Should Video Games be More Expensive?

I know that this may sound ridiculous, but I believe that video games should be more expensive. Before I get any blind hate, let me explain my reasoning....

1. If video games were more expensive, AAA developers would be able to make more original games instead of recycling the same concept over and over.
2. Higher prices for games would make it less likely for games to be released in pieces (DLC), have micro transactions, or P2W.
3. More revenue would allow for bigger and better worlds.

Now, just take a moment to realize a few things:

• Today, development costs are ridiculously high
• The high development costs of games may cause developers to "play it safe" and use rehashed content that lacks originality.
• When accounting for inflation, video games prices are nearly at an all-time low.

Here's an informative video to back up the previous statement.

So, anyway, what are your thoughts on whether or not game prices should increase? I happen to find a lot of the games being released this day in age feel kind of "stale", and perhaps maybe this is a sign that it's about time for game prices to increase.

Post your opinions below!

Should they be? Well, if I'm looking at it objectively, considering that game development costs have increased a lot over the years while game prices have not increased much, also considering that game prices today are actually cheaper now than they used to be if you adjust it for inflation, and also considering that the dollar cost per hour of entertainment that most games offer provides greater value than the dollar cost per hour of other forms of entertainment like movies, then yes, video games should be more expensive.

However, as a consumer, do I want video games to be more expensive? Hell no!

So many AAA developers do not deserve the money they do make from certain games. If buggy releases were not so usual on pc especially, maybe they could even justify the current prices.

1. They would just rehash the same thing over anyway,money isn't an issue.

If they are more expensive they would likely just see a drop in sales so that would mean they probabily wouldn't profit anymore from it.

Interesting idea, but I prefer to have the choice of whether I want the DLC or not, instead of having to pay for it all upfront. To be honest it's not very often that a game is so brilliant that by the end of the main storyline, I'm still willing to pay another 30 quid for extra content: Mass Effect, Witcher 3, Skyrim. That's about it I think.

But I agree that there are some awful games being released, particularly with painfully bad voice acting. I suppose it's not fair that their initial sale price is the same as the masterpieces.

Jokes aside...

1. Original ideas does not come from money. Period.

2. Destiny had a 500 milion dollar budget. Just let me repeat that... 500 MILION DOLLARS IN BUDGET and they still, on purpose besides their budget, couldn't manage to get good enough writers to write something truly original. They probably had a "full story" but they choose to split it up for DLC intentionally. More money doesn't mean a higher change for a complete game experience if it's put it in the hands of the greed.

3. This I can partly agree with but it completely depends on the developers.

@hxce:Never owned Destiny, or have any interest in playing it, but pretty sure I've read countless times that 500 million is a “long-term investment”_

Meaning those funds are going towards the sequel, and possibly the game after that.

Is that still a ton of money for a franchise currently having such mixed to negative views? Yes, but point is know your information dood.

As for the main TC question.

Not really. If the price was increased overall, sales would drop.

However they are trying buisness practices to increase profit anyway, with expensive early editions (Gears of War 4) and easy DLC cash-grabs (look at Deus Ex Mankind Divided, that game was picked apart by Square Enix to make more cash.)

If they put all DLC on the disc then maybe they could charge more, but as it is 80 bucks for the base game is more than enough. If anything developers should scale back on their budgets so they don't have to worry about micro transaction/DLC to turn a higher profit.

Problem with Destiny budget is I assume a lot of money is wasted on marketing and presentation. For example Peter Dinklage probably didn't come cheap and they ended up having Nolan North re record all his lines. If Bungie is that fickle with spending money no wonder they need that kind of money.

Game worlds need to be getting smaller, not bigger. Aren't you getting burned out on open world games? Open world is great, but when the market becomes too saturated with it, to the point that every other game is open world, it's time to reverse gear.

no, they should spend less money on their development, or at least their marketing. If a game is good, it should sell itself; but no, we are subject to 500 million dollar ads during the Superbowl and that's why I have to pay 120 dollars for a 20 hours game with 5 hours of DLC content.

but without marketing, they won't make their money; I read somewhere they make most of their money from preorders, i.e. they make their money BEFORE they even have their game out. That's a pretty screwy business model imo and I think they should find another way to do it.

I mean 20 years ago I spent 49.99 on a game, and this was a physical product, mind you: a nice big cardboard box with detailed packaging; generally came with a manual that told you everything you needed to know, and was fun to read during installation; and of course an optical disc. If you were lucky, they might even throw in a poster, detailed map of whatever land you were exploring, and so forth.

Now? Now I get a digital copy of a game that, according to the EULA, I am actually "renting" because I don't own it, I only payed for the right to play it. Then they have season passes before the game is even out (used to be added content would be made later if the game was actually good, otherwise they'd just turn those resources on to other games) which did cost 30 dollars but now since Fallout 4 pulled that bullshit they cost 50 dollars.

