A new report from market research firm the NPD Group suggests that American game players now outnumber the country’s cinema-goers.

The group's Entertainment Trends in America report found that nearly two out of three Americans (63 percent) have played a videogame in the past six months, exceeding the percentage of US consumers who reported going out to the movies (53 percent) during the same time period.

The study also found that the average gamer spent just over $38 per month on all types of gaming content during the three months prior to March 2009.

“As with video and music, sales of physical gaming products still account for the bulk of consumer spending on videogames, but digital downloads and other delivery and game-play formats are also rising in popularity,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for NPD.

Ten percent of US consumers are said to have played games on a social network, while five percent have paid to download a game from the web, representing a two percent year-over-year increase.

“Videogames account for one-third of the average monthly consumer spending in the US for core entertainment content, including music, video, games,” said NPD games analyst Anita Frazier. “While a portion of that share stems from the premium price of console games, we’re also seeing an overall increase in the number of people participating in gaming year-over-year.”

NPD’s study was based on data collected online from 11,000 respondents, with survey data weighted to represent the US population of individuals aged 13 and above.