Storytelling with Data
Video Game Sales Analysis and Visualization
In this project, I conducted an exploratory data analysis (EDA) of the global video game sales dataset and created interactive visualizations to uncover trends in sales, popular genres, top publishers, and platform distributions over the years. This project showcases my proficiency in R for data cleaning, analysis, and visualization.
Objective
Identify sales trends across different regions and globally.
Highlight top-performing games, genres, publishers, and platforms using compelling visualizations.
Understand the distribution of game genres, platforms, and publishers.
Story Telling findings and Suggestions
Dataset Overview
The dataset, vgsales.csv, contains:
- Sales metrics: Global and regional sales (North America, Europe, Japan, and others).
- Game details: Names, platforms, release years, and genres.
- Publisher data: The companies responsible for publishing the games.
Global Sales Trends Over Time
A line chart was created to analyze sales trends from 1980 to 2020, segmented by region. The visualization demonstrates:
- A peak in global sales in the early 2000s.
- North America and Europe contributing significantly to global sales.
- A steady decline in sales post-2010, possibly due to market saturation or the rise of alternative entertainment platforms.
Top 10 Games by Global Sales
Genre Popularity in Global Sales
Using a polar chart, we visualized the contribution of different genres to global sales.
- Action and Sports games lead the market share.
- Niche genres like Puzzle and Adventure occupy smaller proportions of the pie.
This chart effectively conveys the dominance of specific genres in the video game industry.
Top Publishers by Sales
A horizontal bar chart illustrates the top 20 publishers by their total global sales.
- Companies like Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Activision top the charts.
- This highlights the role of established brands in shaping the industry.
Platform Distribution Over the Years
A stacked bar chart was used to visualize the number of games published for different platforms over the years. Key insights include:
- A shift from classic platforms (NES, SNES) in the 80s and 90s to modern ones like PlayStation and Xbox.
- The rise of handheld platforms like Nintendo DS and the transition to digital platforms post-2015.
Platform Distribution Over the Years
A stacked bar chart was used to visualize the number of games published for different platforms over the years. Key insights include:
- A shift from classic platforms (NES, SNES) in the 80s and 90s to modern ones like PlayStation and Xbox.
- The rise of handheld platforms like Nintendo DS and the transition to digital platforms post-2015.
Popularity of Platforms by Sales District
This dodge bar chart highlights how sales vary across different regions for the top platforms. It emphasizes:
- Platforms like PlayStation and Xbox excelling globally.
- The regional dominance of platforms such as Nintendo DS in Japan.
Top Publishers: Yearly Game Releases and Sales
The bubble chart below visualizes the top 5 publishers by their yearly game releases and global sales. Bubble size corresponds to the number of games released:
- Nintendo maintains high sales over decades, producing fewer but highly impactful titles.
- Companies like Electronic Arts release a larger number of games with consistent sales.
Conclusion
This project provided a deep dive into the video game industry’s evolution. By showcasing trends, top performers, and the impact of publishers and platforms, I demonstrated my ability to approach data science projects holistically—from cleaning and analysis to storytelling. These skills, combined with effective visualizations, make me a strong candidate for data-driven roles.