Modern games cost too much

[MrChester]

I just want to complain and it's mostly just going to be vitriolic, anecdotal, and not very coherent...

Some dipshit is gonna pre order this game, digital deluxe (don't wanna miss out after all), nearly 1 ton price tag. They're gonna casually play it for about 8 hours, fall off of it, tell everyone they know it's their game of the year, and never touch it again. People like this are the reason I can't buy new games. This is a retarded amount of money to pay for a game you don't even know the quality of (cause it's not even out) - this is a scam and it just keeps happening.

Resident Evil Village was an absolute mid-fest. Completely average game that got blown out of proportion by these fucking whale ass videogame tourists. Resident Evil 2/3/4 remake - same fucking deal only now with a little bit of incentive for new players to find out what made the older games so special (which they won't even fucking do - if you wanna experience the originals you could just... experience the originals directly?). Totally mediocre games that only need to be good enough to retain the first wave of buyers who are naturally gonna be more charitable because they just spent a day's wages on this shit

£80 for a Silent Hill game?? Silent FUCKING Hill. There might be a lot of lineage but this isn't a popular franchise by any means, yet apparently all you need to do is throw a dispicable price tag on it, and splurge on a bit of marketing and suddenly whales start washing up on shore

I just can't stand this whale culture and this constant need to make or spend money. I fucking love videogames - genuinely when I'm not having a meltdown I consider this shit one of the purest forms of art - but when you put a £70 price tag on it you make me realise this is just a bunch of cruddy children's games designed to make money

Konami, Capcom, and any other suit-wearing, nostalgia gouging, anti-social cretins that want to hold for ransome the popular culture that THEY HAVE CULTURED - bite a brick, shove a firework up your ass, and jump off a cliff, you money hungry losers

 

[Yousef Yousef]

Yeah, I think I’ve hit my limit for good this year. I’m dropping out of modern gaming almost completely. I’m moving away from consoles semi-permanently (keeping my Xbox safe in case my steam deck kicks the bucket), so I’m keeping away from anything that’s 150 gigs (god of war apparently lol) and anything that costs more than 60 (with ALL content included, mind you. So I’m avoiding the fake “60 bucks” games that lock stuff behind a deluxe version).

If something new comes out, I’ll get it if it’s an indie, a 3D platformer or a JRPG/Visual Novel.

 

[Dr.Kisaragi]

The video games have become a luxury to play the rich had modern gaming but not great and the poor had retro and indie good games

 

[MajesticSiN]

I concur

 

[Zerpina]

The video games have become a luxury to play the rich had modern gaming but not great and the poor had retro and indie good games

<Waves the Jolly Roger> <Coughs>
Yo-ho-yo-ho

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

I don't know. I don't buy games much at full price anymore, but I will on occasion for franchises I'm still invested in. Yakuza being the main one. I tend to replay older games I already own though, or look more into discounted/budget titles if I buy anything lately.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

Modern video game pricing has reached a point where frustration is not only understandable, it’s practically inevitable. Titles like SILENT HILL f launching at £70–£80, often with vague “Advanced Access” incentives, reflect a broader industry trend of monetizing hype rather than delivering guaranteed value. This pricing model thrives on fear of missing out, encouraging consumers to pre-order before reviews or community feedback are available. The result is a culture where early adopters often dubbed “whales” spend large sums, play briefly, and publicly praise games during launch windows, inflating their reputation regardless of actual quality. This behavior benefits publishers, who secure profits before critical consensus settles, but it alienates players who value depth and sincerity. Franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill are increasingly used as nostalgia bait, with remakes and reboots that gesture toward legacy while often failing to innovate meaningfully. For passionate gamers, this feels like a betrayal: the art form they love is being twisted into a disposable hype machine. The frustration isn’t just about cost, it’s about how pricing reflects priorities. When publishers treat games as short-term revenue generators, it undermines the trust and artistic appreciation that make gaming culture worth defending.

 

[DunkeyKong]

Ah yes (sips tea)

 

[Sunnyside]

Modern video game pricing has reached a point where frustration is not only understandable, it’s practically inevitable. Titles like SILENT HILL f launching at £70–£80, often with vague “Advanced Access” incentives, reflect a broader industry trend of monetizing hype rather than delivering guaranteed value. This pricing model thrives on fear of missing out, encouraging consumers to pre-order before reviews or community feedback are available. The result is a culture where early adopters often dubbed “whales” spend large sums, play briefly, and publicly praise games during launch windows, inflating their reputation regardless of actual quality. This behavior benefits publishers, who secure profits before critical consensus settles, but it alienates players who value depth and sincerity. Franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill are increasingly used as nostalgia bait, with remakes and reboots that gesture toward legacy while often failing to innovate meaningfully. For passionate gamers, this feels like a betrayal: the art form they love is being twisted into a disposable hype machine. The frustration isn’t just about cost, it’s about how pricing reflects priorities. When publishers treat games as short-term revenue generators, it undermines the trust and artistic appreciation that make gaming culture worth defending.

I was ready to add my two cents to the thread but you've basically covered everything. Well said.

