It’s hard to believe that games cost $60 per title these days. We worry about the strain our hobby puts on our budget, and we fret about too many desirable games released too close to each other. We wish for the good old days, when gaming was a less expensive hobby and our dollar carried more weight.
Sadly, although many complain about the high price of games, the past really wasn’t any better. In fact, it was worse. Gaming has never been less expensive, and 2010 is a great time to be buying games. Let’s take a look at how this is the best time to be a gamer since… well, the beginning of games.
It’s cheaper to be a gamer now than it has ever been
Electronics Boutique was more expensive than some retailers of the time, but even if other stores discounted, these prices are high. Source for original image.
We asked Hal Halpin, president of the Entertainment Consumer’s Association, for his thoughts on the subject. Before he was head of the ECA, he ran the Entertainment Merchants Association. This man knows about game pricing.
During one of our discussions on the issue of game pricing, we tracked down a press release putting the suggested retail price of both Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 at $69.99. Halpin says that the N64 launch game pricing only tells you part of the story.
“Yes, some N64 games retailed for as high as $80, but it was also the high end of a 60 to 80 dollar range,” he told Ars. “Retailers had more flexibility with pricing back then—though they’ve consistently maintained that the Suggested Retail Price was/is just a guide. Adjusted for inflation, we’re generally paying less now than we have historically. But to be fair, DLC isn’t factored in.” He also points out all the different ways that we can now access games: you can buy a game used, rent a game, or play certain online games for free. There are multiple ways to sell your old console games, and the competition in the market causes prices to fall quickly.