Are we paying too much for new video games?

Are we paying too much for new releases considering how quickly the value of new games drops mere weeks after launch?

[bunt-custardly]

Yes, we're paying too much. I still think pricing should be the same as the old PSOne days with an RRP of £29.99. I personally think that's the level we should be at, and more consumers may be willing then to take a gamble on a title.

There will always be a place for those of us to spend extra, and that's what Limited Editions are for. Max Payne 3's Special Edition as an example has an RRP of £99.99, yet some shopping around nets you it £20 cheaper, with the likes of Tesco and Zavvi doing it for £79.99. I just think some people enjoy flushing their notes down the toilet.

[RaidensRising]

Same old same old, buy early get fleeced. Deal with it.

It's a shame this mentality will never change in commercialism.

[T900]

Naa we arent. I personally bought a game like Mass effect 3 at launch for 36 usd, same goes for BF3 sure those were PC versions.

Also the kind of discounts available on Steam or D2D make gaming so cheap, i dont see a reason to complain when most new games within 2-3 months are selling between 15-25usd.

Now if people are complaining about console games, then yea console gaming is pretty expensive. Console games go on sale between 60-75usd(depending on your region), and for price drops you really need to wait. Hence yea currently anyone looking for a cheap gaming platform PC is the best option.

[violents]

It's called supply and demand, when a product first comes out the demand is high, as long as the sales numbers hold than you can leave it at that price. As demand begins to fade you reduce your price to try and make money via volume of sales over a high mark up.

Welcome to capitolism!

[chriski333]

I think we are paying a bit much for games but what really chaps my ass is what we pay for DLC! That's just plain silly

[knifefight]

"We" meaning "some people." I've never bought a piece of DLC in my life ^_^

[vallencer]

Not all of it is a silly price. Dlc takes time, money, and man hours to do so its not like its going to be cheap. Should some of it be as pricey as it is? No but some of it should be.

[ThanatosDMC]

Yeah, like those day 1 dlc...right?

[Kurt Russell]

There is day 1 DLC which is balls, but I don't mind paying for the odd multiplayer map pack for my fav games. Gears I pay for, as I know I will be getting an add on that's good quality... 90% of my games though, I just don't bother.

[RedDead]

When steam sales come around it's weird, I gladly pay 20-30 quid for a game each..but I can never seem to put down 50 for 1 new one. Even though I spend the same amount for 2 games even if I don't necessarily even want one of them. Who knows? Decent reviews? could be good game? I'll chance 25 quid on it. I can never ever do that for 50 though and never will, I only put down 50 on games I really want

@ Intentions down there....You should be bitching the most about prices.

Last week I saw Deus EX HR for 10 on Steam sale...I bought it instantly. Gotta love dem sales

[PooEgg]

I think about 90 percent of the DLC that gets released is overpriced, especially when you consider game play hours vs DLC hours.

I am okay with DLC that is properly priced, extends gameplay, and doesn't feel like it was pulled from the main game and held over to sale as DLC. I am not okay with paying $10-15 for DLC that I can finish in a couple hours, or DLC that feels like it should have been including in the game that I paid for.

[Highlife]

Yes we are paying to much money for games. I would be all for them having consoles that wouldn't play used games if they in turn lowered the price of new games. Plus to have a download game the same price of a hard copy is a joke. You don't have all the expenses of making the disc and case, shipping the game, having stores take their small cut. Why not in turn lower the price for us. DLC is a joke. Why not reward the people who bought your game with free map packs or other items. That is what I miss the most in the PC world. I remember playing Unreal Tournament and playing hundreds of maps. Didn't cost me anything. The community made them. The whole nickle and dime is truly sad.

[Jejojaja]

I'd say we pay to little, just look at how developers are struggling because they need million+ sales to be succesfull, just look at the recent THQ had to do.

On the other hand, because we have the high price we are relying way to much on reviews to make sure that a purchase would be justified.

Hard question IMO, comes down to lenght, replayability and MP for me.

[SilentNegotiator]

"I'd say we pay to little, just look at how developers are struggling because they need million+ sales to be succesfull"

If they didn't spend so much on expensive engines, graphics, and such, they could sell cheaper and actually hit the equilibrium. If used games at $5/$10 cheaper are suuuuch a threat according to those pubs/devs, than they're obviously selling for too much.

