• Warren Spector: If Publishers Didn't Overcharge For Games People Wouldn't Have To Buy Them Used
    66 replies, posted
[URL="http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2013/06/07/warren-spector-said-if-publishers-didnt-overcharge-for-games-people-wouldnt-have-to-buy-them-used/"][IMG]http://marketmob.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/forbes-logo.gif[/IMG][/URL] [quote]With the unfortunate closure of Junction Point by Disney Interactive earlier this year, Spector is able to speak his opinion on topics like used games. “Hey, if we didn’t overcharge for our product — guess what — people wouldn’t have to buy used games,” Spector told me. “The game industry is always talking about how we’re bigger than movies, and in terms of revenue we probably are, but good God, I don’t know this for sure but I would bet a lot of money that more people saw Up in its opening weekend than played Call of Duty. And the reason our games generate so much revenue is because we’re stupid enough to charge $60 for a box or $50 for a download or something. You need used games because most people can’t afford those prices. They’d just buy fewer games and play fewer games, and the fact that there are more people playing Call of Duty and Halo and Deus Ex and whatever through used games — come on, it’s not hurting us.” Spector added that used games are great PR because they build the gaming audience. “Used games allow more people, specifically younger people, to become game fans because of the lower price point,” he said. “It keeps some brick and mortar businesses in business, which is a good thing. And the reason it’s so pervasive is because we overcharge. To be frank, every other medium allows it. You can buy a used book. You can buy a used movie. You can buy a used CD. Why the hell are we different? I have got no problem with used games. I’ve bought plenty of used games. Whatever.” [/quote]
No shit. It's the same reason I buy games from keysites from time to time. No one wants to buy a game for fucking 60 dollars when they don't have to.
I still find it laughable they try to charge you the same price for a digital copy of a game on programs like Steam. I'm not paying £39.99 for a non physical copy of a game.
They overprice the title. Then they extract meaningful content and overprice it. Approx $75 for a complete video game. This sucks.
Most game prices are frankly ridiculous.
[QUOTE=Vasili;41064621]I still find it laughable they try to charge you the same price for a digital copy of a game on programs like Steam. I'm not paying £39.99 for a non physical copy of a game.[/QUOTE] In many ways, the profit margins they manage on brand new releases I'm sure allow them to do those insane deals later in the year.
If I missed a steam sale I would die forever
Australian here, when the base price is $80-100 for a new game, I would by [I]so[/I] many more games if they were priced $40-55.
Good god, wasn't the law of demand and offer taught in first year of econ? WTF is wrong with the world these days?
[QUOTE=Reds;41064701]Australian here, when the base price is $80-100 for a new game, I would by [I]so[/I] many more games if they were priced $40-55.[/QUOTE] $80-100? That's so 2007. Welcome to the future of console gaming. [img]http://i.imgur.com/hTXGRBl.png[/img] Or you could get a 3DS, only about $50-60 and the games are just as good.
Don't start another "OMG quit complaining, ____ games are ___ more expensive here than your country" argument ffs
[QUOTE=Devodiere;41064839]$80-100? That's so 2007. Welcome to the future of console gaming* [img]http://i.imgur.com/hTXGRBl.png[/img] Or you could get a 3DS, only about $50-60 and the games are just as good.[/QUOTE] *Unless you use steam. :)
[QUOTE=RichyZ;41064890]what the fuck is minimum wage and relative cost of living LOOK HIGHER PRICE[/QUOTE] Guess what, Australian minimum wage is higher than the United States [editline]16th June 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=J!NX;41064902]*Unless you use steam. :)[/QUOTE] He specifically said console gaming
[QUOTE=Devodiere;41064839]$80-100? That's so 2007. Welcome to the future of console gaming. [img]http://i.imgur.com/hTXGRBl.png[/img] Or you could get a 3DS, only about $50-60 and the games are just as good.[/QUOTE] what website is designed like that
[QUOTE=PollytheParrot;41064866]Don't start another "OMG quit complaining, ____ games are ___ more expensive here than your country" argument ffs[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=RichyZ;41064890]what the fuck is minimum wage and relative cost of living LOOK HIGHER PRICE[/QUOTE] Stop being idiots, the only point I was making was that even when shit's already absrudly overpriced, they still increase it. Even worse is that things almost never drop in price, Twilight Princess is still hovering around the $90 mark no different from release, and they wonder why people flock to $1 iPhone games. [QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;41064939]what website is designed like that[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.jbhifi.com.au/[/url]
[QUOTE=PollytheParrot;41064908]Guess what, Australian minimum wage is higher than the United States [/QUOTE] Of course it is. Now, this means that everything else is more expensive as well. This does not mean that Australians are all magically rich and can instantly afford everything just because the minimum wage is higher. This does not mean that the prices are not still incredibly high.
