour, replaced by more family-friendly titles with broader appeal.”

MCV

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