Answer: Video games 

Questions:

• Are you more likely to pay for a new video game or to see a new movie? Why?
• Do you think of movies and video game purchases as wants or needs? Explain.
• What makes blockbuster video games popular? Blockbuster movies? How do you know when something is popular? 

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Statista)

Red Dead Redemption 2, one of the most anticipated video games of the year, is off to a blockbuster start. According to a statement put out by Rockstar Games last week, the game had the second-highest grossing launch of any entertainment product in history. With over $725 million in worldwide retail sales during its first three days of availability, the massive Western-themed open world game trails only Grand Theft Auto V, also made by Rockstar Games, in terms of three-day launch sales.

The fact that Rockstar Games celebrates the game's success as the "second-highest grossing entertainment launch of all time" rather than just calling it the second-highest grossing video game launch, says a lot about where video games stand today. They are no longer a time-waster for teenagers slumped in front of their computer screens but global entertainment properties, competing with the biggest blockbusters Hollywood can muster.

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About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.