The cost of games today.

Slade2

Slade2

Slade2

Associate
Joined
14 Apr 2011
Posts
1,154
Location
Stafford
I am a PC Gamer.

My wife does have a Wii which she uses now and again but its mainly to entertain the kids.

I like to play Starcraft 2 and was playing a lot of wow until I had twins. I also enjoy the odd shooter and am currently playing a bit of Tribes Beta and I was in the BF3 beta also.

Now I believe I am old school and I like to walk into a shop and come out with a nice shiny box and go home and open said box and then install the game. I have no issue with paying a little more for this than I would have to when buying the game online.

Now, the point of my post is recently went into the local game store in city centre and was going to purchase battlefield 3. This was on the weekend of release and I couldnt find it anywhere for less than £39.99 and I believe that to be a lot of money for a game. I thought to myself I will check out some sites and home and see if I can get the online version a little cheaper but having arrived home I belivee I could have got it for about £5 cheaper online.

What I am trying to say is that the bigger releases are the same price online almost than they are in the shop. I dont get that to be honest. If you take the retail costs and the production costs and they have have some big publishers that can now avoid having them costs by selling direct dont you think the price should be a little cheaper if we purchase online? Battlefield 3 is just an example and I dont have steam account but I suppose I should get one. I am waiting for the release of Diablo 3 and Heart of the swarm but if you look at it in general there are not a lot of developers out there developing just for the pc and yet blizzard can break record sales when they release a new addon or new game so the PC game industry is a long way off dead. I suppose this is just a bit of rant becuase I am probably a little behind the times with regards to how I purchase my games.
 
Yes and no. If you buy a game on release day, and haven't pre-ordered then you always have and always will pay through the nose for it. About 10 years ago, a typical new release title was £30, so they've gone up a bit, but then you can argue that so have development costs etc (don't want to get into that debate here).

If you pre-order though, there are still good prices to be had, usually around the £25 mark. That said, I subscribe to the "6 months later" viewpoint, since most things are £15 or so by then, which is much more to my liking!
 
Slade2 said:
I am a PC Gamer.

What I am trying to say is that the bigger releases are the same price online almost than they are in the shop.
Click to expand...

Have to disagree, every game I've bought has been significantly cheaper online because they don't pay high street rents. Shop around, look at gamecrawler, seriously.
 
It's not that online prices are as exensive as shps...

As online retail becomes more common, highstreet retailers have to pricematch more and more as people don't feel theyneed to pay a premium for a box in-hand. You're a classic example where you'll pay a premium to get the box but if you can get it cheaper online, you will (same s most of us, me incuded).

This is why so many are closing, they can't afford the extra overheads when they can only charge the same price as online competition.
 
Every new game is cheaper in disc format then Steam. I paid £25 for Batman AC new, around the same for Skyrim and Saints Row 3 as examples. Always cheaper to buy disc then a download for new games.
 
If you wait even just a short time, games are usually very cheap, it's the hardware that can be expensive. Gone are the days when I'll buy games on release day.
 
If you really want to play the games then you'll pay the prices they ask for. Obviously you should search for release day deals online and such.

Pretty sure BF3 is £20 on Origin atm.

I do remember when they were cheaper but I see myself as a gamer and that's what I enjoy doing with my spare time so I fork out the money.
 
I'm pretty sure games increased in price, in the old days I used to buy games for 50 guilders max, only one exception, I paid 79 guilders for Age of Empires 2. Big box and nice big book ( unlike the later version in crappy dvd box and small manual). That was the most expensive pc game I bought back then, 79 guilders.

1 euro was worth 2.20 guilders.

These days I see games like sim city 5 available for pre order for € 79,99 :eek:.
That would be about 176 guilders :eek:. More than double of what I used to pay for a pc game at most when I was a kid.

They are taking the pee imho with any game over 50 euros.

Games in rubbish DVD boxes or online like steam should be 30-40 euro's TOPS.
Collectors editions (with decent manuals you actually like reading like in the old days) for 50 max imho.

Also think the euro is partly responsible.
Games are FAR cheaper in the UK even after converting GBP to EUR. Retail and online prices, especially steam seems far more expensive in EUR pricing, I remember I used to save significantly letting someone gift the game to me from the UK and paypalling the money over to him.
 
Last edited:
One thing I've learned is, even if you're tentative about the purchase, many games show up way ahead of the actual pre-orders or release. Diablo 3 for example, you could (iirc) order it over a year ago for £20-£25 but now you'll be lucky to even get £35.

If you decide you no longer want it, cancel pre-order.
Of course sometimes places will cancel your order as they cannot sell for that low but it's happened a lot in the past, deals I wish I'd have taken! :P
 
billysielu said:
Don't like the price, don't buy the game.
Click to expand...

This.

Don't like the price? Nobody is twisting your nuts to buy it at that price. Just wait until the inevitable price drop / Steam sale.

JTrickle said:
Mass Effect 3 was £28 from 'the rain forest'.

In inflation terms games cost less than they used to imo.
Click to expand...

Far less. I've got old games with stickers on for £55+, before inflation. Games are only expensive if you don't shop around and buy straight at the RRP from the highstreet. Idiot tax if you will.
 
'Wes said:
The popular titles aren't, they usually hit £40+, that's why i usually look for pre-order deals.
Click to expand...




Snap m8, all of those were pre-orders. I would never pay more then £30 for a new game, on Steam most of those games were £35+, I think Batman was £39.99, crazy prices.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom