Gaming is not as overpriced as we think it is

I always use the movie vs games comparison when thinking of pricing. I think gaming is expensive but for what wer'e getting, the memories, the experiences, we could get no other way & the difference between NON interactive & interactive is huge.

Here's how i see it:

Movies cost $20 for a 2hr NON interactive experience. Games cost $60 for a 6+ hr interactive experience. The way i see it games arent as expensive as we think, at least for what were getting. Gaming being Interactive add more value to the product right there. Add to that your getting as much, if not more hours for your buck when compared to movies & maybe its not as overpriced as we think it is.

Gaming can be very, very expensive but if compared to movies they're not overpriced for what we get. Also have to think of the memories, the fun, the experiences we get from them. These experiences we get is like no other form of entertainment. We play these things because we can't get these experiences from real life. Gaming gives us the outlet to play through these fantasies. Memories are worth alot if u ask me

Anyways im not defending these prices, if it was up to me they would be free but its something to think about. Your thoughts?

If $60 is too much, then just wait until the game has been out for a while and pick it up for $20. Personally I can play a game for a couple hours a night for a month, which is about 30 times as long as I'd spend with a movie. A movie is $20, a game is $60. Pretty simple math.

Gaming is neither expensive or cheap. Its a hobby and most hobbies tend to have products or services for entry level and for high-end.

Taking ANY other hobby to the level that most people on these forums do will cost around the same. I just started getting into archery and spent about $650 for a bow, set of arrows, release aid, case, and a few other accessories. Its a somewhat low-end bow, but should last me a while. My instructor has a $2,500 bow with a little over $1,000 in accessories. Thats not too far off from a high-end PC setup or even a good 46+ inch TV with a 5.1 setup.

I always use the movie vs games comparison when thinking of pricing. I think gaming is expensive but for what we're getting, the memories, the experiences, we could get no other way & the difference between NON interactive & interactive is huge.

Here's how i see it:

Movies cost $20 for a 2hr NON interactive experience. Games cost $60 for a 6+ hr interactive experience. The way i see it games aren't as expensive as we think, at least for what were getting. Gaming being Interactive add more value to the product right there. Add to that your getting as much, if not more hours for your buck when compared to movies & maybe its not as overpriced as we think it is.

Gaming can be very, very expensive but if compared to movies they're not overpriced for what we get. Also have to think of the memories, the fun, the experiences we get from them. These experiences we get is like no other form of entertainment. We play these things because we can't get these experiences from real life. Gaming gives us the outlet to play through these fantasies. Memories are worth alot if u ask me

Anyways i'm not defending these prices, if it was up to me they would be free but its something to think about. Your thoughts?

brucecambell

I agree you can't put a price on good memories but here in Australia we pay around $100 for new releases and whilst there's no price tag on memories, at $100 a pop I just either only pre-order games that I know I will like or wait till they're on special. But yeah like another poster has said, gaming is a hobby/pastime and like all hobbies/pastimes there's some expenditure that comes with it, but yeah not to complain or anything but unfortunately the topic title - 'Gaming is not as overpriced as we think it is' doesn't apply down under, but yeah I guess it's all subjective and whatnot.

some games are worth 60$ but when i get a new game at 11am and beat it by 4pm when i got it for 60$ it's a rippoff and not worth it at all

I usually buy THE major game that is coming out,But tend to buy the games on sale on steam,You can "pick up" a bargain at times.

some games are worth 60$ but when i get a new game at 11am and beat it by 4pm when i got it for 60$ it's a rippoff and not worth it at all

almasdeathchild

[QUOTE="almasdeathchild"]

some games are worth 60$ but when i get a new game at 11am and beat it by 4pm when i got it for 60$ it's a rippoff and not worth it at all

rawsavon

i was born in 93....so no im not exacly from that time

almasdeathchild

...old people just have to laugh at themselves so they don't feel left out is all

[QUOTE="almasdeathchild"]i was born in 93....so no im not exacly from that time

rawsavon

...old people just have to laugh at themselves so they don't feel left out is all

To me, the $60 investment will never be worth it for a 5-10 hour game. I enjoyed Dead Space 2, Uncharted 1 & 2, and Infamous 1 & 2, but I'm really glad I just spent a few hours beating them at a friend's house and that I didn't spend $60 each on them. Great experiences, but that's a big chunk of cash to spend on what could easily be over in a day.