[PopRocks359]

Having the right to charge whatever you want for what you're selling is called capitalism. It's simply a matter of how much you think your consumer base will be willing to pay.

Personally, I'd like for games to cost the same as a DVD, roughly $19.99. But that's simply not going to be a reality. Not until gamers put their feet down and vote with their wallets.

That said I don't mind the $60 price tag. Or at least I didn't until they started releasing so many games in such quick succession this year.

[jetlian]

its funny how games cost 3-4 times as much as dvds and only cost 1/10th to make!

[Jihaad_cpt]

firstly they make most of their money at the cinema. so technically no youre wrong

[jetlian]

proof of that jihaad? and thats even worse it cost 10 dollars to see a movie vs 60 to buy the game. So gamers pay 6 times more to experience a game over a movie and its still cost 1/10th to make.

superman returns had a 220 million dollar budget gears 1 was 18 million gears 2 was 15 million. They never said what 3 cost yet

Avatar was over 300 million

[SPAM-FRITTER-123]

i dont pay too much for games. then again im a steam gamer so over priced games is non existent.

[Saryk]

We pay the same today as we did 20 years ago. The problem isn't price. It is price for a pile of shit and cant return it. Give me a great game that last more than a hour, then prices doesnt mean squat!

[torchic]

€70 = too much.

simple question. simple answer.

[Perjoss]

That all depends, £40 for an 8 hour liner experience with little replay value is not right. But on the other hand I'd happily pay more than that for a game like Skyrim or GTA.

[Veni Vidi Vici]

Yes, we pay too much. It's a big contributor to why new and creative games hardly get a chance to be successful in today's market. People can only buy so many games so they buy the ones they know their friends will be playing and ones they know will be good(i.e. sequels). It's just too much of a risk to buy a new or unique game. The only way around this is to rent them but not everyone does that and PC people can't do that at all.

If they'd make games around $40, they'd make up lost revenues through increased sales and it would also improve the success rates for small game creators and new IP's. It would be a win for everyone.

They won't do that though because they're too short sighted.

[TopDudeMan]

Yeah, if you buy a game on release, you're getting shafted, because the price goes down rather quickly, but wait a few months and you can buy it at a price that suits you.

[iamgoatman]

Part of the reason I moved almost solely back to PC gaming, for the cheaper prices on newer games, but even then it doesn't hurt to wait a month after the game releases and see if it's dropped in price. Earlier today I ordered Mass Effect 3 from Amazon.co.uk for £17.99, only had to wait a couple of weeks for it to drop from the initial £28-30 mark.

[Intentions]

LOL, you guys have to stop bitching about prices.

How do you think NZ and Aussie gamers feel? They have to pay a whole lot more compared to everyone else.

[AusRogo]

Thank you!

[MasterD919]

And with next gen coming, I can only imagine that those prices will continue to rise for brand new games.

[Robotronfiend]

My Sega Genesis games were more expensive than my PS3 games when you factor in inflation. Back in the mid 90's I bought Streets of Rage new for $64.99. That's a current price damn near $95 adjusted for inflation. Take the normal $60 tag today, add a little DLC to that, and it's not that outrageous when you compare the cost of games 20 years ago to today's prices.

[Shinuz]

Yeah cartridge games used to cost a lot, i remember paying 85$ (before taxes) for Final Fantasy 2 the day it came out.
I had to ask my dad to lend me 20$ because i never though the price would be so high.

[jetlian]

yea but you have to remember it was a cart. if gaming was on carts today it would be 95 dollars.

inflation doesnt tell the whole story

I got 32gb usb 3.0 for 40 bucks now add on cost of development of the game! it would cost 100+ easy. DVDs cost dime to make whereas a usb drive is 15-40 depending on specs

and your not thinking of defects. they make a game thats defective that 15-40 dollar paper weight which they will pass onto consumers

[Robotronfiend]

My post wasn't meant to "tell the whole story", just to illustrate that it is entirely possible that we are not paying too much for games these days.

PS- they made defective carts all the time too.

