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Game Prices Are Cheaper Than Ever
It's easy to complain about game prices when you look at all of the holiday games you want to buy at $60 a pop. But if you look at historic pricing and inflation, we're actually getting a pretty good deal these days.
Ars Technica posted a quick look at video game pricing from back in the NES days and found that in today's money people really shelled out a lot of cash for games. Streets of Rage 2 comes in at nearly $100 according to an old Electronics Boutique flyer. Sonic 2 clocks in around $75.
Ars spoke with president of the Entertainment Consumer's Association Hal Halpin who says, "I think the bottom line is that it's cumulatively less expensive to be a gamer today than it's ever been."
"Yes, some N64 games retailed for as high as $80, but it was also the high end of a 60 to 80 dollar range," Halpin continues. "Retailers had more flexibility with pricing back then—though they've consistently maintained that the Suggested Retail Price was/is just a guide. Adjusted for inflation, we're generally paying less now than we have historically. But to be fair, DLC isn't factored in."
Check out the full article for more pricing theories and insane price tags for games you've never heard of (Greendog for $75?! What the hell is that?)
[Scan courtesy of huguesjohnson.com]
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