New research conducted by stat obsessives Pearl, a San Francisco-based group, discovers today that the games market in is enjoying rapid growth, having rocketed an incredible 63 per cent in 2008.

The business is now worth an epic 2.8 billion USD and by 2012 this figure is expected to reach an incredible 5.5 billion USD.

Apparently, this boom is party because some 70 per cent of China's 300 million internet users are under the age of 30.

"Trends to track in 2009 include the growth of social networking sites in China, with over 55 million users, and their cross-pollination with games," offered Pearl's Allison Luong.

"One overall concern is the lack of diversification with many game operators relying on a single title for the bulk of revenues.

"In addition, a glut of content with more than 200 games on the market, makes releasing a breakout hit increasingly difficult."

The has apparently been unaffected by the global economic slowdown.

By Luke Guttridge