[yokokoroma]

The answer is yes, the problem is that most gamers never questioned it. There are many developers and or publishers, who know their games aren't worth the $59.99 price point, yet still charge it. They "feel" their game is worth (or want the same amount of money) the same amount of money as game developers and publishers who put out a game worth $59.99. This is something, I firmly believe this gen, there are some games worth $59.99.

A few at best, therefore they are rare. If we look at last gen, we would see how price points varied. That's the problem, price points need to vary this gen. The maximum amount the majority of games this gen, are worth is the same as last gen, $49.99 (if that) down to $39.99. There are a few publishers who realize this, (i.e. know what their game is worth) Atlus being one. They priced "Cursed Crusade" at $39.99 (brand new) so I applauded them for that.

The fact is, price points should vary this gen, just as they've varied previous gens.

[LightofDarkness]

Well, "what it's worth" is how much people are willing to pay for it. That's how markets and valuation work.

From a consumer's point of view, value is more subjective, but is generally communicated if you choose to buy the product. I personally feel that I don't get value for money out of most 59.99 games, so I don't buy them unless I'm VERY sure I'll enjoy the experience.

The problem is that most consumers don't understand the problem. They need to stop buying games on launch day for 59.99 if they want prices to come down. Of course, many gamers are 20-30 yr old man-children (like me :p) who don't care about plopping down their wad for their favourite hobby. And when they feel screwed afterwards, they complain about it on the internet, but then go ahead and buy the next over-hyped "marvel" of technology that throws itself all over store shelves and asks you to kiss its rings and feet before you may be granted the pleasure of its "bounties", i.e. 4 hours of singleplayer coupled with broken, deserted multiplayer that clearly ate into the development time more than it should have.

Of course, the others are kids who yell and scream until they get the next COD from mom and dad, who are more than willing to fork over 59.99 to shut little Billy up and encourage his hither-to unnurtured racism.

[A LIVING LEGEND]

The 'Cursed Crusade' at 39.99 is still daylight robbery although gameplay and dialogue that bad could warrant a 39.99 admission just to witness :)
I remember paying exorbitant amounts for cartridge games years ago,often more than todays disc based and digital games.It is a tricky subject imo.

[Ulf]

Nintendo never drops the price of their games ($50), yet they sell millions upon millions of copies. Even the ones that are practically carbon copies of their predecessors -- I'm looking at you, Animal Crossing, SSBB, Fire Emblem & Mario Kart.

[ninjahunter]

Im not because i cant afford to buy games.

[josephayal]

second-hand game sales is one of the reasons why game retail prices are so high $60 Regular and $80-$150 the Collectors

[WitWolfy]

where is your proof? Its becuase of games costing so much that people favour second games so much

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

it's true. when you buy a used game the game companies don't get anything for it. the store you're buying it from gets all the profit. in order to offset losses like this, companies inflate their prices.

[No Way]

If they were to lower prices, more people would be willing to buy new.

[AusRogo]

Up to 120 for a new release. And isnt our Australian dollar stronger then America and we pay double? Anyway, yeah, we are paying too much

[glennco]

this is why retail will not survive unless it demands better pricing or just sets up off shore websites. i will not pay AUS prices wherever i can help it. there are no arguments that hold up as to why it is just the usual "ripoff australia" pricing model.

[ZBlacktt]

Your min wage is like double then here ( USA ). So works out the same.

[snp]

And our mortgages as a % of income are 3 or more times those in the US. No, it doesn't 'work out the same'. There's far more to looking at disposable income than picking one or two figures in isolation. Once you factor in all costs of living expenses (using each countries median incomes), which point by point on just about all essentials are significantly larger in Australia, the difference between US and Australian 'disposable income' left available for items like video games isn't much at all.

$100-120 for a video game in Australia, in Australian dollars (or $105-135US dollars) is exactly as bad as it sounds. It's price gouging - a remnant from another time when it was somewhat more defensible kept in place for what are now cynical exploitative reasons - and can't be justified.

[snp]

In case you're curious:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
----------------

In 2006/2007 comparisons median income in US dollars for United States citizens was "$45,018", in Australia it was "$44,820", while we were charged 'double' the US for video games. Factor in all the extra costs on Australians and Australians have actually had 'far less' disposable income in many/most of the years we've been getting gouged.

