Players Have Too Many Options to Spend $80 on a Video Game
Players Have Too Many Options to Spend $80 on a Video Game
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Bloomberg - Are you a robot?
131 comments
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I still have so many games I've picked up on Steam sales that I'll happily wait for those $80 games to go on sale while going through my back catalogue
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Bruh it's 2025 and I'm still on a spin cycle of mostly 10 years old or more games
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yes, because the real problem is too much choice.
fuckin finbro bullshit.
I remember paying $10 for an Atari game. I know it's not a great comparison, but I got hundreds if not thousands of hours of gameplay out of Qbert. Can any of the leading games in the last decade do that?
It's funny I mention Atari. They had so many games to play. the choices you had were bonkers. best part was you could take your carts to a friends house and trade or share.
can't do that today since most games are digital downloads that need 32gb day-0 updates.
perhaps the problem isn't the gamers, but instead it's the greedy corporate interests that are poisoning the game industry requesting $80 single owner games.
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$10 in q-bert days is like 50-60 now :)
Can any of the leading games in the last decade do that?
Satisfactory, Dyson Sphere project, Factorio, Minecraft, Dreamlight Valley
Arcade games were great because it's what we had. Sit a kid in front a Q-Bert now and try to get 1000 hours out of it.
Stuff is getting too big, there's too much emphasis on making it pretty to sell it rather than making it fun, but I don't know that we could go back to arcade games. I fear our nostalgia is a half-dose of Stockholm's syndrome.
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$50-60 based on what? Adjusted for inflation in 1982, it's more like $33 and distribution costs are way lower than back then. Truth is you just need to find a compelling gameplay loop but companies don't like taking risks- not every game needs to be a massive endeavor like skyrim. Look at games like slay the spire and see how a cheap game can be compelling without having to be a AAA behemoth. And at that note, is there even anything wrong if a game only takes your attention for a hundred hours? I don't see the need to extend the player's attention with poor side quest grinding. These things add unnecessary cost
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I don't disagree with you, but there's no way you have thousands of hours in Qbert. Even hundreds is impressive.
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I was a poor farm kid and winters were long.
I was still playing our Atari 2600 when the PS2 launched.
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The other thing is that there was simply fewer games back then so you either continue to play the good games you own or you don't play games. I loved Ocarina of Time, but I'm not going to pretend it was God's gift to mankind just because I played it tons in my youth. I played it tons in my youth because it was one of the best games that I owned, and even then I had plenty more options than I'm sure this person had on the Atari for good games
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Theres 3 things i never buy on day one. That's everything, and 2 other things. I also don't buy games that require 3rd party launchers, or require accounts except the ones i do buy.
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I will continue to wait until games go on discount
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The amount of options isn’t the issue.
For most 25-40€ games I buy, i can get a great experience for the next 30-50 hours.
Indie games absolutely crush the statistics, where some sub-15€ roguelikes have such insane replayability, that i’ve clocked over a thousand hours into a couple. Not to mention how incredibly creative, unique, and story rich some of them are.
Meanwhile, what used to be 60€, and is now 80€+, is some “cinematic” 20fps on console slop, that you can barely get 5 hours of real gameplay out of. I don’t wanna sit there and watch a movie with an occasional A button press. Or even worse, play something like the Assassins Creed reboot, that had 500 hours of gameplay, 490 of which is just useless collectibles around the map.
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Measuring games by hours has become an increasing less useful metric to me because I already have my grinding games that I can endlessly replay. When buying new games, I'd rather get something I'll really enjoy for a short playthrough than a long epic JRPG I can't bring myself to actually set aside time for - even though I do really love JRPGs.
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Check out Expedition 33. It feels like a love letter to jrpg but without the time commitment.
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I feel like play time per money spent mattered when most people were buying offline games at full price but to me it hasn’t been relevant for a long time. I might pay full price for a game that is incredible for 5-10 hours but a game that is mediocre for 100 hours I wouldn’t even play for free.
