Are games worth what we pay?

It's a simple question really:

Are games worth the 50 or 60$ (American) that we pay for them? Especially when we've already paid 200+ for a console and about 50$ for controllers. Especially when we have games that only last for 10 hours.

I'd say it depends on the content, but typically, no.

Yeah. Most games aren't worth purchasing. Those that aren't typically fall under the "rental-worthy" category -- which is actually a lot more games than most people think.

7 bucks seems about right. 'Twas what I paid for Metroid Prime for the GCN. Unfortunately, not all game developers think like I do.

£30 to jump through a hoop that some fat Japanese person told you to jump through?

I mean, the problem wouldn't be there if this person hadn't made it -- you pay to solve a problem that needn't exist. You never achieve anything.

@__@ Sometimes I wonder if it's worth anything at all.

I think that if it's worth less, they'd cost less. It's more economical that way.

Apparently plenty of people are willing to fork over $60 for

, but I wouldn't.

Someone has to pay developers' salaries.

And then there's always the publishing costs, cost of printing the discs, art work, dvd boxes, shipping, distribution, promotion, and all that which all equate to that price tag on the front of your game box.

Buying preowned only fuels the retail front, and none of that goes back to publishers/developers which probably makes current games so expensive as they have to deal with losing money thanks to the preowned trade and so jack up prices. Or something like that.

I personally think $20-$30 bucks sound good to me, simply because that's what a few DVDs cost. And yes, I'm quite aware that more time/effort is put into a 3D Console game than a TV show season (mostly because you don't have to program the world around you) so they may deserve more money, but, it's gotten to the point that I don't purchase a game until I read a lot of reviews on the net and sometimes wait a few weeks/months for a used copy.

If you take away the profit that Nintendo gains when you buy their product, you still have to pay for the programers, the material (the Flash/Disks), the shipping (and drivers) to get to the store, the retailer, etc...they need to be paid. Hence online shopping can be cheaper (we cut out some of the middle man, and if you're fortunate enough to have connections with Nintendo you can very well have a game purchased from the factory itself...but I'm sure that doesn't happen often).

-BGS

Originally Posted by Yami

Buying preowned only fuels the retail front, and none of that goes back to publishers/developers which probably makes current games so expensive as they have to deal with losing money thanks to the preowned trade and so jack up prices. Or something like that.

At the same time though, I'd think preowned is more games that aren't being developed anymore. I dunno about everyone else, but if I'm buyin a used game, I'm only buying it used because I cant find it anywhere. Otherwise I prefer buying a new copy.

It seems you get more entertainment hours to the dollar with gaming than with any other form of entertainment, spare literature, so I really don't have a problem with the costs of new games today.

Originally Posted by Tally-chan

I'd say it depends on the content, but typically, no.

This is basically my say on it.

Originally Posted by CPU0

I think that if it's worth less, they'd cost less. It's more economical that way.

This makes the second time in a row that I go in without validating what I was told, but in the past, weren't the games themselves how the money was made. Sell the console for slightly less, then sell games for slightly more.

That is what some guy from Electronics Boutique told me years ago, anyway.

There is also the size of the games themselves that come into play. Don't ask me how programming and producing games work; I will probably never know. I do know, however, that XBox games are priced as such partially due to the size of the games. Production is probably the cause. My guess is that the larger the developing team, the higher the cost.

Edit: Yami beat me to it.

Apparently plenty of people are willing to fork over $60 for
*stupid-looking game*
, but I wouldn't.

Who are these people? I would like to meet them.

Why not just buy them a few months after when the price goes down 20-40 bucks

Like Tally-chan said, the content is what makes the price.
Of course, bigger companies can sell games that are part of a successful franchise for less, since a successful franchise (whose games are bought often) can warrant a slightly lower price.

Though, usually it's not so, and they keep it at the regular big price to reap even moar profit.

Mind, I wouldn't ever fork over 60 dollars for a game, if I were in America, regardless of how good it is.

...wait, 60 dollars = 35 pound sterling, which is the price of all the games I buy myself.

D:

Let's see... these are how my numbers turn out:
(number of hours played is just an estimate)

TP, 80 hours --> $50/80 hours < $1 per hour (not bad)
FF12, 100 hours so far --> $60/80 hours < $1 per hour (not bad)
FF9, 50 hours --> $20/50 hours < $1 per hour (not bad)
FF10, 100 hours --> $15/100 hours << $ 1 per hour (excellent)


*shrugs*

I would say that for games where you're going to play for 50+ hours, the price for entertainment isn't so bad. For the games that are more casual, they're WAY overpriced (I wish I could take back buying Elebits).

I think that the price is fair and that games priced $50-$60 are definitely worth buying if the game is good. (For the past... 8 years?) I've been extremely picky about my choice of video games and therefore hardly buy any at all. But the games I do buy often satisfy me and meet my expectations, and I often replay them throughout the years.
But I also consider the following:
-Video games, if taken care of well, last a life-time.
-Compare $50-$60 video games with clothing and trivial accessories that cost $100+
-Compare $50-$60 video games with your turn to pay dinner for 4 at restaurant for $150+

So, yeah-- I think that the current video game prices are more than fair.

I recently read in a GameInformer (the most recent issue on the Good, Bad, and Ugly page, if you're interested) that some Sony Exec conducted research showing that only about 30% of video games actually make up the production costs through their sales.

So logically it would be more reasonable for them to cost more.

Games are pretty expensive here in Europe. They cost almost twice as much as they do in the US, for example.

No, but I've been buying games for so many years that it this point, I consider 50 dollars cheap. Even though I know it's not. To be honest, no, it's not worth all of that money. If I never bought any games, I'd have over 4,000 dollars, at LEAST. I've been buying games my whole life.

It is not worth that money, but I'm addicted.

All the games i buy are worth it but the prices are really stupid ;(

60 dollars for a good game seems reasonable to me. Just don't by bad games and you should be fine.

I just read that XBox Live, Wii Ware, and Playstation Store are all going to let developers "play around" with devoloping. Prices should go down. This isn't for console gaming, but it's a little headway.

Or something like that.

Originally Posted by Link the 13th

Why not just buy them a few months after when the price goes down 20-40 bucks

I am pretty sure a lot of people already do that, but I'm not sure how that would all play out if everyone were to go about it that way.

Originally Posted by ladyjane

I would say that for games where you're going to play for 50+ hours, the price for entertainment isn't so bad. For the games that are more casual, they're WAY overpriced (I wish I could take back buying Elebits).

Yes. I would only put games of high replayability and good multiplayer value in there, though. Some games are long, but can be full of what I call "empty hours". I know some (RPG) games are long, but that can be accredited to hours of roaming around and text.

Originally Posted by IGNIS

So, yeah-- I think that the current video game prices are more than fair.

The prices also keep game-makers happy enough, I suppose.

The way I see it, game prices are going to keep going up over time for one reason or another. Everything does that.

Originally Posted by Ender

60 dollars for a good game seems reasonable to me. Just don't by bad games and you should be fine.

But...
This...

Originally Posted by CPU0

Apparently plenty of people are willing to fork over $60 for

, but I wouldn't.

Seriously, I want to meet these people.