Comment on Note: before tariffs
accideath@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Eh, there‘s some truth to either one. Game development is expensive and pricing hasn’t kept up with inflation ($60 in 2010 are almost $90 today). But also, games are ridiculously expensive at full price, especially in todays economy and especially if they’re as badly received as Skull and Bones, while Nintendo games are at the very least usually pretty decent.
I’d recommend voting with your wallet and only buying games on sale or used. Just wait a little. (Or pirate them, if you can live with not supporting the developers at all).
Yes, but the difference is that wages have not significantly gone up since then apart from minimum wage in a few states. That is the difference. People are literally poorer because of the massively increased wealth inequality coming from employers shoving down wages while making yearly record profits…
If peoples’ purchasing power is more or less the same, factoring in inflation to game prices would result in a ton of people simply not being able to buy “luxury goods” like video games.
Game dev salaries have increased roughly in line with inflation though, so development time still costs the studio the same as 15 years ago, while AAA game prices are only now starting to surpass the $70 mark with games not generally surpassing the $60 mark until 2020.
It’s a wonder, they haven’t increased to prices any sooner, as much as I‘d like them staying where they were.
And again: if you don’t like the prices, vote with your wallet, buy used or on sale or don’t pay at all.
I would like to see the stats on that. A lot of times people who are in the industry or know someone in it see their wages and others’ wages going up and say “wages went up with inflation” where the starting wage or the wage normalized to seniority level actually hasn’t changed much at all. For example, in engineering like electriical (outside of silicon valley in the US which has its own economical wage ecosystem) has had entry level positions that have gone up around 20% since the 2008 while inflation has gone up almost 50% since 2008 and productivity has skyrocketed with CAD advancements.
Sludgeyy@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
“games are ridiculously expensive at full price”
A board game with paper and plastic pieces can range from 12-45 dollars
People will go spend $20 at the movies for 1 night
Hell I’ll pay 100 if it’s a good game
I have 1200 hours in Overwatch. $60 (free now). I have paid 5 cents per hour to play it. I am completely happy with my purchase even though it’s free now.
If the game isn’t worth it, don’t get it. But to complain about it is ridiculous.
Some N64 games were $50-$60 dollars back in the 90’s
I feel like we are fortunate
Devmapall@lemm.ee 3 weeks ago
I agree with this. I have quite a few games I paid 60 dollars for that per hour entertainment makes it insanely cheap. Smaller cheaper indie games are even cheaper per hour.
It does suck though paying full price for something that will not fulfill that. I bought star wars outlaws or whatever for half price. I knew it wasn’t good but man it was worse than I expected. Not with the price to me even though I probably played 10 hours or so. I read some reviews but I should’ve read more.
Sludgeyy@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I think a lot of the problem is that they cheap out to maximize profit.
They could spend 1 million dollars and make a decent game for $70.
Or
They could spend 2 million and make an amazing game for $140.
But the price of the video game has been locked around 60-70 for years.
Even if you made star wars outlaws just a little better it’s not going to sell that much more.
Looks like it’s already at least 50% off
You can’t spend 2 million, sell for $70, then expect your game to go on sale anytime soon.
Spending 1 million, and selling a ton at $70 or even $35. Turns a profit.
TL;DR: We’d get better games if we were willing to spend more
accideath@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Yea, I don’t generally disagree. Especially if you‘re someone who plays games for hundreds of hours, instead of dozens.
But $100 is still a lot of money for a lot of people. I‘d have to save up for months for that (I’m a trainee and have less than 1000€ per month for rent, food, internet, gas, etc.), so I rather wait until I can get games cheaper.