Are Video Game Prices Too High?

To a thrifty consumer in less-than-confident economic times, video games can seem like an overly pricy purchase. Each console costs hundreds of dollars, and accessories such as controllers can burn dozens more. The games can cost upwards of $50 for new titles, representing a total that could be spent on a week's worth of groceries or a full tank of gas

In a culture where pennies are being pinched and the entire idea of savings is receiving renewed examination, how can such an apparently frivolous cost be justified? There are, actually, a few relevant points to consider in appraising the value of video games

Hobbyist Legitimacy

Human beings are rather widely varied in their personalities, including aspects of their behaviors, desires, goals, enjoyments, mental faculties, and countless other components. Due to these differences, some sociological matters are a matter of opinion, and will always remain so. For instance, many believe that electronic gaming is an unproductive waste of time with widespread social consequences, whereas others believe it provides a richly rewarding experience with numerous personal benefits.

Few would argue, though, that a great many people enjoy video gaming. It has become a multi-billion dollar industry, with millions of participants around the world. As the hobby of choice among players, it stands as among the more popular pastimes, easily outweighing many sports and other activities. Among these, it is inarguably more expensive than many, but also cheaper than some such as paintball, motorized racing, and other examples; but, if these are accepted as legitimate enterprises despite their cost, it is difficult to mount a similar argument against console gaming.

Longevity

There exists a prominent, viable following of "retro gaming," where many gamers are still playing their favorite games on older systems no longer supported by new titles. Some of these units, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), are especially popular, and are still enjoying play over two decades later.

In fact, video gaming is still a new enough phenomenon that we have yet to see the upper limit of its systems' longevities! With proper care and maintenance, which requires very minimal time and monetary investment, these video game systems can last longer than most models of cars on the road. Unlike some hobbies that demand a constant renewal of spent resources, video games hold an inherent "replay value" that ensures they can be played repeatedly for years.

Because of the longevity of video games, a new paradigm must be used to examine their worth; rather than simply taken at their face value on the shelf, the amount of entertainment provided must be taken into account. When video games are viewed by this perspective, their true worth is revealed.

The best video games out there are designed to provide 20+ hours of a non-repeating adventure sequence of gaming. However, even besides those hours, most games that hold a single goal to play through to will endure countless attempts as the controlled characters dies and tries again. In addition, even when these games are "beaten," they are often developed well enough to be worth playing again, possibly with additional or modified elements, quests, characters, and other differing options the next time through.

Perhaps even more significantly, the equation must consider multiplayer gaming. Thanks to the classic "party game" genre reaching a new peak due to worldwide multi modes, the same game can provides hours of play for multiple players at a time. Often, these titles are the ones that receive the most play, and by multiple participants. If one game is used at one location by four people for four hours, this equates to sixteen hours of entertainment. For $50, that game just cost about three bucks an hour, and that was just in one session of play! If this group of friends continues to play that particular game, its return on its investment will only grow.

Thinking in terms of entertainment value in dollars-per-hour is significant, because it is vary applicable to how we engage in other activities, whether it's golf or seeing a movie in the theater. Taking the latter example, even if you purchase nothing at the concession stand, a cheap movie will cost five dollars and provide two hours of entertainment. While a video game costs ten times this amount, if it is a quality game, it will return many more then ten times the hours of entertainment from a dedicated player.

So, from this subjective, metrics-focused perspective, video games are certainly not too expensive when compared to the perceived legitimacy of the money people spend on other endeavors. In the end, perhaps the most cogent point is the simple concept of supply and demand: If video games were too expensive, they would not sell so many! And prices would lower, as we may someday see. In the meantime, though, video games are a relatively cheap way to provide a rewarding experiences.