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I fully agree with that. There are some games that are fully worth the price, even if the hours/$ isn’t quite there, but in most cases it’s not anymore
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Would be interested to know what games you have >500 hours in. Especially if they aren't multi-player online games.
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- Oxygen Not Included
- Caves of Qud
- Fallout 4. A lot of this is going to be due to mods.
- Wargame: Red Dragon. Intended to be played multiplayer; I played it single-player. Steel Division II is a far better single-player choice if you don't mind the different setting, as the AI is much more interesting.
- Skyrim. A lot of this is going to be due to mods.
- Rimworld
- Civilization V
- Fallout 76, the only entry here I actually play multiplayer (and even that to a minimal degree; that game tends to have players having pretty minimal interaction with each other unless they're actually trying to play with each other). I would recommend playing Fallout 4 over Fallout 76 unless you specifically want multiplayer; Fallout 76 is just the closest thing to "more Fallout" short of a Fallout 5.
Not run through Steam, so no Steam stats (though available on Steam) but I'm sure that they're way up there:
- Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead. Free and open-source, though there's a commercial build on Steam if you want to effectively donate. If not, can download from their project page.
- Dwarf Fortress. Free, though there's a commercial build on Steam with a fancier, more-approachable UI and such.
- Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup, though that's going back a few years. Free and open-source.
Some others with a fair bit of playtime:
- Steel Division II. Primarily a multiplayer game, but I only play single-player.
- X3: Reunion
- Mount & Blade: Warband. The Prophesy of Pendor mod adds a fair bit of time to this.
- Elite: Dangerous. Though I don't remember how I accumulated that many hours. Wasn't super-impressed with the game. Probably pretty in VR, though.
- Stellaris
- Noita
- Kenshi
- Nova Drift
- Starfield
- The Sims 3
- Starbound
- Rule the Waves 3
- Wasteland II
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Carrier Command 2. Primarily intended to be played multiplayer, but I play single-player.
- Kerbal Space Program
- Total War: Warhammer II
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RimWorld ...
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Minecraft, slay the spire, civilisation, atomicrops.
Balatro could have been a contender but I lost interest suddenly and unexpectedly.
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Stellaris, civ v, oxygen not included, city skylines, x3/rebirth/4, workers and resources: soviet republic, kerbal space program, rimworld, crusader kings 2 and 3.
Basically anything civilization/city/base/colony builder is my jam and some of them have over 2000 hours over the years. I like building perfect societies and roleplay how people live in them in my head while i do it. It's one of the ways i relax and express creativity.
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I've clocked 600 hours in Kerbal Space Program, and probably high thousands to over ten thousand in Minecraft.
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Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Witcher 3, Fallout
Really any RPG you can easily get 1000 hours of play.
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Well I’m not them, but for me: KSP1: 1800.8 hours. Current cost $40 = $0.02 an hour DCS: 1294.7 hours. Money spent eh $300 = $0.23 an hour Witcher 3: 1131.5 hours. Current cost: $40 = $0.03 an hour. Civ vi: 589.9 hours. Current cost: $60 = $0.10 an hour Stardew valley: 579.3 hours. current cost $15 = $0.026 an hour Fall out new Vegas: 543.6 hours. Current cost: $10 = $0.0018 an hour
Now if we add in the $2000 worth of peripherals I have to play dcs it’s cost balloons quite a bit but, it’s not terribly difficult to get high playtimes in cheap games. I would also say the cost per hour for me is double or triple what it actually is, as these are the current prices, and besides dcs I buy everything only on sale lol.
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Factorio, stardew, civ vi are my top 3.
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Factorio, eu4, stellaris, satisfactory, slay the spire, etc
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FTL for me
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Peglin for me. Cheaper world games I have an insane amount of hours in.
