| General Category > General Discussion |
| Video Game Inflation - Prices then and now - Minor Rant |
| << < (17/21) > >> |
| sadikyo:
Ah I see -- guess I was just referring more to the main thread and the displeasure with retro game inflation -- pointing out that for the most part, it isn't that bad. |
| AO007:
To be fair, you can get most of the SNES' best games(No Earthbound isn't one of them) for less than $15-$20 each. Still, Super Mario World demanding $10 is suspect anyways, when Mario Paint can be found for 1 cent before S&H charges. :x |
| Pikmin Overlord:
While those statistics are interesting, they are not necessarily applicable to the individual because everything is so circumstantial. Everything that I find seems to be rather inflated, and if I were to compile all of those prices I encounter and come up with an average, it would probably be higher than $13.79 per unit. Aside from that, when I buy a modern game today, I get it brand new with the case and manual and whatnot. If I buy an SNES game for less than that, I'm very likely not getting it with the box and manual. Just out of curiosity, if one were to remove all worthless SNES sports games from that data, what would the price per unit then become? Not everyone may be in the same boat, but I know that I certainly wouldn't pay $13.79 for NHLPA Hockey '94. |
| sadikyo:
I see what you're saying. For example - for me personally, I am mostly interested in RPGs, so the "average" price of games I am interested in is probably much much higher. But just for the hell of it, I took out all the games listed by VGPC with a category of "sports, baseball, basketball, wrestling" etc., and was left with 572 games. Of those 572, the average price was $13.49, with 490 games less than $20, 388 games less than $10, and 263 games less than $5. (Disclaimer: The "Average Price" probably isn't a good indicator anyway --- the Median Price of the above list is only $5.50. With such a large number of items with a wide range of prices, the average isn't really that interesting. The median is much more meaningful). I'm not really trying to prove much here I suppose, hehe. It really just boils down to supply and demand, and the free market. There are tons of factors that affect both sides of the market equilibrium. Rarity, popularity, "nostalgia factor," potential for future profit - these are just a few factors. And while I wish people would actually buy games for enjoyment, I think what we have now, that didn't really exist before, is a huge market for speculation - people buying games to resell later, or buying with the hopes that the value will increase over time. The internet has made it SO easy to research prices, easily access the items, etc., that it wasn't really something people did as much back in the day. Unfortunately, I have no more right to buy a game on the open market, than someone who wants to snatch up 50 copies of a rare game to hold on to them and sell slowly to increase the price and make a profit. I would agree with most people here that it sucks that there are so many people doing that. With certain games being so rare, it is actually possible for 1 person, or a very small group of people, to influence the entire market for a particular product. It is much like a diamond cartel holding diamonds and selling them in small quantities to keep prices high. There isn't really a big point here - I'm just letting my brain flow - I think ultimately it just boils down to one of those "deal with it" or "life isn't fair" scenarios, because there will always be people who in our eyes are into gaming for the wrong reasons, and people who screw things up for everyone else. But in that sense, I don't blame the OP for 'venting' as he mentioned, because it is disappointing sometimes. |
| Pikmin Overlord:
Statistics are fun! You bring up some interesting points, sadikyo. Personally, I'm OK with paying a little extra for the less common games, because it makes sense. Unfortunately, it seems that many people have made a business buying/selling/trading games, and I think that's where a lot of the inflation has come from. If you treat something like a business, you're going to be concerned with making a profit, and that means selling things accordingly. I was at a flea market last Sunday and I saw a fellow from one table walk over to another table, buy the three Game Boy games that were there, and take them back to his table to sell them. I'm certain he was selling those for more than he paid for them. I guess it's the natural order, though. Even friggin' POGS had a period where they were collectible and some were more valuable than others. I can only hope that the video games market eventually travels down a similar road and I am able to snatch up all the games I want to play for reasonable prices. |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |
| Previous page |