My thoughts on game prices.

[Von Strimmer]

Think of your grandpa like this, he's still getting his head around phones that can browse the web and play music.. Technology doesn't cost much. Especially when creating the disc and packaging is on a factory line. The main cost there is labor to make the game, and even then I can guarantee that most of the employees of Activision would not be paid a percentage of the profit from the CoD franchise.

And a lot of it is profit, $100 a game, at ten million copies is a lot of money. I'm also in Aus, so I can state quite definitely that I am paying too much for games. Go to steam.com.au, then just to steam.com. Half the price just for changing where I live? Capitalism at its best. Most games also don't take me that long to get through, so in a lot of cases I'm paying the same amount as a cinema outing. (Cinema ticket is usually 23/25, more if I go to see a movie I like which mainstream cinemas don't, Pans Labyrinth is a good example. 60USD would still be a rip off? But people will still pay it so we still get charged a fortune.

Normally at a time like this I would fire up and blame Australian retailers for being greedy fucks. Unfortunately I think it comes down to publishers AND developers AND retailers being greedy fucks.

We earn quite a bit more than our North American bretheren (not sure on Europe [specifically UK] and what they earn) so I suppose it means they can squeeze us for more money. Or something like that I dont know it just feels natural blaming Australian retailers!

Edit* read a post above me by someone in the UK. So basically that cost vs income thing is pretty much BS. Maybe its a population thing? or is it a typical case of the simplest explanation being the correct one. fucking retailers.

 

[Stall]

Yup. Game prices are fine. I think there needs to be some fluidity in the prices: basically, developers and publishers need to realize that there isn't any shame in selling a game for 30-40 dollars if it is lacking a bit of polish/length/etc. Most AAA games that ARE worth this much are somewhat rare though.

 

[Vinculi]

Think of your grandpa like this, he's still getting his head around phones that can browse the web and play music.. Technology doesn't cost much. Especially when creating the disc and packaging is on a factory line. The main cost there is labor to make the game, and even then I can guarantee that most of the employees of Activision would not be paid a percentage of the profit from the CoD franchise.

And a lot of it is profit, $100 a game, at ten million copies is a lot of money. I'm also in Aus, so I can state quite definitely that I am paying too much for games. Go to steam.com.au, then just to steam.com. Half the price just for changing where I live? Capitalism at its best. Most games also don't take me that long to get through, so in a lot of cases I'm paying the same amount as a cinema outing. (Cinema ticket is usually 23/25, more if I go to see a movie I like which mainstream cinemas don't, Pans Labyrinth is a good example. 60USD would still be a rip off? But people will still pay it so we still get charged a fortune.

Normally at a time like this I would fire up and blame Australian retailers for being greedy fucks. Unfortunately I think it comes down to publishers AND developers AND retailers being greedy fucks.

We earn quite a bit more than our North American bretheren (not sure on Europe [specifically UK] and what they earn) so I suppose it means they can squeeze us for more money. Or something like that I dont know it just feels natural blaming Australian retailers!

Edit* read a post above me by someone in the UK. So basically that cost vs income thing is pretty much BS. Maybe its a population thing? or is it a typical case of the simplest explanation being the correct one. fucking retailers.

Its not the retailers, you can trust me on that, I used to work for EB and if you sold nothing but brand new games for the day your profit margin for the store is around 6-7%, and then the area manager rings up all pissed off, but that's another issue.

The problem for australian pricing is the publishers, I think, since they charge retailer chains so much to put the game on the shelf, in my experience, selling a AAA release for anything more than $10 off the retail price set by the publisher (i.e, $100-$120) actually loses the store money (not the chain, the store, since the individual store is expected to cover its own running costs).

phew, that ended up being longer than I intended, but I hope you find it informative.

 

[krazykidd]

No it's not too expensive , 60$ is a very reasonable price. Think about all the hours and all the people it took to make a game ANY game . Developpers pooring their souls into video games . The amount of work it takes to make any game now a days .

That being said , we were probably overcharged back in the nes era , BUT because the market was so small , they needed to be that price to make a profit . A lot less people were working on the games and the games took about 3 months to make instead of 2 years.

 

[Von Strimmer]

Think of your grandpa like this, he's still getting his head around phones that can browse the web and play music.. Technology doesn't cost much. Especially when creating the disc and packaging is on a factory line. The main cost there is labor to make the game, and even then I can guarantee that most of the employees of Activision would not be paid a percentage of the profit from the CoD franchise.