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For indie and cheaper stuff specifically? The Binding of Isaac is over 1k hours between my two copies. Rimworld, Factorio, and Terraria are all close to 500h as well. If Minecraft counts as one for you, this is an outlier with roughly 4k hours since 2011.
Otherwise, I am quite into MMOs and story-rich singleplayer RPGs, so there's a handful of them with well over several thousands of hours played too.
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XIV, but I never engage with other players aside from solo queue for dungeons etc
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Terraria is the easiest one.
I wish I had more time to play other single player time sinks like Dwarf Fortress, or even BeamNG.drive.
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It kills me the the Jedi games, TLoU2, GoW games, they're fun but they're what, max 30 hours to beat? And they're trying to up the price to 80?
Red dead 2 deserves 80. Cyberpunk in its current state could deserve 80. Both are around 100-120 hour games and I've replayed them multiple times. 30 hour games by proportion deserve a quarter of the price.
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certainly wont purchase a 80$ game with mid-tier playability.
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I'm over the massive, over-produced games. I looked at the price of the new Indiana Jones game (AUD119), and even though I loved Machine Games' previous work, I noped out. These days, I'm mostly reverting to simple arcade games more akin to the early era of gaming I grew up on. Shotgun Cop Man, from the people that made My Friend Pedro, just came out. It was $13. Finished it in one sitting, but I'll probably play it multiple times. Much better investment.
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Indie games and small publisher titles are my bread and butter. They keep the spirit and innovation that I grew up with alive.
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But it still spooked Wall Street, as parent company Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s shares plummeted as much as 10% following the news.
I think our economy might be predicated entirely on stupid.
Also, $80 is a lot when typical people's buying power is decreasing. I think like half of americans can't tank a $500 surprise bill, and they want people to blow nearly 20% of that on a video game? Fuck off, capitalists.
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We (the gaming community) say this every time, but microtransactions and lootboxes have spread like viruses because gamers are buying them.
I hate predatory pricing on principle, but whale votes count for a lot more.
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Those systems are literally designed to be psychologically addictive and prey on those weakest to such tactics. It's not stupidity; it's literal brain washing via Pavlovian response.
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I don't think I've ever bought a microtransaction or cosmetic. I'm doing my part!
*Ok, i think I paid like $5 into warframe after 200 hours, and I used some fake money from google surveys on pokemon go, so I'm not entirely without sin.
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(Which from my perspective is very silly — what’s the difference between them making a kajillion dollars in the fall and them making a kajillion dollars in May?)
This "article" was written by a moron who doesn't seem to know anything about the stock market. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising for Bloomberg.
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Jason Schreier is not a no-name. I would expect the guy to figure it out, if he thought about it for a moment. But yeah, the whole article seems a bit rushed...
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Pugstorm's new game is going to be just 20 bucks. (It's being published by Chucklefish so I'll still be pirating it, but it's nice that they're still keeoing it indie)
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Honest question. What's wrong with Chucklefish as a publisher?
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They are run by some if the worst bigots and transphobes. Who also exploited their "workforce" of volunteers. Just some all around shitsacks, and they don't deserve any of my money.
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Don't pre order games. Don't buy games at full price. Support indie devs.
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It’s ok to but indie games even if still a public beta, to support the devs. Had a great time with Factorio, Rimworld, Valheim before 1.0 release.
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Do buy great indie games at full price to support indie devs even more (stardew, Balatro, dead cells, hollow knight, terraria, rimworld….)
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Honestly itch.io has plenty of free indie gems that can last me just as long as throwing $80 at a AAA game. I’d rather donate/tip after the fact for genuine well-crafted experiences
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I absolutely love Manic Miners (the fan remake of the old Rock Raiders game). The customization so you can make your own mining crew, all the old-school parts that are in the game, everything about it is fantastic.
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I'll still buy FromSoft games at full price. But only because I know they won't disappoint. And Yoko Taro's games.
But in general, it would be beneficial for more people to spend less on games.