New games are overpriced. Publishers complain about used game sales hurting their own, but they need to listen to the market. If consumers wanted to pay $60 they wouldn't be paying for the cheaper used versions instead. Publishers can make a profit off the title even at or below $30. meetroid8

Generally speaking, most games are overpriced. All new games need not be priced at $60 for not all games are made equal. What irks me the most is that games in general has not learn much from the past or known problems so we keep seeing the same problems plague gaming over and over.

So long as people continue to buy them the price is correct.

[QUOTE="meetroid8"]New games are overpriced. Publishers complain about used game sales hurting their own, but they need to listen to the market. If consumers wanted to pay $60 they wouldn't be paying for the cheaper used versions instead. Publishers can make a profit off the title even at or below $30. rawsavon

[QUOTE="rawsavon"][QUOTE="meetroid8"]New games are overpriced. Publishers complain about used game sales hurting their own, but they need to listen to the market. If consumers wanted to pay $60 they wouldn't be paying for the cheaper used versions instead. Publishers can make a profit off the title even at or below $30. meetroid8

[QUOTE="meetroid8"]

[QUOTE="rawsavon"] so... games cost less than they did in the SNES era (not counting inflation) games cost less than the NES and PS1/2 eras with inflation production costs have increased exponentially since the NES era piracy and used games sales are higher than in previous eras ...and you think they should charge even less :? tl;dr: games cost more to make and are sold for less...and you want them to lower the cost even more???rawsavon

[QUOTE="meetroid8"]New games are overpriced. Publishers complain about used game sales hurting their own, but they need to listen to the market. If consumers wanted to pay $60 they wouldn't be paying for the cheaper used versions instead. Publishers can make a profit off the title even at or below $30. rawsavon

[QUOTE="rawsavon"][QUOTE="meetroid8"]New games are overpriced. Publishers complain about used game sales hurting their own, but they need to listen to the market. If consumers wanted to pay $60 they wouldn't be paying for the cheaper used versions instead. Publishers can make a profit off the title even at or below $30. raahsnavj

I don't think it's overpriced at all. I'm getting crazy deals on steam. Spending WAY more money on books. In fact I almost feel bad for developers buying games at these prices.

Gaming is incredibly overpriced mainly because it's oversaturated now and too many middle-men.

Used to be, in order to make a game, all you need is 1-2 people to make it then 1-2 people to market/sell it.

Now it's a multi-million dollar affair with lawyers and royalties and middle-men, most of the profits don't even go to the developer.

I remember in the news it was EA or something using Indian H1B Visa developers and working them long hours to produce games. More recently it was Team Bondi not being able to pay its developers promised bonuses or overtime, and substandard wages.

But you can be sure Microsoft got its cut. Just for doing nothing and owning the platform.

As an individual and gamer, I feel like when I buy a game for $60, maybe $5 of that goes to the people who actually make it, and the other $55 goes to Bill Gates and Bobby Kotick.

That could be wrong, but it's my perception.

And gaming as an "industry" is just not something I'm proud of supporting.

I liked it better when games were hand crafted and sold without the master/slave industry relationships. They felt more honest and heartfelt and I was happy to give them money.

Now "the industry" is just a bunch of crybaby lawyers, crying into their beer about used games while doing everything possible to keep programmers and artists working 14 hours a day at coolie wages.

I really have no sympathy.

I like to support indy studios, and I hate buying anything from Activision.

The main focus of evil in the world today is Microsoft. Every time you give these people money, you are screwing yourself out of authentic, hand-crafted gaming experiences.

Same with Actvision, EA, etc etc.

If you have kids, they will be growing up in a world of Halo Gears CoD Halo Gears CoD Halo Gears CoD.

At least when I was young I had the opportunity to play Pac Man, Pitfall, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros, Frogger, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc.

I don't find gaming to be expensive compared to other hobbies. Especially since I only tend to buy 3-5 new releases a year, buying all other games after they've gotten quite cheap (The majority of games in my collection were purchased at less than $30).

I love how you, an American's think gaming is not overpriced. Live where I live and you'll take your prices for granted.

