Games are too expensive

[awsome117]

In reality, every thing is too expensive. I mean, do you see how much they charge for a car? Or go grocery shopping for a "normal" week and see how much it costs.

Either way, every thing is too expensive, so I just learn to live with out.

 

[slowpoke999]

Snip

Omg No no no no no, please for the love of god tell me you are kidding, that was a joke right, how the shit can steam be forced to raise their prices?The whole point of competing business is to put pressure on another one so people can flock to the one with cheaper prices, unless it is the game developers who are forcing steam to raise their prices there is no reason Steam should, if I'm right then shit like this is why Capitalism doesn't work.

*Sigh*It reminds me of that episode of South Park how Mr Garrison invents a new alternative to Airports and makes the Aiport business go bankrupt and the government steps in and shuts his invention down. Dear god I want to go back to the times when that was played for comedy.

I wish I was joking, but Games such as Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, Bad Company 2 etc have had all their prices marked up to around 70-90 Dollars, It is still far cheaper then install but far more expensive then what US and EU users of steam have to pay. Many games are still at US prices but new AAA games are getting their prices raised.

But why?Who's forcing them?The game Developers or some unknown evil entity sent out to the world to destroy fun?

 

[banksy122]

Snip

Omg No no no no no, please for the love of god tell me you are kidding, that was a joke right, how the shit can steam be forced to raise their prices?The whole point of competing business is to put pressure on another one so people can flock to the one with cheaper prices, unless it is the game developers who are forcing steam to raise their prices there is no reason Steam should, if I'm right then shit like this is why Capitalism doesn't work.

*Sigh*It reminds me of that episode of South Park how Mr Garrison invents a new alternative to Airports and makes the Aiport business go bankrupt and the government steps in and shuts his invention down. Dear god I want to go back to the times when that was played for comedy.

I wish I was joking, but Games such as Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, Bad Company 2 etc have had all their prices marked up to around 70-90 Dollars, It is still far cheaper then install but far more expensive then what US and EU users of steam have to pay. Many games are still at US prices but new AAA games are getting their prices raised.

But why?Who's forcing them?The game Developers or some unknown evil entity sent out to the world to destroy fun?

It is the publishers of the games who are making Valve raise their prices to match Store Prices in Australia, I decided to re-read articles to make sure of what I was saying.
http://www.kotaku.com.au/2007/11/call_of_duty_4_oz_steam_price_doubles_overnight/
That is an example of the price jump.

When I was in USA I bought Left 4 Dead 2 on the 360 for my friend so he would have the uncensored version, I bought it for 60 dollars, when I came back to Australia, I looked for it on PC in store, it was 120 Dollars, so I decided to look on steam to see their price, 30 Dollars. Just another example of why USA really shouldn't complain about Game prices. I am not making fun of USA, to me, it is the greatest country on earth, but games there are good value compared to here, and you don't get them censored.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

[

2. I live in Canada, where prices have gone as high a $70 per release, (this generation), when our dollar was below the American dollar by a fair bit. I agree that it isn't fair for other countries, but like you said, they can just import the game for less money. As far as collector's editions go, they aren't necessary purchases, and only those with the money to get them, should.

The problem with importing them cheaper from the states, if you live in europe at least, is that they don't work because of that pal-ntsc crap. Talk about a way to rip off the europeans XD
But I thank the gods for the deals on steam. Without them I would've only been able to get 1 or 2 new games this year. It does get more than a bit ridiculous sometimes.

 

[Zeriah]

2. I live in Canada, where prices have gone as high a $70 per release, (this generation), when our dollar was below the American dollar by a fair bit. I agree that it isn't fair for other countries, but like you said, they can just import the game for less money. As far as collector's editions go, they aren't necessary purchases, and only those with the money to get them, should.