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I have 170 games in my backlog and the summer sale is coming. I ain't spending 80 bucks on one video game.
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It’s funny how it’s not even quantity over quality because those 5 to 8 ~$10 to $15 games will provide high quality gameplay and storytelling.
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I live in LATAM. I bought civ v once and never stopped playing it since
I don't know who's all this people who can buy games every launch, but they must be so incredibly privileged
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What AAA title is worth $80? The most time I spend gaming is in a 10 year old shooter, and an indie survival game. Both of which I bought for <$20.
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One you can spend at least 40 enjoyable hours on, I’d say
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I'd say GTA VI would likely earn that for me. I'll probably spend over 80 hours on that.
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I’ve only bought one $80 game thus far (And that was during a 30% steam sale so only $55) and from my years of experience of buying games, I can confidently say that my enjoyment in games goes down as price goes up.
Although weirdly all of the $80 games that released so far have been pretty bad so that’s strange.
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I made a rule that I can't spend over $10 on a game until I've played through my entire backlog. I haven't bought a game over $10 in 10 years and I've spent $6k on Steam since I started using it.
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y'all keep saying this but playing 1 round of Valorant will make you realise pretty quick how easily people drop $80+ on a game.
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I know a guy who only buys games as last resort but bought all the gooner skins in Rivals.
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I pirate games first before buying. Too many games become shit past the return window on Steam. I buy every game I like.
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You can return games after the 2h return window. Its just that under 2h is an automated refund
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Just like other aspects of commerce, we’ll see what the market does. I hate to say it that way, but that’s simply how it works. Look at what’s happening to McDonalds right now. They’ve been raising prices for years, now tariffs have made things even worse, and people have responded accordingly and go to McDonalds less. Ball is in their court.
Another good example is the recent news about Beyoncé no longer filling major concert venues. I know there’s a lot of factors going on in these situations, but the truth at the core of it is that prices finally went up to a point where a not insignificant portion of her audience noped out of the transaction. Simple commerce.
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It sucks that waiting for a sale might only bring down to the original $50 new full price it used to be.
Just have to wait longer I guess.¯(ツ)/¯
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The amount of games on the PC is way to large to be buying right away.
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I can wait as long as necessary -- just means more time for the factory to grow. Factorio was the best value I've ever had out of $30.
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!patientgamers@sh.itjust.works
There are so many options out there that asking for $80, or whatever the equivalent is, is just ridiculous. I really hope people stand up against this bulshit.
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There are very few games I would spend $80 on. Actually, at this point I don't buy a lot of new games to begin with, I'm mostly just grinding the same old favorites now.
But for the games I really care about, I'm willing to spend on games I know will be worth it to me. I've waited 22 years for a sequel to Kirby Air Ride and if I have to pay $80 for it, I will pay $80 for it.
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There are a few franchises that still have me day 1 even if they went to that price point (The Witcher, Persona, Trails). Those are always 80 hours minimum, though.
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For the GTA delay, if it is so they can release a less bug filled finished product instead of the usual AAA strategy as of late of throwing whatever out and maybe kinda patching it later on, then good on them for doing it how it should be done. I probably won't buy it either way since I haven't cared for the tone of any of the GTA games since San Andreas personally, but for the people that will it is a good thing.
As for the price of games in general. I'm not opposed to theoretically paying $80, or even more, for a game I deem worth that kind of money. Never have been. The issue is 99% of the time the games in question aren't worth that kind of money. As an example, I am a Hitman fan. Over the course of the varies releases since 2016 to what is now just called Hitman: World of Assassination, I have spent well over $100 for maps and content. And I don't regret it because the end result is a huge game that I have gotten untold hours of enjoyment out of over the last ~9 years.
The AAA players have simply started to price themselves out of their own market, and smaller players have started to fill the void they left behind.