It's only the collapse of the American dollar and the strength of the Australian dollar in the last couple/few years that has seen our comparative disposable income rise to anything like a United States citizens - though again factor in all costs of living expenses of each and Australia would probably still lag (it'd be at best neck and neck).

Not to belabour the point, but it's really just taking advantage - especially with most of this stuff being manufactured/printed/processed by and shipped from countries that are practically next door to Australia.

[snp]

Amusing ZBlacktt. You disagree not because you can point out any errors in my posts but because i've somehow shown you up.

Pathetic. Just.. grow up. Take yourself a little less seriously. This isn't a battlefield.

Oh, and don't send me PM's in future. Particularly not when they're devoid of any actual content and are just defensive childish shots ignoring what i've said and repeating what you've already said.

I don't know what age you are, but i'm not interested in such nonsense.

[SpinalRemains138]

Typical adventure game is 60 bucks and lasts 8 hours.

This is a giant problem for me. Adventure games have no replay value and while they're fun, they are not anywhere near worth that price.

Only Skyrim, with its ludicrous amount of content can be worth that much.
- Multiplayer titles are of course ok for the price. They get played a lot.

No player ever gets their money's worth from the typical adventure game. It would be laughable if it weren't the truth.

[asmith2306]

I get new games for €45, exactly $60, and I think thats a GOOD price. Obviously it depends on the game but it also depends on your interest. I am not going to drop 45 for Sonic but I would for Battlefield, etc, etc. Besides, sales are the only revenue devs get, they dont have the equivalent of a gig or a cinema to make more if you want to compare it to other industries. Bottom line is that if they put the price down, the quality goes down, unless your happy with Angry Birds of course. Nuff said.

[ZBlacktt]

Unless it's the most kick ass your favorite game in the world. Hold off from buying it at the start. Look...Spotted Walmart here in America today.

http://img.photobucket.com/...

[Aquateenkid]

Lol no, games are the same price or even cheaper than they used to be.

[Hreroth]

If this game ending is nice, definitely we can keep replaying until make our spend worthwhile.

However the ending are like S**T, totally destroy the main core of RPG game which is the replay value.

Bioware are really busy to write article to persuade fans to give ideas which i throw they dozen of criticize, suggestion & even video, but in fact they try to make more money from our pocket by giving you a better ending with DLC.

We have already paid a price in Dragon Age 2 and now ME 3, this cost is TOO HIGH (Tali from ME 2).

[seanster]

I'm feeling the same way. As games get more advanced, so do the prices. This is especially so in mmorpg games where we are are paying $60 and above for games excluding monthly payments.

[Double_O_Revan]

Quick answer, Yes.
But its all a matter of perspective too. Mass Effect 3- 30+ hours to beat plus around 20 hours spent in multiplayer. And its highly likely I'll replay this game at least 2 more times over the years. Heck yes worth $60
The Darkness 2- 6 hours to beat then thrown on my shelf probably forever. Maybe worth $20

[Kenshin_BATT0USAI]

If it's $60, there should be no DLC bullshit.

I think $40-50 would be the sweet spot. It's a fair price, not overly expensive and more worth the price considering the lack of quality of games these days.

Like I find it really funny how some Rpgs are releasing with a $49.99 price tag, and they are better AND last longer then most $59.99 POS games.

[AtomicGerbil]

I'm not paying too much,I just wait for a significant price drop.

Personally I blame the money hungry publishers, most of them need to be taken outside and beaten with a hefty stick. With publishers taking nearly all the profit, and rarely reinvesting a decent percentage there's very little chance of a happy ending. I'd like to see an end to publisher greed and a vast improvement in journalism, the rest will sort itself out.

[vikingland1]

Heck no. I LOVE PAYING UP TO $70 A GAME DUH DUR.

[bobrea]

It is certainly an expensive hobby.

[Arts1000]

I am a Game Freak ........... I own thousands of dollars worth of theses things .

I have stopped buying at launch as the price is the same for crap .
I wait and measure my purchase very very carefully .

60 bucks Canadian + tax is a lot for a game . .........
some are worth 10 bucks , some are worth a 100 . The Disparity is off the chart .

