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The $70 Price Tag Is Actually Indefensible (The Jimquisition)
- Thread starter Lashley
- Start date
I feel like any other year a $70 price tag would feel harsh and still sting, but in the middle of a pandemic in which people are losing income and jobs, it's extra shitty.
meanwhile i'm in scotland and since i play digitally, i gotta pay £70killme
meanwhile i'm in scotland and since i play digitally, i gotta pay £70killme
User warned: Drive-by posting
Not watching a 25 minute video, can someone give me the back of the box version of his argument?
Edit: A warning here makes me think this was misinterpreted...my intention here was pure. Looking for a summary of the video, not trying to make commentary on if it's worth watching. I'm on phones all day and can't listen in.
Edit: A warning here makes me think this was misinterpreted...my intention here was pure. Looking for a summary of the video, not trying to make commentary on if it's worth watching. I'm on phones all day and can't listen in.
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He's right. Publishers are making record profits every year and most games are filled with ways to further monetize the userbase. Until you start paying developers more and give them stronger incentive packages, there is no sound argument to raise prices.
1: don't preorder
2: be more selective with your purchases
3: wait for sales
4: DO NOT BUY INTO MICRO TRANS.
Problem solved. If the majority of us don't treat every major release as DAY 0!!! HAVE TO HAVE!!! This price change wont effect us. Additionally, prices can be reduced if publishers see that sales go down in direct relation to the price hike. This isn't set in stone.
2: be more selective with your purchases
3: wait for sales
4: DO NOT BUY INTO MICRO TRANS.
Problem solved. If the majority of us don't treat every major release as DAY 0!!! HAVE TO HAVE!!! This price change wont effect us. Additionally, prices can be reduced if publishers see that sales go down in direct relation to the price hike. This isn't set in stone.
Yup, and it's kinda moot to talk about what games used to cost, or how we've gone so long without a price increase, when the industry is so wildly different and profits are so high.
No, no, wouldn't somebody think of the corporations? Bobby Kotick needs another yacht.
Unless the raised prices include pay raises and other benefits for developers then yup, absolutely. These fucking companies make record profits year after year. This is just to line their CEO's pockets even more. Fuck off if you defend this shit.
I have not watched the video yet, but my feelings on the matter fall mostly in-line with this. For games that are stuffed with microtranctions etc, the price increase is unjustiable because publishers have already increased the cost of the game, but in a different way.
However, for the few big budget games that don't have them, I am more inclined to be ok with it because game development costs have increased and that is a fact.
i'm going to buy micro transactions and pre-order and pay MSRP and there's nothing jim sterling can do to stop me. i am the all powerful casual consumer™ of video games
You'll also reap these benefits by not buying on day 1:
- You pay less for games
- You play a better version of the games (the game will most likely have been updated with bugfixes and/or new content)
- Guides and documentation for the game will have already been written (if you use them)
I personally don't think it's indefensible and I think pubs can charge whatever they want for their games.
Having said that, I'm going to be more picky about what games I buy when they're hitting those high figures. Thankfully not every game costs $/£70, this isn't the 90s where every release had the same price.
So, while I think pubs and devs should price their games at whatever they think is fair, I don't wanna hear crying if it means the games are reaching less players. Because a lot of players will be over here playing cheaper stuff.
Having said that, I'm going to be more picky about what games I buy when they're hitting those high figures. Thankfully not every game costs $/£70, this isn't the 90s where every release had the same price.
So, while I think pubs and devs should price their games at whatever they think is fair, I don't wanna hear crying if it means the games are reaching less players. Because a lot of players will be over here playing cheaper stuff.
The more games increase in price, the more "sales" cost as well though.
I don't think I'd be fine with $70 no matter what, but cutting out microstransactions and all that "Season Pass" bullshit would definitely make it much easier to swallow.
Never really watched a Jim video until now. He really seems to go for emotional arguments. It's popular to say "Price hikes are unfair to the consumer!" but that's an easy take and I'm not seeing any really meaningful arguments. I'm not siding with the price increase, but really just going "It's these fat cats with fat wallets are just wanting more" isn't worth a video.
Dev costs have increased, but so have profits, so while I'm more accepting of a $70 game without any further monetization, the price increase still isn't really justified imo.
I'll be fine with a $70 price-point after every CEO takes a 95% pay cut and quadruples their employee's salaries. Until these monsters stop exploiting their workforce they can lose me with every single excuse they give for a price increase, especially in the face of record profits.
