And things are supposed to get cheaper as technology and processes are improved (and N64 games were large complex cartridges that were expensive to produce).
Yes the quality of games has improved overall, but the market has also grown, meaning things like economy of scale and commodification typically come into play. Additionally the tooling for making games has been dramatically improved, digital art tools are better, game engines are pre packaged with a bow on top and development is (or can be) done in high level memory managed programming languages like c#. It’s easier than ever to make good games right now, every aspect of the process has increased with the scope of the games themselves.
what is your argument, if game prices haven’t increased over time (as your claim alludes) and yet, in spite of that, the games industry has ballooned, creating the largest media industry in the world, I don’t see why prices need to go up.
Video games make money hand over fist, they do it at any price point (vampire survivors sold at least 6 million copies at a dollar, balatro sold at least 3.5 million copies at $15, these games made millions of dollars) what evidence do you have that shows that higher prices are needed to keep the industry afloat?
Maybe the unsustainability lies in the large studios trying to capitalize on brand recognition and loyalty, continuously growing their own costs and spending money on things that don’t actually make fun engaging games. Obviously the video game industry would continue to survive and thrive if Nintendo disappeared off of the face of the earth tomorrow, so it’s not a video game industry issue.
Not defending it, but n64 games were $80 when they came out. And that was a lot then (probably like the cost of 3 eggs today!)
And things are supposed to get cheaper as technology and processes are improved (and N64 games were large complex cartridges that were expensive to produce).
Yes the quality of games has improved overall, but the market has also grown, meaning things like economy of scale and commodification typically come into play. Additionally the tooling for making games has been dramatically improved, digital art tools are better, game engines are pre packaged with a bow on top and development is (or can be) done in high level memory managed programming languages like c#. It’s easier than ever to make good games right now, every aspect of the process has increased with the scope of the games themselves.
So should games stay at $20? Is that sustainable?
Yea, I mean, why not.
what is your argument, if game prices haven’t increased over time (as your claim alludes) and yet, in spite of that, the games industry has ballooned, creating the largest media industry in the world, I don’t see why prices need to go up.
Video games make money hand over fist, they do it at any price point (vampire survivors sold at least 6 million copies at a dollar, balatro sold at least 3.5 million copies at $15, these games made millions of dollars) what evidence do you have that shows that higher prices are needed to keep the industry afloat?
Maybe the unsustainability lies in the large studios trying to capitalize on brand recognition and loyalty, continuously growing their own costs and spending money on things that don’t actually make fun engaging games. Obviously the video game industry would continue to survive and thrive if Nintendo disappeared off of the face of the earth tomorrow, so it’s not a video game industry issue.
I agree. Theyndont need to be more than $20