And a lot of it is profit, $100 a game, at ten million copies is a lot of money. I'm also in Aus, so I can state quite definitely that I am paying too much for games. Go to steam.com.au, then just to steam.com. Half the price just for changing where I live? Capitalism at its best. Most games also don't take me that long to get through, so in a lot of cases I'm paying the same amount as a cinema outing. (Cinema ticket is usually 23/25, more if I go to see a movie I like which mainstream cinemas don't, Pans Labyrinth is a good example. 60USD would still be a rip off? But people will still pay it so we still get charged a fortune.

Normally at a time like this I would fire up and blame Australian retailers for being greedy fucks. Unfortunately I think it comes down to publishers AND developers AND retailers being greedy fucks.

We earn quite a bit more than our North American bretheren (not sure on Europe [specifically UK] and what they earn) so I suppose it means they can squeeze us for more money. Or something like that I dont know it just feels natural blaming Australian retailers!

Edit* read a post above me by someone in the UK. So basically that cost vs income thing is pretty much BS. Maybe its a population thing? or is it a typical case of the simplest explanation being the correct one. fucking retailers.

Its not the retailers, you can trust me on that, I used to work for EB and if you sold nothing but brand new games for the day your profit margin for the store is around 6-7%, and then the area manager rings up all pissed off, but that's another issue.

The problem for australian pricing is the publishers, I think, since they charge retailer chains so much to put the game on the shelf, in my experience, selling a AAA release for anything more than $10 off the retail price set by the publisher (i.e, $100-$120) actually loses the store money (not the chain, the store, since the individual store is expected to cover its own running costs).

phew, that ended up being longer than I intended, but I hope you find it informative.

So I cant blame retailers? (very informative I thank you) well then I suppose we just have to take it cause there is really nothing we can do about it...

 

[Vinculi]

So I cant blame retailers? (very informative I thank you) well then I suppose we just have to take it cause there is really nothing we can do about it...

My pleasure.

 

[DementedSheep]

Think of your grandpa like this, he's still getting his head around phones that can browse the web and play music.. Technology doesn't cost much. Especially when creating the disc and packaging is on a factory line. The main cost there is labor to make the game, and even then I can guarantee that most of the employees of Activision would not be paid a percentage of the profit from the CoD franchise.

And a lot of it is profit, $100 a game, at ten million copies is a lot of money. I'm also in Aus, so I can state quite definitely that I am paying too much for games. Go to steam.com.au, then just to steam.com. Half the price just for changing where I live? Capitalism at its best. Most games also don't take me that long to get through, so in a lot of cases I'm paying the same amount as a cinema outing. (Cinema ticket is usually 23/25, more if I go to see a movie I like which mainstream cinemas don't, Pans Labyrinth is a good example. 60USD would still be a rip off? But people will still pay it so we still get charged a fortune.

Normally at a time like this I would fire up and blame Australian retailers for being greedy fucks. Unfortunately I think it comes down to publishers AND developers AND retailers being greedy fucks.

We earn quite a bit more than our North American bretheren (not sure on Europe [specifically UK] and what they earn) so I suppose it means they can squeeze us for more money. Or something like that I dont know it just feels natural blaming Australian retailers!

Edit* read a post above me by someone in the UK. So basically that cost vs income thing is pretty much BS. Maybe its a population thing? or is it a typical case of the simplest explanation being the correct one. fucking retailers.

Its not the retailers, you can trust me on that, I used to work for EB and if you sold nothing but brand new games for the day your profit margin for the store is around 6-7%, and then the area manager rings up all pissed off, but that's another issue.

The problem for australian pricing is the publishers, I think, since they charge retailer chains so much to put the game on the shelf, in my experience, selling a AAA release for anything more than $10 off the retail price set by the publisher (i.e, $100-$120) actually loses the store money (not the chain, the store, since the individual store is expected to cover its own running costs).

phew, that ended up being longer than I intended, but I hope you find it informative.

Really? I figured part of it was publishers but assumed the stores were pumping up the price too. Huh, I guess I I'll hate EB less tho their fake sales still piss me off.

 

[Psycho78]

$60 is too much for a potentially great game that they cripple with bugs, stupid gameplay decisions, and/or DRM.

For $10 or less I'll take a chance. For $60 it needs to be a GTA, Oblivion, or Fallout title.

 

[Epona]

I paid $80 for A Link to the Past when it first came out.

I'd say standard pricing has it's ups and downs.

I paid $50, I shopped at Wal Mart. Maybe you should have too.

I have seen countless times that people paid $70-$80 for SNES and N64 games. I never paid more than $50.

