Cost of Gaming

This is a topic every gamer can share and relate upon. No matter if you're into RPG's or shooters, a hardcore gamer or simply casual...Or an Xbox or PS3 devotee...Everyone shares in this dilemma. The cost of video games.

Now..Being the kind of gamer I am, I am only going to focus on the main bread and butter of my knowledge...The standard game. I will pretty much be ignoring indie and downloadable games because there are on a much different level. But the kinds of games you find on store shelves..The kinds you pop into your PC or console are the ones that are the worst for this kind of problem. I mostly only have one issue...But it's a big one. They're just too damn expensive.

The average cost of a video game now-a-days is around the $70 mark. Anywhere from Modern Warfare 2 to Alan Wake...It's the most common price for an Xbox 360 or PS3 game. Of course...Most Wii and PC games are aprox. 10 bucks cheaper...But I'll get into that later. Gaming is an expensive hobby. But for most of us, it's our favourite one to share in. The problem comes though..Is which games are more deserving of your money? When you need to drop 70 bucks on a game...You're not going to go out on a whim and buy something that "looks good". Most of the time you're going to know exactly what game you want...What is good about the game, and why you want it.

I'll use myself as an example. I don't buy a *ton* of games. I have a pretty decent collection of maybe 20 360 games...But that's about it. Is that because I only like a certain amout of games on the system? Of course not. I love many more games. Games I have played and games I haven't. But I only own 20. Why? Because I can't see myself dropping 70 bucks on something I'm either not sure of, or isn't up to my standards of value. When I buy a game..I know it will be good. Say for example when Halo: Reach comes out. I believe it will be worth my $70 because it's a series I am familiar with and enjoy playing, the multiplayer is both rewarding and highly replayable, and the story is something that will really hook me. Definitely worth my money. But another game I thouroughly enjoyed...Alan Wake...Is not. But why is that? Because it has no multiplayer? I own Oblivion. Because it is short? I own Dead Space. So why don't I own Alan Wake? Simply because it's too expensive.

You see, this is where the problem is. It's a double edged sword really. Games are costing much more to make now than they did even 5 years ago. So in order to turn a profit, publishers need to sell their games for more, and hope they reach a certain target sales number. But what happens when a game comes out that people are unsure about? People won't buy it. Unless people think there is value in it, they won't feel the need to buy it. Just like Alan Wake. I thought it was an amazing game. An outstanding story and amazing visual effects...I loved it. But the need to spend $70 on it was far too much for me. But what happens if the game was say...50 bucks? Or maybe 45? It would probably be in my collection.

So here lies my confusion. Why charge so much? Why must publishers feel the need to put their game up for $70 bucks? Even if reviews and publications rave about the game...Unless it's value is worth the $70, the game is not. But the way I see things...Not only would publishers and developers benefit from selling their games cheaper...The gamer who buys them would too.

Think about it this way. Say video games as a whole dropped 20 bucks...So those $70 games are now $50. You would probably buy a lot more games, right? And not just the Halo's and Call of Duty's of the world...But the Alan Wakes, the Alpha Protocols and the other games that are usually on people's radars but not their shelves. Sure, the companies might not be making as much on the unit as before, but they would definitely see sales numbers rise. If you sell 5 games at $70, and 15 games at $50, you're making more from the latter. More people will buy those games that they're not as sure about...That they played once and kinda enjoyed. They would try new IP's and new genres they were never too aware of because now it's not as much an investment to get into.

Gamer's are fickle. We know what we like and what we don't. But there in lies the problem. We will only buy what we like. But what about the stuff we not so much don't like..But don't know? You make those games cheaper, and you sell more. Yeah...There is always just waiting for prices to drop, but sometimes it takes years to get to a more reasonable number. Why not skip time all together and just release them cheaper? Not only would you see sales numbers grow, but also your demographic would change drastically. Suddenly you're not just selling your game to the dedicated few, but to the target-able masses. You're getting your game out into more hands and more people than you ever did before. And isn't that the point?

Why do you think there are so many people who download these XBLA/PSN/Steam titles? They're cheap. They look cool, they look unique and are unlike what they're used to...But most of all they're what..5 bucks? 10? Indie studios can make a fortune on some of their titles by selling it for 10 bucks a pop. They sell 10,000 copies, which for an indie game is within reason...And they bring in a million bucks. Some high-end development studios don't make that in profit after they sell their game because it's too expensive for what the game is.

So my proposal for all the publishers out there...You like money. We like games. Let's help each other out. The cheaper you sell your games, the more people will buy them; especially the ones who wouldn't have before. Not only are you making more money, more people like me are playing your game. And suddenly everyone is happy.

Except Infinity Ward. No one over there is happy...