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That's basically what I've been saying ever since the switch 2 announcement, I'm glad I can just copy the Sources from this article to support my intuition. Thank you, Superjoost!
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I think Titanfall 2 is still on sale on steam for uh... 5 dollars.
Its got Northstar, a custom client that allows for private multiplayer servers... also works on linux, literally has its own custom proton version.
Oh and there are mods as well, guided installers, mod managers, etc, for windows and linux.
Runs great on a steam deck!
... and looks ... basically the same as a shooter from 10 years later, at least at 1280 x 800?
(its built on a custom forked version of the portal 2 source engine, so it actually runs efficiently and looks good =D)
Doesn't have a huge playerbase, but it is decent enough that you can probably find a few well populated servers, at least in NA region.
... looks like titanfall 3 got turned into an extraction shooter and then cancelled.
So anyway yeah, hilariously its time to return to tradition for enthusiasts of many old school competetive games from before the bullshit of endless battlepasses and MTX kicked into high gear... and as others have pointed out, the indie scene is full of gems.
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I just like to add that it has an oft forgotten 4 player PvE coop mode. Also low on players, but not dead, and if you’re lucky enough to have some friends you can guarantee a match. And there are usually populated Northstar servers for it as well. It’s a great mode with progression and the signature combat experience in Titan and as a pilot.
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At garage sales books can often be found for 25 cents a piece (320 books in $80).
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No kidding. Not counting games I play 'any way I can':
- Oolite
- Endless Sky
- Nethack
- Shattered Pixel Dungeon
- Dwarf Fortress
- Liberal Crime Squad
- Mindustry
- WarZone 2100
- OpenTTD
- OpenRCT2 (though this requires some investment, you need the files from the original 2 games)
- FreeCiv
- EDOPro
- Card-Forge
That's just what I have on this machine. If I check my GOG account, I'd have more. And I don't give money to Valve.
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Not buying it. GTAV was the least played for me in the series besides the first 2 games. I thought it's story was a major downgrade compared to Vice City through GTAIV. I feel like GTAV was a pullback from any bit of endearing human spirit to leaning heavily into wacky self-aware sarcasm. Not that the series wasn't that. Just that 5 to me was an edgy non-clever series parody. It's not that different than Far Cry. Empty commentary. Just mocking everything. Felt more affection in the 3 series and 4
Regardless since GTAIV, we've had a gluttony of open world games. Even the battle royale games I think fill in a niche for social multiplayer that's wacky and real world pop culture referential. GTAVI and it's RP community support I think will be what sends it past or below GTAV success. High unit sales expectations but I'm more tepid than most. Maybe it'll be even more effective at whale hunting
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For the last 10 years I've only paid full price for one AAA game: Elden Ring. I've gotten something like 200 hours out of it. It may be the best value for a AAA game ever, in my book. (And I haven't yet played the expansion.)
I'm happy to wait for sales on everything else, including the secondary market for Nintendo games, but after their recent fuckery in multiple arenas, I'm not keen buying anything they produce. (Not that it matters. Their stuff will sell regardless.)
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I've said this elsewhere before but video games are a commodity and an impulse buy. Very few people view the next video game as an essential purchase for themselves. So sure people can have them and haha about how much the cost of developing a video game has gone up till they're blue in the face but that is not going to change how the consumer will feel at the register buying the game. If the person at the register does not feel that the price is justified they're not going to pay it they're going to wait for a sale, borrow it from a friend if they can get access to physical media, or pirate it.
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Generally, I don't buy games over $18 CAD. I've made exceptions (Temtem, Civ 6, Super Mega Baseball 3, My Time at Portia, Satisfactory, a couple of others) but never paid more than $40 unless it's a gift for someone I really like (I pre-ordered Fallout 4 for my ex for her birthday).
I will happily wait years for something to come down in price. I have 600+ games on Steam: I always have other options.
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You guys pay for games, i feel sorry for you. That is a massive debuff to gamers
131 comments