OP, that your grandfather thinks video game avatars moving around is amazing should tell you that he's out of touch with technology. Didn't sprites move around on the Atari 2600? If he's out of touch with technology, it should not have inspired deep thought from you or a thread about it.

 

[UrieHusky]

($60, as I live in the U.S.)

In New Zealand, we pay 120 dollars for a new release game, which won't drop in price far longer than it takes in America,. That coupled with our low internet speeds makes multiplayer gaming without severe ping a rare treat. Games as it is are already far too expensive these days, so no, I don't think I'm spoilt in the slightest

 

[SpartanBlackman]

If you do nothing but buy the latest Call of Duty and FIFA game, then gaming is affordable. But if you are a gaming enthusiast... it's so expensive, I can see why there is so much piracy.

 

[dickywebster]

Well if you consider that here in britain the minium wage is £6 and a new game tends to cost at least £40, any increase in price would just limit the number of people that would be willing to spend that much money one one game that may last them say 10 - 20 hours.
While its not the most expensive place to buy games, i still cant afford to buy games new, even for £30 would be too much to do even probably 4 or 5 times a year atm.
So if games never came down to £20 or less (though some never do), then what would people with limited incomes who like to play games do as their hobby do?

 

[Cowabungaa]

Then don't buy them for that price. I almost never buy my new games for such prices, always look for (reliable) webshops that offer way better prices. If enough people do that, the other prices will go down as well.

 

[Fat4all]

I paid $80 for A Link to the Past when it first came out.

I'd say standard pricing has it's ups and downs.

I paid $50, I shopped at Wal Mart. Maybe you should have too.

I have seen countless times that people paid $70-$80 for SNES and N64 games. I never paid more than $50.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past cost $79.99 retail when if first came out. Either your Walmart was selling stolen copies, or you bought it when it became a "Players Choice" gold label roughly 2 years after the game came out.

 

[Epona]

I paid $80 for A Link to the Past when it first came out.

I'd say standard pricing has it's ups and downs.

I paid $50, I shopped at Wal Mart. Maybe you should have too.

I have seen countless times that people paid $70-$80 for SNES and N64 games. I never paid more than $50.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past cost $79.99 retail when if first came out. Either your Walmart was selling stolen copies, or you bought it when it became a "Players Choice" gold label roughly 2 years after the game came out.

Prove it was $79.99 MSRP.

Did you really just accuse Wal Mart of selling stolen copies, that's pathetic.

 

[Kingme18]

($60, as I live in the U.S.)

In New Zealand, we pay 120 dollars for a new release game, which won't drop in price far longer than it takes in America,. That coupled with our low internet speeds makes multiplayer gaming without severe ping a rare treat. Games as it is are already far too expensive these days, so no, I don't think I'm spoilt in the slightest

It seems that my caution to step around the hate from other countries failed. I inserted that so you could see where I was coming from, not so I could complain.

 

[Something Amyss]

No it's not too expensive , 60$ is a very reasonable price. Think about all the hours and all the people it took to make a game ANY game . Developpers pooring their souls into video games . The amount of work it takes to make any game now a days .

Putting a lot of effort into something does not inherently give it value. As terrible as it was, I'm sure a lot of people put a lot of effort into Kane and Lynch. But I bet you didn't run out and buy the game when the excuse "but making good games is HAAAAAAARD!" Came up.

Similarly, if a game with a play time of ten hours costs as much as a game with 50, something's wrong.

The fact is, not all games are created equal, and not all effort is the same. It does take far less to come out with a lot of the big titles they want to sell because they have toolkits (Unreal, for example) that greatly make it easier than it otherwise would be. A ground-up approach will require proportionately more work, but you don't see a price break there.

Bad games run the same prices as good games. Poor efforts cost as much as strong ones. That's absurd.

 

[UrieHusky]

snip.

I'm sorry, but it really irritates me when people in the main countries complain about their game prices when I have to do just as much work to get my money but have to pay twice as much for games and such. It's my opinion on the matter, which you asked for, so yeah.

 

[MisterDyslexo]

I don't get much a year, so I usually wait until the game price drops at least half-way to get it. I mean, I got three games that I love back in March. They came out early-to-mid last year. They're still the same game. They're good. They're fun, enjoyable. Age doesn't affect that. And I can get three times as many of these good games as if I bought them when they came out originally.

Honestly, I'd probably buy more games when they release if they game out for less than 60 bucks. I mean, who are they trying to fool, some developers? I hate to be mean, but they know when they're releasing a game that isn't worth $60 (here in America anyways). If, say, Aliens vs Predators, released at $30 instead of $60, I think that they'd actually make more money than they did with their full sixty price-tag.