Australians Pay Sky High Prices For Digital Games

[Metalrocks]

most of the times retail version from the US cost less then in AUS.
well, what you expect from bureaucrats who have no idea about the real world and just focus on paper. all they see is money but never think outside of the box to actually do something about piracy. like cutting down the price.

 

[chikusho]

Couldn't Aussies just buy digital games on steam from third party vendors?
Like, greenmangaming.com ?

 

[lacktheknack]

Naturally the suppliers have a different take on geoblocking. "You would need to take into account the impact that [relaxing geoblocking] would have," says Adobe, "on organizations globally being willing to invest in the country and run a local operation employing staff and building an ecosystem that delivers inputs and adds value to the economy."

And those effects are...?

Seriously, if Adobe can mount a semi-decent defence of geoblocking, then we'll have something to talk about. If they're going to say "Consider the impact!" and not tell me what the impact is, well...

 

[GoddyofAus]

Australians Pay Sky High Prices For Digital Games

IT companies seem to have very little interest in addressing consumer concerns.


Naturally the suppliers have a different take on geoblocking. "You would need to take into account the impact that [relaxing geoblocking] would have," says Adobe, "on organizations globally being willing to invest in the country and run a local operation employing staff and building an ecosystem that delivers inputs and adds value to the economy."

Source: House of Representatives Committee [http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House_of_Representatives_Committees?url=ic/itpricing/report.htm]


Permalink

Uhhh.....There's one problem with that excuse, Adobe.


YOU DON'T DO ANY OF THOSE THINGS.

 

[shiajun]

I wonder if there's a way that someone from North America can buy the game off Steam and then gift it to the Australian?

My family lives in Oz, and they'll be here in Canada in a couple weeks. I'll ask them if we should set something like that up.

Its illegal if Australia has any regulation, fees, or taxes that the US doesn't have. Steam can ban you for it. Its the reason an American was banned for selling games to foreigners without the taxes and fees associated with their countries. Its seen as tax dodging, and steam can't afford to have foreign countries accuse it of helping people avoid taxes or breaking foreign law.

But isn't that the point on any gift ever? Getting someone something they haven't for themselves? Say I have a brother who went to live in Australia. It's his brithday and I know he likes X game series so I gift him the newest release. Are you saying I'd get banned from Steam for that? I get the tax reason behind it, but it just goes against the idea of a gift.

 

[RicoADF]

Its illegal if Australia has any regulation, fees, or taxes that the US doesn't have. Steam can ban you for it. Its the reason an American was banned for selling games to foreigners without the taxes and fees associated with their countries. Its seen as tax dodging, and steam can't afford to have foreign countries accuse it of helping people avoid taxes or breaking foreign law.

Actually gray importing (that is buying overseas and bring it over without paying tax) is legal here, it's only taxable if it's over $1000 AUD. The government has even encouraged it at times (for competition against the monopoly of the 1 supplier system we have for now). I've had a friend buy me a game and gift it to me over steam (L4D2), although that was to get the real version not for price reasons.

OT: So they claim piracy is why they charge so much yet they've always charged so much and piracy has only gotten worse. Hmm I wonder why people might pirate a game that's twice the price it should be, I don't know maybe if they lowered the prices...

Although to be fair games have gotten far better as of late. I can get a new game at retail for what, $70, at jb hifi. And I've lost count of the number of games I've gotten at nice low prices on steam, GoG, Greenman Gaming etc. Smart shopping can get around the crap, but I agree it's ridiculous and about time the government stepped in. Everyone knew it was illegal and it's been only a matter of time before enough people were affected for them to step in. Weather they achieve anything is another matter, but we shal see.

 

[Revolutionary]

Hurr we price discriminate because of piracy lol. Fucking dullards.
This is why I have to buy the majority of my games on sale or get it from a reasonable vendor.

Xcom The Beaurau - $72 on steam, $45 on GMG.

For those interested

Spoiler: this is a guide to paying less for steam games

http://coflash.com/steam/

captcha: narrow minded

 

[Shaidz]

Australia thinks it has it bad, here in NZ we pay anywhere from $100-$120nz for a new release game!!

 

[NinjaRock]

Strange. When I buy games through Steam I get the US price, no markup or anything. I just have to pay...US dollars, which currently stinks since the Aussie dollar is so low right now. But I'm not getting jibbed by a huge mark up right now...

The Australian Steam store is in US Dollars, but the prices are different to those of the US store. Normally we get charged more.

 

[seule]

Strange. When I buy games through Steam I get the US price, no markup or anything. I just have to pay...US dollars, which currently stinks since the Aussie dollar is so low right now. But I'm not getting jibbed by a huge mark up right now...

