Who would have thought it? There are some people out there who think that $60 for a videogame is too much! Actually, there's quite a lot of people, if a recent survey is anything to be believed.
Frank N. Magid Associates has been studying consumer attitude toward current-gen software prices and it certainly doesn't look good for the publishers. Of 452 people surveyed, here is what they had to say:
- 43% said theyʼd wait for next-gen game prices to drop
- 30% would buy more used games
- 23% would buy fewer games at $60 a pop
- 17% would rent more games rather than purchase them
- 17% said that for the right game, price would not matter
What think you, gentlemen? Game prices are certainly felt more these days, especially since last-gen game prices had been declining as current-gen systems loomed on the horizon. Still, at least in the UK, you never have to pay full retail price for a game provided you know where on the Internet to shop.
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Contest:
5:10 AM on 09.11.2008
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If I lived in America I'd be living like a king on those prices.
60 bucks is no impulse buy, I don't think really if I see a game for 20 bucks, at 30 I begin to think about it.
that's an impulse buy when you don't mind the money and just go for it.
also I buy lots of games in any given year, let's say at least 20 to 40 games a year... only a selected few are full price at launch, I often wait a short while before buying (almost exclusively new games in shops).
this year the only games I bought a full price at launch were GTA IV and MGS4... you see?
Yowza. No wonder you guys have an amazing football team. Looks like beach football is what I'd be doing too.
60 bucks is no impulse buy, I don't think really if I see a game for 20 bucks, at 30 I begin to think about it.
that's an impulse buy when you don't mind the money and just go for it.
also I buy lots of games in any given year, let's say at least 20 to 40 games a year... only a selected few are full price at launch, I often wait a short while before buying (almost exclusively new games in shops).
this year the only games I bought a full price at launch were GTA IV and MGS4... you see?
actually it's safe to say i won't own a PS3 ever.
Does NOBODY remember that the average N64 new game price was $60??? THAT WAS 10 YEARS AGO!
I remember paying $90 for a copy of Virtua Racer for the Sega Genesis back in like 1995 because it was "OMG TEH 3Ds!"
Nobody I talk to seems to remember that 60 bucks seems to be the float point in video game prices. Which, really, is strange, considering how much everything else has gone up due to inflation over the years.
Effective pricing is getting the most money total not per unit, you reduce the price and some games more people buy it and to a certain point you make more total then you lose on each sale. I'm not talking about every game but is bioshock worth the same as the latest buggy overhyped failure (Too Human)? Every other form of entertainment sets different price points based on the quality and money to create it. They sell B and C movies at Walmart for $2-$10, you can go see that movie at an awesome $15 a ticket theater or the shitty $6 one that your feet stick to the floor. CDs from unknowns sell $8-$10, established artists sell $12-$15 and epic albums with bonus content you never read or watch sells for $17-$20.
Why don't games sell for $60 for the gems, $50 for the normal and $40- for the turds. I mean even DS games set price levels and if you notice they get the highest percentage back on trade in. That's because you are usually paying what they are worth.
Also drop the stupid prices over time. I mean I'm holding back a buying spree at gog.com because $6 is perfect for an old PC classic for me. I really want to buy Rez HD but not for $10, I'd gladly pay $5. People have a price in which games are worth buying and they need to try to maximize the amount of people that buy the games within reason.
It's a fine way to go about things I think.
though @Guybrush - I feel sorry for what you have to pay in brazil
"Does NOBODY remember that the average N64 new game price was $60??? THAT WAS 10 YEARS AGO!"
Tell me, how did the N64 fare against the PS1 and its $40 games?
You know what, don't bother. The average price 10 years ago is irrelevant. The price NOW is what's important. And I can't justify $60 for a new game if it has any chance of sitting on a shelf collecting dust. I have too many expenses and family obligations for that.
I sure hope, though, that you weren't suggesting we should be thanking our lucky stars that those nice retailers and publishers have kept the price so low over the years. That would just be absurd.
...Or you know, be a gallant and not a goofus and rent games instead of just buying them.
Yes publishers would move more units at a lower price point, but price sensitivity is sooooo low in this category that the increased units would not make up for the lost profit at the higher price point.
Prices are what they are because people, despite what they tell surveys, need to play the latest hot game and will pay whatever they need to play it.
They may not like it, but they do it anyways.
When you figure the development costs and all the work that goes into today's games vs. what you were getting when you bought Goonies II for NES, it's not a bad deal.
Also, plenty of people who smoke could buy two new games or more per month if they would drop that shitty habit. That's not picking on smokers (well, it is) but it's an illustration of how "everyday" items pile up. How many of you buy a 20 oz. pop once per day? That's $30-45 per month. I live relatively cheap in some areas, so that I can afford to spend more in other areas. To me, people who complain about $60 for a great title are cheap.
holiday: october is gonna be a sober month for me. to many games to get. which sucks cause coke and video games go hand in hand. or hand and nose. whatever.
Games have always been overpriced, which is why I've been an avid renter. I'm very selective about the actual games I buy.
I think the reason that prices of games haven't gone up over the years is because they're that overpriced.