To me, the $60 investment will never be worth it for a 5-10 hour game. I enjoyed Dead Space 2, Uncharted 1 & 2, and Infamous 1 & 2, but I'm really glad I just spent a few hours beating them at a friend's house and that I didn't spend $60 each on them. Great experiences, but that's a big chunk of cash to spend on what could easily be over in a day.

GrudHeap

People think games are only good for one use. People buy movies & they have less replay vlaue than games. Once youve seen a movie the experience is done. 2 hrs, done. Yet people still buy them.Theywill still watch them again & again. With games you can replay the game & play it differently each time. Its also a longer experience.There's more incentive to play a game again than a movie yet nobody has any problem buying movies.

So why is that people think games are only good for one use but movies arent. I know for me i will replay most of my games at some point down the road. Just because i have finished it today does not mean i will never in my lifetime want to play it again. Maybe not tomorrow, or the next day, but maybe 3 months, 6 months, a year, 2 years down the line, i will eventually crave to play through that game.

I used to get rid of games when i was done with them only to one day crave to play them again. Id end up buying those same games again. Ive learned that once im done with a game, im not done with that game forever. I think this happens to alot of us. Some of you seem to think that $60 is only good for one use & that's why you think its not worth it. I gurantee you will want to play some of those games one day.

Its not over in one day . . . your just done with the game for that day. The day will come along when you will want to play it again.

You are not looking deep enough. The price is only part of it. The stability of the game is a big part too. What good is being able to play over and over if it makes you want to bash you head into the wall in frustration because of the crashes and other problemsthat happen with waytoo many games?

For most games anything above $30 is overpriced. A single player game attached to an online service above $20 is overpriced.

[QUOTE="meetroid8"]

[QUOTE="rawsavon"] so... games cost less than they did in the SNES era (not counting inflation) games cost less than the NES and PS1/2 eras with inflation production costs have increased exponentially since the NES era piracy and used games sales are higher than in previous eras ...and you think they should charge even less :? tl;dr: games cost more to make and are sold for less...and you want them to lower the cost even more???rawsavon

Rawsavonsaid it right there. Prices have come down over the years & yet cost to make games has skyrocketed. Cost to make games is only going to get higher. In oder to play games we must support games. Developers are shuttingdown studios everyday because of money issues yet somehow they're called greedy

Microsoft is greedy, activision seeling a gazillion cod yet never dropping the price on their games is greedy. Most developers however are strugglin just to make the money back they spent making the game. its only the biggest selling games that are making a profit.

Gamesare more much more complicated in todays world. The amount of hours i get out of a game compared to the days of a SNES games is huge. Also the amount of work put into games is higher with each year. The experience we get with games now versus back in the day is a huge difference. Now with pricing going down & costs to develop skyrocketing, i dont know why there are still complaints with pricing these days.

I also agree gaming is dieing aslow death yet everybody is blind to it. This isnt the movie industry where films make their money at the box office. The game industry is supported with sales. To support the industry we must purchase the game. No more buying used, no more renting. No more ignoring a game because you claim there is no replay value [you can replay a game as many times as you want, theres your replay value] .If you like a game then support it. Without sales developers have no money & without money games cannot be made. Period.

I don't agree on you logic because Disgaea 4 with 200 hours should be $2000 then? oOBut I do agree that games are rather cheap, I don't get the whining of so many people, for what we get we don't really pay much and this gen it's cheaper than ever. I remember paying about the same for games like Sonic 3, but with the inflation ...

Making a movie is far more expensive as you make it seem, especially the decor, stars and the hiring of places to shoot the movie is really expensive. Furtheremore the gaming production costs aren't always as high as it seems. One should not forget that reusing old engines, character models and textures saves a ton of money.
That being said, for both games and movies distribution & marketing are quite a big margin of the total costs.

Prices have never been and will never be a indication of the possible pleasure that one get from the product.

A bit offtopic but IMO game producers and movie makers should offer downloadable purchaces with a price cut that is proportinal to the distribution costs.

Usually i think it's alright...games are worth their price tag...even short games...you still get quite a few hours of interactive fun...Long games are definately worth it, I'm still playing Forza Motorsport 3 2 years after it's release, I'm still playing GTA4, I'll be playing Skyrim for ages...

but right now it's f'n expensive as s*** .... I just got F1 2011 and i wanna get Forza Motorsport 4,Rage, Dark Souls, Skyrim, Gears 3, BF3, MW3, Fifa 2012, Batman Arkham City, Assassins Creed Revelations and a lot more ... kadhflahmansdf,nf,ansflhalksf!!!!!!...do you know how much money that is ?