[SandWitch]

Americans - no. Europeans - yes.

[Chuk5]

The thing is games used to be way more expensive. I don't know if people are forgetting the prices of what genesis, or N64 carts used to be. 60 really isn't all that much in comparison, especially if you consider what Aussies and Kiwis have to pay. Feel bad for those dudes.

[Jason143]

Neo geo carts $100-$150 back in the day. I remember and so does my wallet

[Son_Lee]

Games should be priced on their average length. I've said this for years. Get a large sample group - at least 200 people - to play every current release. Once that's done, round up the average playtime it took and put that time on the back of the box. Anything under 10 hours shouldn't cost more than $30. RPGs and other titles that last 15-20 hours+ can be $40+. RPGs in general can be $60 since they're so long anyway.

And like they're starting to do with Killzone 3 - which was also my idea - is to make the single player campaign and multiplayer separate. You can charge those for $30 each and determine which one you want to pay for.

[denero1]

I'd say yes we pay to much for what we get I don't recall dlc back in the day usually you got the whole product it feel's like the more convenient technology becomes the more they try to use it to gain income off consumers

[PooEgg]

Some games are worth the asking price, but I suspect that for every game that is actually worth $60 another 10 are priced too highly for what you get.

I used to buy a lot of games on release day, but in 2010 I needed to save money in my budget and decided to change my game buying habits. Unless it is something I am really looking forward to I hold off and wait to catch it on sale. I find that this often leads to one of three things:

1) I find it on sale, eventually, and feel happy that I saved money on such a great game.
2) I find it on sale, eventually, and after playing it feel relieved that I didn't pay full price.
3) I learn things about the game that makes me decide not to buy it and I am relieved I didn't waste my money.

So how much money am I saving? For that I turn to my budget and look at what I have spent on games over the last few years:

2009 - I spent 2,318.59
2010 - I spent 1,362.49
2011 - I spent 458.50

So it is pretty obvious that by being more picky about which games I pay full price for I am saving a whole lot of money.

[NeoBasch]

I think the reason why games are so expensive is because of used game sales. If we eliminated second-hand sales, prices would drop and companies would see more profits. I can only see it as a win-win. The tough part is getting people to let go of the used game market (for at least this gen's games).

[joab777]

No. We are not. Think about the value of the dollar o Rte euro 6 years ago. Essentially today, we are paying less than wrong did back then. Companies are now finding other ways to compensate, ie. Dlc. It is supply and demand. If u want the game as soon as it releases, u pay more. It's the same with everything. Yes, prices do drop for some games really quickly. This is why, as consumers we have a responsibility to be smart when we shop. We affect pricing also. If u have patience, u can game pretty cheap. I read a study somewhere that said with inflation, we pay less than we did a couple generations ago. I'm fije with it. I buy a few games new that i love and want to support. The others, i wait for a deal. Not to mention. If u r diligent and scour the net, u will never pay $60 for a new game, unless u want pre order bonuses.

And weigh the entertainment value per hour against movies or other hobbies

[deltaforce82]

Paying $60 for a brand new game is a bit pricey, but I can deal with it. What I can't stand is after paying that $60, the DLC isn't free. If they want to charge ridiculous amounts of money for DLC, the price of the core game should be lowered.

[Jason143]

day 1 dlc makes me green and angry lol I hear ya

[Jason143]

if your paying $60 a game yes you are paying too much. Games drop to $39.99 within a few weeks and $29 a month after at stores like frys and target etc. With groups like houseparty i got all my most wanted titles free as well. Heck last month i got mlb12 the show and resistance dual pack and this month uncharted 3 and lbp2 free.

[DOOMZ]

Yep! Should have stayed @ $50..

[Ulf]

New games only cost $20-$30 if you're patient. As a side benefit, they're also fully patched and DLC'ed if you wait for it.

Whining about early adopter costs is dumb. That's like whining that live NFL/NBA/MLB/etc. tickets cost more than pay-per-view does. Yep, they do... so what?

[Asgaro]

STOP BUYING GAMES AT RELEASE.
It's really that simple.

I buy games 6 months after release and buy them all for 15 to 35 euro on Steam.
One exception: Battlefield 3 because the value is huge there, since it's MP.