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

Modern video game pricing has reached a point where frustration is not only understandable, it’s practically inevitable. Titles like SILENT HILL f launching at £70–£80, often with vague “Advanced Access” incentives, reflect a broader industry trend of monetizing hype rather than delivering guaranteed value. This pricing model thrives on fear of missing out, encouraging consumers to pre-order before reviews or community feedback are available. The result is a culture where early adopters often dubbed “whales” spend large sums, play briefly, and publicly praise games during launch windows, inflating their reputation regardless of actual quality. This behavior benefits publishers, who secure profits before critical consensus settles, but it alienates players who value depth and sincerity. Franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill are increasingly used as nostalgia bait, with remakes and reboots that gesture toward legacy while often failing to innovate meaningfully. For passionate gamers, this feels like a betrayal: the art form they love is being twisted into a disposable hype machine. The frustration isn’t just about cost, it’s about how pricing reflects priorities. When publishers treat games as short-term revenue generators, it undermines the trust and artistic appreciation that make gaming culture worth defending.

I remember taking this screenshot not too long before the Silent Hill 2 Remake
came out:

It wasn't anything to hype up the game itself. The flavour text wasn't something like "a classic re-imagined", it was just about what "incentives" there were for pre-ordering.
Not that that's anything new, it's just a moment where that sort of marketing really stood out for me.

 

[Zerpina]

Ah yes (sips tea)

 

[Turbo Kid]

Well gamers let companies know they were cool with paying for DLC and season passes and digital deluxe editions for years. This was inevitable.

 

[DaeZun]

The worst thing is that companies don't even have to pay for production costs anymore because the physical format has been dead for years on modern platforms other than nintendo lol.

I often wonder if it's a good idea to change hobbies considering the current decadent state of modern gaming.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

I was ready to add my two cents to the thread but you've basically covered everything. Well said.

Thanks!

 

[Lokgamer]

You can always go with your trusted supplier.

 

[Dr.Kisaragi]

View attachment 113502

Aho! Matey the Pirate life is for us

 

[Sunnyside]

Pre-ordering wasn't even good back in the day when you got physical bonuses! It has and always will be glorified gambling. I'm not giving my money to anybody without knowing what I'm getting. I'd personally extend that to buying products on release as well. Wait for the hype machine to settle down. Even if your excitement is through the roof. This takes some discipline but everyone is capable of it.

 

[Zerpina]

Aho! Matey the Pirate life is for us

Mandatory pirate song!

 

[Turbo Kid]

I have to shit on pirates a little bit, because I always have to be "that guy", but our seafaring friends are pretty lazy these days. For one thing, no matter how many sites you find they all have the same files from the same source with few exceptions. It's the illusion of choice. They don't keep things updated either, so links are often dead. Occasionally, you will not find certain games or won't find them available until long after release. We always talk about preservation but you will not find a copy of Friday the 13th Killer puzzle for the Switch no matter how much seafaring you do. Also, pirate sites these days are TERRIBLE about updates. Often they won't have the latest update or they won't archive older updates for people who don't WANT the latest updates

Honestly pirate sites are getting as shitty as modern gaming itself. EVERYTHING is lazy and half assed these days

 

[Zerpina]

I have to shit on pirates a little bit, because I always have to be "that guy", but our seafaring friends are pretty lazy these days. For one thing, no matter how many sites you find they all have the same files from the same source with few exceptions. It's the illusion of choice. They don't keep things updated either, so links are often dead. Occasionally, you will not find certain games or won't find them available until long after release. We always talk about preservation but you will not find a copy of Friday the 13th Killer puzzle for the Switch no matter how much seafaring you do. Also, pirate sites these days are TERRIBLE about updates. Often they won't have the latest update or they won't archive older updates for people who don't WANT the latest updates

Honestly pirate sites are getting as shitty as modern gaming itself. EVERYTHING is lazy and half assed these days

Fair enough, do it better and show them how it's done

 

[Turbo Kid]

Fair enough, do it better and show them how it's done

No thanks. I don't want angry plumbers and three letter agents coming after me

 

[NOTthatHARD]

I have to shit on pirates a little bit, because I always have to be "that guy", but our seafaring friends are pretty lazy these days. For one thing, no matter how many sites you find they all have the same files from the same source with few exceptions. It's the illusion of choice. They don't keep things updated either, so links are often dead. Occasionally, you will not find certain games or won't find them available until long after release. We always talk about preservation but you will not find a copy of Friday the 13th Killer puzzle for the Switch no matter how much seafaring you do. Also, pirate sites these days are TERRIBLE about updates. Often they won't have the latest update or they won't archive older updates for people who don't WANT the latest updates

Honestly pirate sites are getting as shitty as modern gaming itself. EVERYTHING is lazy and half assed these days

Out of curiosity, but what pirates sites are you using?, because the ones that I use are always updating games and the download links are almost always working properly.

 

[Segadude113]

Look! :D

 

[Netra]

Old games too but they were yours and not a LICENSE of use.
Now days you can buy a LICENSE on steam months after the LICENSE is launched at 15-30% sale, just don't get coherence by the fomo and buy a game to play for fun not because is the new thing to talk about in social media.

 

[030079AR]

I live in poor state, but if i interested in one game, and i dont have money, i will save. Sometimes i even ask my wife if i had to.
I am also game developer, i know why game is expensive, the development cost and efforts, are getting expensive as well.

Suggestion: saving for the game you really wanted, avoid fomo, you dont need to play all games.