While most businesses are currently feeling the economic pinch, there is at least one sector that is currently witnessing an economic boost: Pawn shops.

And who do pawn shops credit for this business upswing? The answer is, quite simply, the video game community.

According to a story in the Chicago Tribune, pawn shops such as Ace Pawn Shop in Bloomington, Indiana (USA), have noted the increase of game consoles and high-end televisions brought into their stores. The story then mentions that Tom Haggerty, who owns TomCat’s Pawn (also in Bloomington, IN), has also seen an increase in the amount of game systems and…

Maybe it’s time to start rewriting some of those rote gamer cliches. You know, like, “Your mom is such a gamer.” Statistically, thats not so far-fetched.

According to the ESA’s (Entertainment Software Association’s) annual report released during E3 2008, 40 percent of all gamers are women older than 18 and a quarter are older than 50. That’s up from 38 percent and 24 percent, respectively, from the 2007 release (PDF). The average age of gamers also ticked up to 35 from 33.

This is the sort of data that plays right into the…