Media Control GfK -- the "single, most comprehensive, accurate, multi-format, entertainment data source for Europe and Asia" -- has let loose some statistics on European video game sales, and the results are pretty spectacular. Note that these cover the first six months of 2008 as contrasted with the same period the year previous:

The firm attributed the increases to the "growing range of attractive games" for the current generation of consoles, which have now "heavily penetrated the European marketplace", as well as the continent-wide success of the Nintendo DS (its brain training games have dominated the software charts over there this year).

Ulrike Altig, Media Control GfK’s managing director said, “The game console has left the children’s room and made its way in the living-room."

Last month sales monitor Chart-Track reported similar findings: software sales during the same time periods saw an increase of 42 percent (to 31.1 million units), generating £738 million.