[QUOTE=PollytheParrot;41064908]Guess what, Australian minimum wage is higher than the United States [editline]16th June 2013[/editline] He specifically said console gaming[/QUOTE] Unless steam box is a thing then :v:
I've practically refused to buy console games at this point. There's a lot of games that just don't last very long and I'm not willing to pay any amount of money for them unless they're really special...I'm basically a 3DS/Smartphone guy at the moment with the occasional PC game. The games are so cheap and can give me more playtime than most 60 dollar games. The longest I spent playing a 3DS game was 100 hours and I'm still playing it. The longest I spent on a console game was 24 hours...and that was just on my first playthrough of MGS3 HD, which was technically a PS2 title. The only console games I'm buying within the near future are Pikmin 3, Watch_Dogs, and GTA V. But everything else I could care less about. New, or used.
[QUOTE=Devodiere;41064839]$80-100? That's so 2007. Welcome to the future of console gaming. [img]http://i.imgur.com/hTXGRBl.png[/img] Or you could get a 3DS, only about $50-60 and the games are just as good.[/QUOTE] The colors hurt my eyes.
Buying a game at gamestop for 5 dollars cheaper really saves a lot of money.
$60 games is some bullshit and I end up just waiting for sales now instead of buying new so in the end it's whatever
[QUOTE=PollytheParrot;41064908]Guess what, Australian minimum wage is higher than the United States[/QUOTE] The value of the U.S. dollar versus the Australian dollar are about equal.
I honestly only buy games full price of $60 for games I know I want to play day 1. Other than that I play the waiting game till some sort of compilation pack comes out or it gets heavily discounted.
Remember when games cost like 40 or 50 bucks and they had these huge manuals with tons of flavor text that was used for copy protection and big boxes with badass cover art? I honestly don't want to pay 20€ more for a bunch of plastic with 20 page manuals.
[QUOTE=Cutthecrap;41064802]Good god, wasn't the law of demand and offer taught in first year of econ? WTF is wrong with the world these days?[/QUOTE] IDK im no economist but isnt there a principle in regards to people keep doing shit when they have no reason not to. I.E you guys keep shoving money in their pockets, so why the fuck would they change their business practices? Its like complaining about CODMW2 and onwards being unprofessional products and stifling creativity in the industry, yet then going out and purchasing the next installment just because everyone else is.
Rev games brought up the fact it's weird that 60 is the standard all of a sudden and it's been bugging me ever since. I still remember when the prices were lower and I could buy something for £40 at most. Heck there was a time when stuff could be both £30 or £40 depending. Now it's just set rate bullshit.
[QUOTE=Vasili;41064621]I still find it laughable they try to charge you the same price for a digital copy of a game on programs like Steam. I'm not paying £39.99 for a non physical copy of a game.[/QUOTE] it's because steam takes a huge cut of the costs... equaling nearly as much as the overhead for a physical copy. think about it.
[QUOTE=Devodiere;41064839]$80-100? That's so 2007. Welcome to the future of console gaming. [img]http://i.imgur.com/hTXGRBl.png[/img] Or you could get a 3DS, only about $50-60 and the games are just as good.[/QUOTE] who buys games from JB-HIFI lmfao
[QUOTE=PollytheParrot;41064866]Don't start another "OMG quit complaining, ____ games are ___ more expensive here than your country" argument ffs[/QUOTE] what's even worse is the NES game price argument, when like 80% of current gamers either were not born yet or did not play games
[QUOTE=RichyZ;41064842]stop buying physical copies and eventually the retail market will die, which will lead to cheaper digital games (at the expense of mom and pop stores also dying :( )[/QUOTE] Fuck that noise. I'm dreading the day that gaming goes all-digital; call me old fashioned, but I absolutely loathe the idea of losing physical media. Besides, what incentive would they really have to reduce prices if the retail market disappears? We got lucky with PC because it's an open platform and there's ready competition; the consoles don't have that and, as such, would probably not lower their prices as readily if they thought they could get away with it.
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