Comment on Nintendo is Bringing Us Kicking and Screaming Into the $80 Game Era with the Switch 2
MoreFPSmorebetter@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I’m not defending this behavior but keeping up with inflation games that cost 60 bucks in the early 90s would cost well over 120 today.
I know they don’t do physical media as much or at all in some cases.
I’m just pointing out that technically 80 bucks for a game is still a good ways behind inflation.
Not defending it. Just pointing it out.
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Digital distribution is far less than it was in the 90s, many games sell in far higher numbers they did in the 90s, plus a ton of other cost savings due to scale exist on the distribution side. Yes, costs are higher to develop some types of games, but quite a few studios are able to put out profit generating games at far less than $60 per unit sold.
Cost comparisons over time tend to not be very informative when it comes to products that have significant changes in costs over time, and games are one of those things.
MoreFPSmorebetter@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Which I recognize. I still feel like there is a weird disconnect between gamers and cost. If I spent 80 bucks on a game and I get hundreds of hours of fun out of it that was easily worth the money. I have spent far more on significantly worse fun per dollar events over the years.
I just find it kinda funny how gamers get with the costs of games when compared to their spending on other media. Like how many people complaining about the 80 dollar games have rented a movie on Amazon for 5 bucks or something. That’s a 2.50 an hour for entertainment at best.
I won’t be buying the console or the 80 dollar games but I find the conversation and interesting one.
spankmonkey@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Game prices aren’t all about play time or pretty physics, or anything in particular. My top 3 hours played in steam are all from 2019 and after.
$99 special edition 1000+ hours
$70 for a game plus two expansion 800+ hours
$20 discounted preorder 500+ hours
All three just happen to have interesting and enjoyable replay loops. But I also have a few games I spent $60 on and played less than 50 hours and still felt like I got my money’s worth.
Recent intendo games tend to feel well done, but not groundbreaking or unique enough to justify being full priced all the time, much less $80 even if I was to get 100+ hours out of them. They seem overpriced for what they include and that is the real reason for the pushback. Nintendo chose the closed envirionment with everything eternally at full price and that is why people are pushing back in their case.
MoreFPSmorebetter@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I was curious so went and looked at my top 3.
Free now (paid 30 bucks for csgo back in the day) CS2 ~7500 hours
$30 Hunt showdown ~1200 hours
$25 beamNG ~1000 hours.
Now those cost per hour figures don’t take into account the thousands of dollars on skins in CS I spent over the years, but still. Even with the money I spent on skins and keys I got way more than my moneuss worth out of counter strike.
Hunt I bought a bunch of DLC to support the devs until they drove that game into the ground and now I wish I could refund all of it. Fuck Crytek and David Fifield. If that man ever gets hired at another company run from any game he touches.
beamNG I actually bought before it was even on steam as a tech demo on a stand alone client. Easily the best investment in terms of fun per dollars spent. I would give them more money if they let me.
Idk man. I do think 80 bucks for Nintendo games is a bit steep but if someone is having fun and they feel they got their moneys worth out of it I ain’t gonna bash em.
Elevator7009@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
I could argue the Ace Attorney series was that for me (played on Nintendo DS, am not purchasing the remakes), played less than 50 hours for $60 (individual games were not that high but it was a series I played) and felt I got my money’s worth anyways.
You could also argue I got lots more hours of enjoyment from it though, because I also spent so many more hours reading free fanfiction and looking at free fanart and reading fan discussions online…
Elevator7009@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
There have to be gamers who are consistent in this—there probably is that potential hypocrisy in some people (at least, “hypocrisy” from the outside, we’re not sure of their actual reasons) but there are also probably people who are consistent in their behavior.
MoreFPSmorebetter@lemmy.zip 3 weeks ago
Yeah but you gotta remember the tech savvy pirating types are the minority by a long ways. Average Joe is just gonna pay the 5 bucks to watch his favorite childhood movie on a whim. Just like he’s probably gonna shell out 80 bucks for a game he’s gonna play for a couple hundred hours.
Gengaar@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Also not accounting for the fact that most games now release feeling half finished and are only made feature complete through patches (if the game sells well) or paid dlc.
New horizons released with large features missing from new leaf that were added in overtime, and then had a paid dlc pack. Smash ultimates new roster editions felt rather lacking until the dlc passes added in a number of long clamored for characters. And of course whatever is going on with the new pokemon games, now using dlc and paid home services to essentially hold peoples old favorites hostage.
Cost may have increased, but I seem to get less value for my money with every new release.