The old stereotype of video game players as spotty, socially isolated boys in basements is finally disappearing after decades, but the popular image of game developers is enduring. They are imagined to be white and beardy, with glasses and a probable fondness for sci-fi and fantasy, and this is hardly unjustified. Cast an eye over the development floor of pretty much any major game developer in the western world and there's an undeniable homogeneity. The same can be said about video games industry executives. Whether clean-shaven or bearded, besuited or smart-casual, creative or corporate, they are almost universally white and male. In 15 years on the games beat, I have interviewed more men called Phil in senior games industry positions than women and people of colour combined.

More than half of the Britain's video games industry is based outside London and the south-east, according to a report from the sector's trade body, with gaming directly contributing more than £1.35bn to the UK economy. The report reveals that the UK gaming industry employs more than 16,000 people. Ukie, the trade body that produced the report, argues that this makes the sector the most productive of all of the nation's creative industries, with each individual employee contributing more than £80,000 to the national economy. The regional distribution of that contribution is significantly more than many other creative industries. Where more than half of the film industry, by company, is based in London, the figure is 28% for games, with significant sectoral hubs based in more than 20 towns and cities nationwide.

For three years, I've spoken at schools about video games and social media. The small groups of parents who have attended often tell me similar stories: their sons and daughters are "addicted" to Fortnite, to Pokemon, to Minecraft, and they feel powerless about what they can do. When I tell them about parental controls – built-in tools on all games machines that let you limit access to games – many are bewildered or agitated, even though such controls have been a feature of console design for a decade. Video game trade body Ukie has launched a campaign to encourage more parents and carers to use parental controls, teaming up with ex-footballer Rio Ferdinand. The organisation wants to raise awareness that everything from screen time to in-game purchases can be monitored and controlled.

The UK games market broke the £5bn sales mark for the first-time last year as Nintendo's new hybrid Switch console boomed and virtual reality headsets flew off the shelves. Gaming fans forked out £5.11bn on consoles, games, hardware such as headsets and attending events – a 12.4% year-on-year rise – as the sector defied a wider downturn in consumer spending. Trade body Ukie said that there has been a "renaissance" in games consoles as Nintendo's hybrid home console-meets-handheld device proved as popular in the UK as it has globally. Console sales, including the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, grew 30% to £659m, reversing a sales decline since 2014. "It is clear that the console gaming market is now enjoying a renaissance," said Dorian Bloch, director, entertainment at GfK. "Nintendo's Switch has enjoyed the best [sales] start for a Nintendo home console since the mighty Wii back in 2006."

The UK games market defied the consumer spending squeeze to hit a record £5bn last year, industry figures show. Trade body UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) credited the 12.4% growth from 2016 to "an ever expanding audience". Game software accounted for the majority of sales, with online and digital games the most popular. Non-digital boxed games also saw a surprise small rise in sales, driven by the popularity of titles such as Fifa 18, Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. The growth in gaming sales came despite the fact that wages have been rising at a slower pace than inflation - and shoppers have less disposable income to spend in stores.