Pachter: Gamers "Have No Clue" About Recession

[Keane Ng]

Pachter: Gamers "Have No Clue" About Recession

Michael Pachter thinks core gamers have no clue that there's a recession going on, and for that he is thankful.

Ignorance is bliss. With the world economy in turmoil and the previously "recession-proof" games industry feeling the crunch, the healh of the industry relies on one specific group of people: the consumers. Luckily for us, according to Call of Duty [http://www.wedbush.com/][/I] game that they don't seem to be aware that the dollar is crashing and burning.

"They may be wealthy, they may be poor, but [core gamers] have no clue we are in a recession," Pacther told the Associated Press [http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hWw6nF-kzkQqGRrAYmP9fiDHo79wD955AEI80]. Okay, maybe he doesn't mean that literally, but, along with his estimate that core gamers are responsible for roughly half of all game purchases, he means to say that gamers will continue to buy games, even in the face of certain economic apocalypse.

Despite how explosive the success of the Wii and casual gaming may be, the fact that those consumers belong more to the general population means their buying habits are susceptible to the trends of the wider economy, some analysts have speculated [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=203347]. Casual gamers are more likely to cut back, while hardcore consumers will keep spending no matter what. "As long as hard-core gamers have a job, they will continue to buy games," Billy Pidgeon, an analyst at IDC, said.

Gears of War 2 [http://www.gamestop.com/][/I] as evidence of their unswaying buying habits. "If the core gamers and the avid gamers are with us through these very unpredictable times, that's a very, very good sign for us," R. Richard Fontaine, GameStop's chairman, said during a conference call.

So, hardcore gamers - please stop reading the newspaper. You'll be doing this industry a huge favor.

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[smallharmlesskitten]

must...buy...that....game...

Pretty much what they think...according to him.
Excuse me. I'm going to go buy two copies of Mirrors Edge Collectors Edition

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I will probably keep buying games as long as I can still afford them on top of Rent and Food.

 

[fluffylandmine]

This is why this industry is suceeding where others are tripping and falling then being left behind with a bloodied face. That being that core-gamers are not running about with their heads chopped off.

Ignore the issue, that's a reasonable way to fix it.(This may actually work, but I'd prefer a sure-fire plan, this is more or less hit and miss)

 

[Steve Dark]

What don't we have a clue about? I was too busy out buying games to read more than 5 words into the article...

 

[Convenient_Label]

The thing is, most 'core gamers' don't socialise or entertain themselves in the same way as the 'general population'. I admit that I don't know how it works in America, but in England the vast majority of gamers socialise around each other's houses with a DVD or two, or they socialise via computer technology (here including LAN parties, which do still happen a fair amount) and they largely entertain themselves by, well, gaming. The 'general population' however, primarily socialise by going out to a pub or club and they often entertain themselves the same way. Pubs and clubs are hurt by a recession and pass on the economic impact to the comsumer; DVD and game publishers are also hurt by a recession, but their impact on the gamer is reduced by the presence of DVDs and games the gamer already owns.

Most of my social and entertainment activities have a financial cost of zero and an opportunity cost of zero. The opportunity cost of buying a new game will even, sometimes, be negative because I'll be playing it for several evenings and the next best alternative, taken from an entertainment perspective rather than a financial one, might indeed be something like going to the pub. Becoming more of an insular and socially maladjusted gamer is probably a valid mitigation strategy during a recession.

 

[Dechef]

This is blown way out of proportion. The article even mentions he "maybe didn't mean it literally". I'm surprised you have so much to write over so little.

 

[Novajam]

I'm Helping =D

 

[uppitycracker]

as long as there are good games to buy, and i can afford them, i certainly wont stop buying them. buuuut.... i think that's how people usually work with the things that they are into... as long as its not, like, collecting porsches.

 

[Ace of Spades]

I will play as long as I have two working eyes, and two working thumbs, or even just one working thumb.

 

[Dectilon]

Unless I'm misinformed recesions often see a upturn in entertainment, like movie tickets, because people want to comfort themselves. Logic dictates that games should do even better during a depression, but I'll settle for the sales being generally unaffected.

 

[man-man]

All those guys pushing ahead into casual games are going to be feeling mighty silly when the casual market dries up because they're all too broke to buy games and food in the same month. Only companies making games hardcore enough to be worth starving yourself for (in the view of the core gamer) will survive.

/hyperbole

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

In other news, about half of all people who buy crack are addicted to it and will continue to buy it over rent, food, or loved ones. The crack market looks like it will remain unaffected by the economy due to an unshakable demand in this demographic.

Sorry...is anyone else vaguely offended at this implication that I'm going to keep gobbling products up even if the "world is on fire"?

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Hey guys, what's a recession? I look up definitions and stuff but my brain seems to be blocking the word.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Pachter's got a point, and an interesting way of making it. He's not talking about what we know, but about our behaviours; in spite of the spiralling economy, core gamers have prioritized their hobby to the point where it's nowhere near the top of the "cut-back list." Times are tough, but games are important. In the eyes of normal people, it makes no sense at all.

And while I think it's interesting that core gamers, the ones we're always hearing have become a minority and therefore increasingly irrelevant to the industry as a whole, are the ones who will carry it through this nonsense, I do get tired of hearing how the Wii is going to suffer because it's a mainstream system, the mainstream won't stick with it through rough times, etc. Give it a rest. The Wii has shown no signs of weakness, it's still stomping the guts out of the 360 and PS3 and once again, it's Christmas and you can't find the things for love or money. At this point, I think a lot of analysts keep repeating the Wii vulnerability line just so that when it does eventually falter - and it will, just like the NES and the PS2 did - they can say, well, we called it.

 

[Dectilon]

In the eyes of normal people, it makes no sense at all.

"Those gamers make no sense" said the normal person while stuffing him/herself full with comfort-candy

 

[Somethingfake]

I know some of us can get pretty engrossed in a game, but it's damned hard to avoid knowing about what's going on.

 

[joystickjunki3]

I won't stop. Even if there's a video game prohibition, I'll set up a speakeasy.