lol @ paying full RRP for games! xD JB Hi-Fi > EB price match > if game sucks/played it through within a week > get a refund -or- wait 2-3 months and get the same game for less than half price! Games depreciate like they suffer from colon cancer, so unless you're some must-have-latest-FPS-generica-shovelware-turd-before-the-Jones'-do fantoddler, there's no need to lather in this avaricious industry's yoke. Failing all that, pirate! :D The reason AU pays more (for everything -- look at fuel) because it's a NICHE MARKET; as such, it has no sway in the world market and to bother releasing stuff here the seller needs a bigger return to make it worth their time (in their opinion). Until Australia's population exceeds 100mil, don't hold your breath for reasonable games prices, or anything else for that matter. (NB: This article does not consider GPD, inflation, relative salaries and cost-of-living in the repsective countries. AU$100 is actually LESS than US$60 when you take all the factors into account... not to mention you can return games here for a full refund at many specialty games stores, unlike the US; sometimes up to 2 weeks after purchase!)

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

GREENS! GREENS! GREENS!! All the way people! They might even legalize Ecstasy! : D But whatever you do, DO NOT VOTE LIBERAL! They didn't even care enough to send responses to most of the questions here. Liberals = joke government with no policies led by a clown! (NB: If the Greens hold the balance of power (if Labor wins) they won't let the Communistic Internet filter through the senate. So it's win-win for gamers - no Libs, no filter - if we vote Greens!)

Well... he sure does LOOK like Elton John! : /

Piracy has NO WHERE NEAR the effect on the industry that the re-sale (and re-sale again and again...!) of 'pre-owned' games does by the likes of EB Games etc. If a dealer re-sells a game for near-RRP (sometimes even more! 0_o) as a pre-owned game, the developer gets zilch. Once the game is officially sold the first time, those who involved in the development of the game are out of the revenue loop. 17% is a drop in the ocean for multimillion/billion dollar companies and is in actuality only an estimate based on mere anecdotal hear-say. Spin doctoring by the greedy industry wowzers, if you like. -_- At any rate, if a game is GOOD and value for money (ie. regards content, replay-ability etc), most people will likely pay for it. But with all the garbage throw-away titles being released in this new 'casual' era of gaming, piracy to some extent is justified -- it sends a message to the game makers that half-baked, glitchy and token just ain't good enough. This philosophy also extends to film and music. Crap like 'Meet The Spartans' SHOULD be pirated! (...if you're lowbrow enough to waste your time with that sort of refuse, tha is -_-) So should token albums by one-hit wonder artists. Piracy is the consumers voice in effect.