The gaming industry is not winning at its own game, as the recession took its toll over the month of April. After months of weathering the storm, the video game industry saw a sharp dip during the month of April—to the tune of 17%.

The balancing news is that the 17% slide may be a mere hiccup, since it is a decline only when compared to the April 2008 revenue when the market rose a whopping 50% from April 2007 quotes. From an alternate statistical perspective, sale records for all gaming units have gone down by only 5%. The scary 17% drop reflects a general slump in sales for the month.

The good news for Nintendo is that the popular DSi broke the trend by selling 1-million+ units over April. These sales outstripped the Wii, Xbox, Playstaion, and other gaming consoles by incredible margins. In fact, DSi sales were up by 84.7 percent, while every single other gaming unit was in a slump for the month.

The one surprising bit of news was an unexpected falloff in Wii sales. Not even the popularity of games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart could keep the Wii’s sales up like they did during 2008. As Denise Kaigler, spokesperson for Nintendo’s status, said, “software sells hardware,” and no hardware-selling software has been as compelling for 2009.

Nintendo happiness aside, the rest of the gaming industry is going to have to tighten their belts against the impact of the recession. Once thought to be semi-recession proof, the gaming industry has now proven otherwise. Only new strategies, fresh vision, and perhaps some new games or technology will help revive the flagging industry.

This fall could bring a glimmer of hope. While the gaming industry is quiet right now, it may only be the calm before the storm of fresh releases for the Christmas season. Rumors and announcements are already swirling concerning new Guitar Hero games, Microsoft releases, and even some whispered Apple games. Perhaps sales this Christmas will outstrip these April losses.

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