5 ms·
Game prices have already increased via less consumer friendly practices. Predatory monetization schemes like lootboxes (i.e. gambling), DLC (mixed bag), cosmeti
by Wohlf 8y ago
Game prices have already increased via less consumer friendly practices. Predatory monetization schemes like lootboxes (i.e. gambling), DLC (mixed bag), cosmetics, always online DRM, company specific storefronts, digital sales, "early access" and releasing unfinished games have all reduced costs and increased profits while sticker prices remain static. Sticker prices have even gotten better sometimes since many games go on deep discounts quickly.
- mikepurvis 8y agoI've really appreciated Skill Up's commentary on this, particularly in the context of his AC: Odyssey and COD: Black Ops 4 reviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOrKtZsoy30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOrKtZsoy30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8HfoCzCB0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL8HfoCzCB0 Both are thoughtfully argued and well worth watching.
- SolaceQuantum 8y agoI would be incredibly supportive of a game developer union in which developers can push back against being made to practice these unethical behaviors.
- starik36 8y agoUnions traditionally are there to defend the interests of its members, not to address consumer related unethical behaviors.
- SolaceQuantum 8y agoI guess I was thinking more like a guild, then? I licensing boards? "Sorry I can't shove random RNG-for-money, boss, I'll lose my membership/license".
- Apocryphon 8y agoThese union-skeptical comments like the GP rely upon the assumption that unions a hypothetical tech union would look identical to failed unions of the past, and are incapable of doing anything different. Example of a modern non-American union where workers exert control to better the company over management decisions: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13986889 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13986889
- tivert 8y ago> Unions traditionally are there to defend the interests of its members, not to address consumer related unethical behaviors. Many unions and guilds have codes of professional ethics. A quick google finds this example: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct_table_of_contents/ https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibili...
- tapoxi 8y agoThey've also decreased, a $60 game in 2006 should cost ~$75 today. Prices haven't kept up with inflation.
- nightski 8y agoMost games have $80-$120 editions that include all of the actual content. $60 is usually the bare bones experience. That is on top of monetization in game. But prices don't exist in a vacuum either. The gaming market has exploded and is vastly larger than it was back in 2006. Steam found games were typically much more profitable when heavily discounted than when full price in general.
- root_axis 8y agoThis is not typical of "most" games. Some games, usually AAA titles from major publishers do this, but the content is usually unimportant to the game as a whole.
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- nightski 8y agoThe discussion is about unionization. I'd assume that means we are primarily talking about AAA here. But I could of been more explicit. How much of content offered is sort of irrelevant. A better metric would be how many gamers buy these things. I'd guess quite a few since they keep going all in on the model (it's getting worse).
- lozenge 8y agoI always got the impression it was to give gaming journalists something to write about. I never met anybody actually buying these special editions.
- astura 8y agoLooking at the bigger picture, as a whole, adjusted for inflation, looks like games have actually gotten a bit cheaper. An NES game was $30-$40 in 1988[1], that's $65-$85 in 2018 dollars. You also have a whole category of "basic" games (like phone games or indy games) that are nominally (unadjusted) cheaper than a retail NES game for the full version. I'm not an expert on this category by any means but I bought a few games from the Switch store that are very comparable to an NES game for $5-20. That's only a max of $9 in 1988 dollars!! I'd agree that "consumer [un]friendly practices" are still a problem though. (could be a case of a few "whales" making large purchases on stuff like loot boxes subsidizing everyone else) [1] http://videogamecomicads.blogspot.com/2012/12/sears-nintendo-ad-1988.html http://videogamecomicads.blogspot.com/2012/12/sears-nintendo... DISCLAIMER: I only play single player console games.
- devwastaken 8y agoHave to adjust for amount of buyers too though, and the cost of different kinds of games.
- astura 8y agoWhen someone says "X has gotten cheaper" they mean when you walk into a store and buy X you pay less than you did in the past, either in real (adjusted for inflation) or nominal (unadjusted for inflation) dollars.
- toufiqbarhamov 8y agoDon’t buy the industry bullshit. They’re making record profits through gambling and micro transactions. https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2018/05/08/electronic-arts-we-do-not-think-loot-boxes-are-gambling/1 https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2018/05/08/electronic... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pHSso2vufPM https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pHSso2vufPM
- astura 8y agoPerhaps you're replying to the wrong comment? I certainly didn't say, nor imply, they weren't. Nor am I "buy[ing] the industry bullshit" (whatever that means), I'm speaking as an end consumer.
- dragonwriter 8y ago> Game prices have already increased via less consumer friendly practices. Predatory monetization schemes like lootboxes I suspect loot boxes decrease the price of a game to the median player. I suspect that in many cases, they've reduced the modal and often even median price to $0. The probably also increase the mean price, though.