I'll only be able to afford maybe 3 of those games in the next few months...everything else i'll have to get pre-owned next year probably

[QUOTE="rawsavon"][QUOTE="meetroid8"] Let me ask you a question. Would you rather pay $60 for a game or get it for free? Obvious answer is obvious huh? And they do lower costs, all the time. Games only remain at $60 for a very short time. I buy nearly all of my games new for $20-$30. Brand new games are over priced if I can get the exact same product six months later for half of the original price.

brucecambell

Rawsavonsaid it right there. Prices have come down over the years & yet cost to make games has skyrocketed. Cost to make games is only going to get higher. In oder to play games we must support games. Developers are shuttingdown studios everyday because of money issues yet somehow they're called greedy

Microsoft is greedy, activision seeling a gazillion cod yet never dropping the price on their games is greedy. Most developers however are strugglin just to make the money back they spent making the game. its only the biggest selling games that are making a profit.

Gamesare more much more complicated in todays world. The amount of hours i get out of a game compared to the days of a SNES games is huge. Also the amount of work put into games is higher with each year. The experience we get with games now versus back in the day is a huge difference. Now with pricing going down & costs to develop skyrocketing, i dont know why there are still complaints with pricing these days.

I also agree gaming is dieing aslow death yet everybody is blind to it. This isnt the movie industry where films make their money at the box office. The game industry is supported with sales. To support the industry we must purchase the game. No more buying used, no more renting. No more ignoring a game because you claim there is no replay value [you can replay a game as many times as you want, theres your replay value] .If you like a game then support it. Without sales developers have no money & without money games cannot be made. Period.

Does anybody know the cost breakdown of the $60 retail game? Personally I don't mind paying it if the product is good.

I agree. Gaming isn't all that expensive. Even ifa game is only 6 hours long. Some people beat a game in a day or 2 and believe that's it. I on the other hand put that game back in my collection and play it again a few months later. It's like movies... am I gonna watch a movie once and be like "well I finished it, no point in having it anymore, what a waste" hecks no.

Some gamers feel that way towards video games but I sure don't. I remember playing Streets Of Rage or Double Dragon and putting hundreds of hours into them. I still go back and play all of my games again. I don't need a massive game to get my moneys worth, I just play it again down the road.

But then again I think anyone old enough to remember the days of Toe Jam and Earl, Flicky, Super Double Dragon, Battletoads, Earthworm Jim, VectorMan, and all the great games from long ago will probably get more enjoyment out of their purchases.

But I do believe anyone around during the NES, SNES Sega Genisis era will most likely appreciate gaming more than some of these teenage gamers.

I disagree, specifically on games that last less than 10, 15 hours. How can you justify paying 60 dollars for something that takes a day or two to beat?Solid_Snake325

[QUOTE="Solid_Snake325"]I disagree, specifically on games that last less than 10, 15 hours. How can you justify paying 60 dollars for something that takes a day or two to beat?rawsavon

[QUOTE="rawsavon"][QUOTE="Solid_Snake325"]I disagree, specifically on games that last less than 10, 15 hours. How can you justify paying 60 dollars for something that takes a day or two to beat?Solid_Snake325

So I am not financially responsible or inelligent because I don't care how long a game is as long as it's fun?

Good luck with gaming if that is your point of view. I am playing through Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2, it's only a few hours long. But I had no issues paying for it... you know why? because I can always go back to it and play it again. Every game has infinite replayability. I can always go back and play it again down the line.

I never turn my head at a game for being only 6 hours long. I just ask myself "is the game good?" if the answer is yes than I will pick up a copy, finish it and put it in my collection. Just because it's not incredibly long doesn't mean that you can't play it again. Unless you're one of those gamers who buys a game, beats the game, sells the game. If that is the case... please leave, and please stop gaming.

I even buy games that aren't 9.5'd :O I know crazy right. Oh gamers these days sure aren't what they used to be.

[QUOTE="rawsavon"][QUOTE="Solid_Snake325"]I disagree, specifically on games that last less than 10, 15 hours. How can you justify paying 60 dollars for something that takes a day or two to beat?Solid_Snake325