Led by the incredibly popular Nintendo Wii, 2008 was a record-shattering year for the video game industry.

Total sales for game hardware, software and accessories soared to more than $21 billion, up 19 percent from 2007.

These figures are provided by the NPD Group, an organization that tracks retail sales only, therefore revenues generated by downloadable PC and console games and subscription-based computer games (such as the online-only World of Warcraft role-playing game) aren't included.

When it came to the bestselling games of the year, Nintendo Wii titles occupied the top four slots: Wii Play (5.28 million units sold), Mario Kart Wii (five million), Wii Fit (4.53 million), and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (4.17 million), followed by Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV, which finished 2008 with 3.29 million units sold on Xbox 360 and 1.89 million on PlayStation 3.