Actually we can't import games, well 360 games at least. On the 360 something like 90% of games are region locked - Australia has PAL and America has NTSC which means most games from America will not work on our consoles. Game developers are so greedy that they really make it impossible to play games on the local consoles from other regions just so they can price gouge us to hell. We can import games from the UK (who also use PAL) which takes some of the sting out, but with taxes, shipping costs and UK's similar (though lesser) over-priced games it still ends up being far more than what Americans pay.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Demand and Supply. Cost of manufacture is about 8 dollars on a $60 avg. shelf price game approximately. 8.00 USD will pay for workers, effort, materials and time for the average Space Marine In Space Shoots Monsters and Robots 3 (or SMISSMAR3), plus a dollar for shipping, handling and Department or Outlet store distribution and salesmanship, making the remaining 51.00 USD pure profit, used for expansion of services and products. Which is to say that they certainly make a hefty return on every copy. Not as much as bottled water, but it's there.

They put prices like that simply because people will pay for it without complaining, and they won't change it unless lots and lots of people complain.
This is why Valve is making an inordinate profit off of games like Portal and Team Fortress 2. Their games are cheaper and therefore their profit is less. However their method of distribution is far easier and more accessible then other ones, making their sheer numbers of sold copies compensate for the low price and then some.

Seriously it could happen this decade that top range titles from big name console companies like EA and Infinity Ward make the AAA title for $30 US, but it's entirely dependent on who cares and how much. That means you; if you want it to happen, just get your voice out there where it matters.

 

[Treblaine]

Hate to say it but that guy fails economics forever. Games are the bread and butter of the games industry, not the console. Even at the $60 range, those games are sold at a pretty good markup to what they may be worth. Selling at a higher profit margin, though he can pursue it, is highly doubtful. Really, who would pay $90 for a game with nothing but a manual, multiplayer and nothing else?

Sadly, I think everyone would if that were the normal price for games. They'd whine about it and boycott for a few days before giving in and wasting their money on it anyway.

I think there was a misunderstanding, this guy wanted games selling for 90 POUNDS STERLING.

Games initially retails for £40 here, so the mark up this manager is talking about is like games selling for 140 US DOLLARS ins the United States!!!

Who the hell do you know that would pay $140 for a 6 hour game?!?!? Who the hell is willing to spend $140 on anything?!?

That's more than the cost of an iPod Nano.

 

[Fiend13]

It was my understanding that the biggest part the price is generated by advertisement and that kind of stuff. Maybe there is rather an error in the system than in the actual cost of making a game. Just thinking....

 

[Kair]

snip

Your comment is imbecilic. You seem to feel people should spend millions of dollars and not expect a single thing in return. This isn't food water or shelter. They are not making games as a favor to you or to be nice to you. Its a business.

Let's take a moment and think about what I just said. Oh wait, why not just ignore it and make assumptions instead?

People like you are the bane of social development.

 

[veloper]

Demand and Supply. Cost of manufacture is about 8 dollars on a $60 avg.

Haha. Not by a long shot. The disc costs almost nothing.

Here's the breakdown of a succesful $60 console game according to the Pach:

$12 profit for the retailer
$12 tribute to M$ or Sony for being allowed to sell a game for their console
~$10 to the studio (programmers, artists, etc)
~$9 marketing
~$17 profit for the publisher
=
total=$60

2nd half of the vid:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/episode-111-pach-attack/64278


Ofcourse the money it costs to design the game is a fixed amount (like for example 2,000,000) regardless of how many you sell, so you can also have a game flop like this:

$12 profit for the retailer
$12 tribute to M$ or Sony for being allowed to sell a game for their console
$40 to the studio (programmers, artists, etc)
$9 marketing
-$13 loss for the publisher
=
$60

 

[LooK iTz Jinjo]

Ohh poor American's with your $60 games and R18+ rating's life must be so hard...
Welcome to Australia, where Fallout 3 is censored for "drug use?" an R18+ is actually designed to HURT people and the average console game these days is getting pushed up to $120. Yay for us.

 

[Katana314]

Hate to say it but that guy fails economics forever. Games are the bread and butter of the games industry, not the console. Even at the $60 range, those games are sold at a pretty good markup to what they may be worth. Selling at a higher profit margin, though he can pursue it, is highly doubtful. Really, who would pay $90 for a game with nothing but a manual, multiplayer and nothing else?

Sadly, I think everyone would if that were the normal price for games. They'd whine about it and boycott for a few days before giving in and wasting their money on it anyway.

I think there was a misunderstanding, this guy wanted games selling for 90 POUNDS STERLING.