The Australian Steam store is in US Dollars, but the prices are different to those of the US store. Normally we get charged more.

Case in point, this past summer sale, certain games that we were charged a "sale price" of $17.99 in Aus were actually on the US steam store for $5.99. Suffice to say, I sent a buddy money on paypal, had him buy it at the cheaper price and gift it to me

Yes we get hit always, but there are ways around it, if you're patient, browse places like greenmangaming, have friends overseas willing to help, you can get around it, the issue here is, we shouldn't have to. There is no economic, physical, metaphysical, religious, fanboy or other reason that could justify it.

 

[Bvenged]

They cited piracy as a factor? Well no shit Sherlock! Australia has one of the highest percentages of pirated software BECAUSE software prices are extortionate and a game costs the equivalent of £80. Can you really blame them for stealing it instead?

 

[shiajun]

I wonder if there's a way that someone from North America can buy the game off Steam and then gift it to the Australian?

My family lives in Oz, and they'll be here in Canada in a couple weeks. I'll ask them if we should set something like that up.

Its illegal if Australia has any regulation, fees, or taxes that the US doesn't have. Steam can ban you for it. Its the reason an American was banned for selling games to foreigners without the taxes and fees associated with their countries. Its seen as tax dodging, and steam can't afford to have foreign countries accuse it of helping people avoid taxes or breaking foreign law.

But isn't that the point on any gift ever? Getting someone something they haven't for themselves? Say I have a brother who went to live in Australia. It's his brithday and I know he likes X game series so I gift him the newest release. Are you saying I'd get banned from Steam for that? I get the tax reason behind it, but it just goes against the idea of a gift.

That isn't want the American did. He sold the games without taxes using real money, and advertised he helps he dodge taxes. A gift is giving away a game.

Giving away is good.
Trading for steam items is good.
selling for real money and without any taxes to foreign countries that do have taxes is bad. It seems Australia doesn't have it though.

The moment you use mann co keys, bill's hats, and mac's heads however is the moment its not money, even though they are as good as money and can be redeemed as such.

So you can gift an australian.

Aaah, I get it now. I wasn't sure of what the situation was. Yeah, that seems kind of iffy, and clearly a way to circumvent taxes in Australia.

 

[Evil Smurf]

Australia thinks it has it bad, here in NZ we pay anywhere from $100-$120nz for a new release game!!

Still we do have it bad.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

Ah, back to blaming piracy for everything. Once again, companies simply fail to realize that when you give people the option of buying something legitimately and being ripped/screwed over by DRM or w/e, or pirating something and getting the real deal with no added bullshit for free, it's your own bloody fault when they turn to the pirates. You can't expect people to put up with that nonsense just because 'it's da law' or 'it's for da industry'.

Admit it: if piracy went down and you were suddenly in the 'position' where you could 'afford' to lower the cost of games... You still fucking wouldn't. We all know that, despite your claims that piracy and used games sales are the bane of the gaming industry, you wouldn't lower the prices if such things disappeared overnight, simply because you're happy to continue charging people the prices they are already paying for. Why else would Games for Windows still be selling AAA games that are years old without every reducing the price by a significant margin?

Plus, the whole 'well the minority is ruining it for the majority' excuse really is quite pathetic. What does it matter that people from my country pirate the games more than anyone else, when it costs you just as much to send the game over a server to my country as it does to any other country?

 

[I.Muir]

Australia thinks it has it bad, here in NZ we pay anywhere from $100-$120nz for a new release game!!

So more or less the same

 

[I.Muir]

So they won't bring down prices because people are already getting it for free? Australia and New Zealand should refuse to extradite people to the US for copyright infringement.

 

[Caiphus]

So they won't bring down prices because people are already getting it for free? Australia and New Zealand should refuse to extradite people to the US for copyright infringement.

Well yes. This is one of the reasons I was unhappy with our government going after Kim Dotcom.

 

[Drummodino]

Go here and look at the prices for games on the next gen consoles: https://www.ebgames.com.au/

Looking at the PS4 specifically, the console itself costs $550
Controller $99
PS Eye $88

This is nothing new for Australia though. I remember paying around $120 for ps3 games, getting $100 ps2 games for my birthday.

 

[Wrath89]

It's not just video games and consoles either. Most electronics cost more, laptops and cameras have $200-400 markups on mid range models. Even MTG cards cost more, WotC banned the selling of sealed cards, packs and boxes so they could continue to geoblock the Australian market and make it impossible to buy from anyone but them. Then there's the stuff we don't even get offered, there are so many games that don't get a PAL release, which is just ridiculous.

It's gotten to the point where I buy physical games in the US, have them sent to my brother in New York and have him send them out twice a year at Christmas and on my birthday because otherwise I can't afford them.