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Americans may be cutting back on holiday shopping, but they are still buying video games - nearly $3 billion's worth in November, according to data from market researcher NPD Group.

U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories jumped 10 percent last month from the year-ago period to $2.91 billion, boosted by strong sales of Nintendo Co. (other-otc: NTDOY.PK - news - people )'s Wii, Microsoft Corp. (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people )'s Xbox 360 along with the alien shooter game "Gears of War 2."

The availability of a broad range of games is one reason for the industry's ongoing solid performance, said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. Games also provide a relatively cheap form of stay-at-home entertainment.

The industry, Frazier said, is still on track to rack up $22 billion in U.S. sales this year.

November and December are crucial months for video game companies because many of them make the bulk of their money during the holidays. Earlier this week, Electronic Arts Inc. (nasdaq: ERTS - news - people ), the publisher of the popular "Madden" football game series, warned that sales have been weak in North America and Europe. Without giving a specific guidance, EA said its fiscal 2009 results will fall short of the guidance it gave in October.

But EA's warning did not seem to signal a broader downturn for the industry.

Hardware sales, which include gaming consoles like the Wii as well as handheld systems like the PSP, jumped 10 percent to $1.21 billion.

Police were reviewing video from surveillance cameras in an attempt to identify who trampled to death a Wal-Mart worker after a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers burst through the doors at a suburban store and knocked him down.

Criminal charges were possible, but identifying individual shoppers in Friday's video may prove difficult, said Detective Lt. Michael Fleming, a Nassau County police spokesman.

Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers stepped over him and became irate when officials said the store was closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

At least four other people, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, were taken to hospitals for observation or minor injuries. The store in Valley Stream on Long Island closed for several hours before reopening.

Police said about 2,000 people were gathered outside the Wal-Mart (nyse: WMT - news - people ) doors before its 5 a.m. opening at a mall about 20 miles east of Manhattan. The impatient crowd knocked the employee, identified by police as Jdimytai Damour, to the ground as he opened the doors, leaving a metal portion of the frame crumpled like an accordion.

"This crowd was out of control," Fleming said. He described the scene as "utter chaos," and said the store didn't have enough security.

Dozens of store employees trying to fight their way out to help Damour were also getting trampled by the crowd, Fleming said. Shoppers stepped over the man on the ground and streamed into the store.