Games initially retails for £40 here, so the mark up this manager is talking about is like games selling for 140 US DOLLARS ins the United States!!!

Who the hell do you know that would pay $140 for a 6 hour game?!?!? Who the hell is willing to spend $140 on anything?!?

That's more than the cost of an iPod Nano.

Well, you did write $90, not £90. I know the approximate value of the pound, and agree $140 would be ridiculous unless it were coming with some custom controller, like Guitar Hero.

 

[Daipire]

Man, they should use product placement in it so that they can sort of subsidise the games.

 

[Skratt]

Well, at least there is still used games.... until they start going full on digital. I'll have my shank in perfect condition by then.

Sad thing is, once they go completly digtal and tank the used game market, the sky is the limit and they'll find some other bullshit to explain the high prices.

 

[Gindil]

Man, they should use product placement in it so that they can sort of subsidise the games.

*Remembers EA Need for Speed Underground*

*Remembers Burger Kings on every corner*

NO... That game was just too blatant. If they could get more sponsors and diversify, or do without, I'd probably prefer that.

 

[Daipire]

Man, they should use product placement in it so that they can sort of subsidise the games.

*Remembers EA Need for Speed Underground*

*Remembers Burger Kings on every corner*

NO... That game was just too blatant. If they could get more sponsors and diversify, or do without, I'd probably prefer that.

If they just get a character (using Saints Row for an example), one that's super cool like Johnny Gat, and get him drink a coca cola.

Subtlety is key, less is more.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

4) This one wasn't aimed at you but whenever people talk about AAA game prices their is always one idiot who brings up the fact that either indie or 10 year old pc games are dirt cheap.

If this was aimed at my comment about ten dollar AAA PC games, it wasn't that ten year old PC games are dirt cheap, but that ten years ago, one year old PC games were dirt cheap, because companies actually cut prices after they made their initial profit. I still say that the reason games are so expensive these days is the monopoly Gamestop has on used games. Since they keep the used prices so high, publishers have no reason to really compete on prices.

Edit:
The relative lack of a used market for PC games adds to it as well, but do the current consoles even have an equivalent to the Greatest Hits releases of yesteryear? I haven't had a console this gen, so maybe I'm off base here, but it seems like games start out high and stay there a whole lot longer than they used to.

 

[The Rockerfly]

Let's take a moment and think about what I just said. Oh wait, why not just ignore it and make assumptions instead?

People like you are the bane of social development.

Why not explain it and develop on your original point rather then just insult people and not address points brought up
A game is not a living necessity, it is a luxury right?
Therefore it should not be free, however even necessities are rarely free

Games also take money to make, from employing people, transportation costs, software & hardware costs, fixed costs (such as electricity and land to create and distribute the game on)
There is also a demand for these and enough to supply this demand, therefore the developers can put the game at a price that competes with other game prices

The only way a game could be free is if it cost nothing to make, made for charitable purposes where the developer made a loss or it receives money from a different manner (such as adverts)
Even the lowest method of distributing games (online downloads) still has to keep severs up and running

So how can you justify making information free when it costs to make and distribute games?

 

[Treblaine]

Hate to say it but that guy fails economics forever. Games are the bread and butter of the games industry, not the console. Even at the $60 range, those games are sold at a pretty good markup to what they may be worth. Selling at a higher profit margin, though he can pursue it, is highly doubtful. Really, who would pay $90 for a game with nothing but a manual, multiplayer and nothing else?

Sadly, I think everyone would if that were the normal price for games. They'd whine about it and boycott for a few days before giving in and wasting their money on it anyway.

I think there was a misunderstanding, this guy wanted games selling for 90 POUNDS STERLING.

Games initially retails for £40 here, so the mark up this manager is talking about is like games selling for 140 US DOLLARS ins the United States!!!

Who the hell do you know that would pay $140 for a 6 hour game?!?!? Who the hell is willing to spend $140 on anything?!?

That's more than the cost of an iPod Nano.

Well, you did write $90, not £90. I know the approximate value of the pound, and agree $140 would be ridiculous unless it were coming with some custom controller, like Guitar Hero.

No. I always clearly stated £90, it was Gindil that came up with the "$90" figure.