The Day 1 price is more and more becoming a tax on "early adopters" I think. Heck, EA even tried pre launch extra fee last gen right?
I guess it's a "make your choice depending on your budget and how badly you want to play this day 1"...
It seems these days (ymmv depending on publishers) games see their prices reduced faster and faster, like 30% off within 3 months kind of deal (even if often temporarily).
I guess it's a "make your choice depending on your budget and how badly you want to play this day 1"...
It seems these days (ymmv depending on publishers) games see their prices reduced faster and faster, like 30% off within 3 months kind of deal (even if often temporarily).
So don't buy them, or wait a week and the price is dropped.
He is wrong here. Game prices haven't increased in over a decade. It sucks but it makes sense at least for AAA. What we need to see is an emergence of a middle tier that sees good releases often, at a 30-50 dollar price range.
Jim would legit rather everything be free forever.
He is wrong here. Game prices haven't increased in over a decade. It sucks but it makes sense at least for AAA. What we need to see is an emergence of a middle tier that sees good releases often, at a 30-50 dollar price range.
Jim would legit rather everything be free forever.
no but really anyone who needs to hear the arguments jim sterling makes would likely never click on a jim sterling video anyway so who is this for exactly, lol. the casual consumer of video games generally doesn't give af about this stuff.
OP
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If the normal price is $70 then sales are still going to cost more anyway so it isn't like it wouldn't affect you
Nickel and dime with micro transactions is the best way they make money
they look for big spenders and go all out
just. Like. Casinos
they look for big spenders and go all out
just. Like. Casinos
Another good one from jim
70 $ is shit and i definitely agree it's indefensible... still it's manageable somehow..... now if you live in europe though, 80 € is completely fucked up!
70 $ is shit and i definitely agree it's indefensible... still it's manageable somehow..... now if you live in europe though, 80 € is completely fucked up!
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How does being against a price increase mean he wants everything to be free? Quite the leap
Worth noting the price is £70 in the UK and 80 euros in Europe, that's the most egregious bump.
This is exactly it. More often than not it just means you're paying ~$10 more than you would for the same sale before.
In any event, outside of rare instances for highly anticipated games, I don't intend to pay full price for games this generation. Or if I do, I'll be buying physical releases to resell once I'm finished.
This is basically how I feel. I remember the N64 era where everything was 70 bucks minimum.
If I dont think a game is worth the $70 asking price I'll just wait until it inevitably goes on sale, assuming it's not a Nintendo game obviously lol.
Which makes the whole ordeal kinda sad, in a way, because the price increase preys on the biggest fans and supporters of the games by making them pay more.
Pfft. I've already seen it be defended quite heavily by consumers no less which is the real trippy part. But regardless he's right
this is the wrong argument to make though, its pretty "party line" IMO. Like yes, game prices haven't increased in a decade. Game budgets have ballooned.
But using that as an excuse to jack up game prices is just bullshit. Game revenues have also exploded, the industry keeps growing, ROI keeps growing.
Game prices were 60 for a decade sure, but that decade also didn't have MTXs, season passes, new ways of revenue like gamepass, etc.
The ONLY reason games are 70 is because they didn't think they could get away with 80 yet, 10000000%.
Funny i see all these PS5 games with next-gen tax faster than ever on the sites for second hand offers. Copies of Demon's Souls going for as low as 60 eu (normally 80). Miles Morales is already 38-40 bucks and that game has tons of second hand offers. I know this hurts the devs, but then their publishers are greedy af. Heck, Sony even locked some new weapons and armor on Demon's Souls behind 90 bucks Digital Deluxe edition.
Oh, and thank God for Jim!
Oh, and thank God for Jim!
Stick fucking hurts they even included deluxe edition shit for a remake.
Yep. The price hike was known for months and nobody outside the internet actually cared clearly. PS5 and the games selling faster than toilet paper.
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Can somebody tell me when a videogame suddenly became a necessity of life of which the price isn't allowed to exceed a certain amount? Don't buy it if you think it's too expensive.
Bumping games up to $70 is useless. Some games journalists and most developers claim it's to recoup costs to help pay for development tools and staffing, but we all know that's bullshit. Doesn't matter how much they jack the price up to, a lot of developers still treat their employees like dogshit.