I probably average about 25 dollars per game. SOme of that is because of sales, but a lot of it is because "indie" developers are doing it the right way; quality games, small but talented teams, and no marketing.

2. Higher prices for games would make it less likely for games to be released in pieces (DLC), have micro transactions, or P2W.

Pfft. If anything you'd get more expensive DLC and Microtransactions. If a company can earn some more revenue, then they will try to earn as much as they can.

Furthermore the development cost will of course increase the larger a studio is due to the manpower involved but what takes the biggest bite out the development of a game is the marketing, E3 trailers, E3 stands, Banners & Video studio advertisement, Sculptures, Crew, Presentations infront of a live audience, possibly playable sneak peak. That ain't cheap and that is only covering a E3 Week.

It does not include the online advertisement, potential TV advertisement, Superbowl Advertisement, Large banners hanging of buildings in New York, LA. San Fransisco etc. And this is often for one single product that then needs to sell at insane volumes just to break even. In comparison the development cost is likely half the cost if not even less of what is used simply for marketing.

I agree. I regret pre-ordering Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. That was my first and will be my last pre-order. The game was lacking in action and felt shorter than Human Revolution. The ending was abrupt, surely to add more with paid DLC. I would have rather spent that $60 at the grocery store.

I didn't even bother to read TC's post because I have only two answers for his title.

Short answer: No

Long answer: Hell no.

@cheesegate: Hmm, nice advertisement for your video. You may want to read the rules.

But should video games be more expensive? not really when a game now cost between 50-150£ it's expensive enough. BF 1 with season pass cost almost 120£ which is insane.

I can understand the reasoning for why they should be but I'm glad that they are not.

i think rationalising that paying extra money === more creativity and originality is a fallacy not least because the internet. if a game is poor it'll be exposed online for what it is. see no man's sky for e.g. hyped to the eyeballs, should have been priced as an indie game, got utterly slated, forced distributors to hand out record numbers of refunds, developer's reputation left in ruins

If prices went up, people would just buy less games. Quality would not improve, they'd still be rushing out half finished junk.

Even now I rarely buy a full priced game unless i'm extremely hyped for it, which is very very rare. I almost always wait a few months or years for a sale to either buy it digitally or used at ebay or something.

I can't believe you think it was a good idea to raise the price on games. If anything they should be lowering it since most games are distributed digitally and should cost 50% less because of that. Printing game copies in factories, storage, shipment and distribution costs a lot of money for a physical product, yet they charge the same for a digital game to a physical game far too often.

Also, they already nickle and dime people to death with DLC. The last thing they need to do is increase the prices on buggy half finished games.

I would prefer to go back to the days of the PS2. No DLC.

Since the DLC days you have to pay a lot more for the games ... and for shit that we used to unlock by playing the game ... it seriously shit right now and season pass ... a game now cost nearly 120$CAD for something very shallow.

Most of the time I buy complete edition a year later for half the price with all the DLC ... you know a complete game ...

In a time you need the internet to have the game bug and other shit patched up ... they just not botter ... I mean like games like Bloodborne was seriously brutal when it came out ... now after I don't know how many patch, they made going into NG+ less painful etc.

yes, I SO want caitalist corporations which make millions and millions of dollars to start charging 100 pounds...or 200 dollars for a game, just so they can make more money. Yes!!!!

Ask a gamer about increasing cost and you just get a answer of no because of their greed. Of course they will try to hid it by claiming the company is being greedy or they are miss spend millions.

@cheesegate: Theres 2 things you are. You're either a stupidly naive person who has no idea, or you are paid by some company to go around spouting this kind of nonsense.

Video Games are already at high prices considering that you need to purchase the DLCs and the Season Pass, and its getting more expensive, used to be in the 20$ range but now we see that the prices have increased to 30$ 40$ and 50$ for a season pass, if you wait for sale on all of these items, it will land you a final price of 15$ or 20$ or even 30$ when compared to previous full games with all of DLCs for 7.5$ or 10$.

I see this equation not going away for the time being, And I still prefer to buy games at a discounted price.

The only recent game that I bought at full price Preorder is Titan Fall 2, and that is because this game will have no Season Pass, all future updates maps dlcs will be offered for free. I encourage developers/publishers to follow this route.

@Jacanuk: Not my video, it was the only one I could find that would back up my facts. I don't know how you came to that conclusion, but there is no proof whatsoever for your irrational statement.

Anyway, yes games should be more expensive. Employees are underpaid, and these gaming corporations just release cheap fast games that cost a specific amount to appeal to the masses.