are we paying to much for games???

[IrishBlaggard]

i know mostly in the USA games cost around $60

count yourselfs lucky guys as games over here in ireland are 75euro
now thats a fecking rip off if ya ask me.
when games in the states cost $60, the euro has been worth more than the dollar for most of the time since it launched by about 20%
so our games should be around 50euro...
how can they justify that???
they cant say its shipping costs because it dont cost 25euro for that,also the european games are manufactured in ireland(sonopress)
some stores sell games at over 80euros

its gets to me when i see games that are on the pc for 45euro but xbox 360 versions are much more expensive...

there should be some sort of legal legislation to prevent the price fixing.
i use to buy alot of games,anywhere between 15/25 a year but not this generation,so far this year ive only bought 3 new games and one of them was picked up in a clear out sale.

they might be getting more per game sold but they aint selling as many games as before FACT.
people complained last gen about game prices being to high but they still uped the price,some would argue that it cost alot more to create a game nowadays,
thats true to some extent but mostly thats a load of bolix.
same games on pc cost a lot less to buy,

also everyone forgets micro$oft created XNA software to help developers make games better/quicker and cheaper (so they can make more proffit)...

" Microsoft Corp. today announced XNA, a powerful next-generation software development platform. XNA empowers developers to deliver breakthrough games while combating rising production costs and ever-increasing hardware complexity. Games for future iterations of all Microsoft game platforms — including Windows, Xbox and Windows MobileTM-based devices — will be unleashed by tools and technologies from the XNA development platform. "
(24th march 2004)

has anyone seen games getting cheaper???

ps... also add $10/$20 for each new content download

is it just me,or are we(all gamers)getting screwed???

[shane32Eire]

Yeah i know the pain man, us Irish(and most EU euro using countries) lads have been getting ripped off three ways from sunday. But on the same note are wage is much higher and are cost of living is much higher the the US and the price of games here compares to that.

But to be honest if you do shop around and buy online you can save massive amounts on games.
Xtravision do great deals, crackdown,fif07,PES6 are all 30euro and Dead rising was 40euro in my local xtravision, also you should use cdwow.ie and play.com they have great prices and free shipping.
But most new games do cost between 69.99-74.99 in shops, but if you give it a little time most drop to below 60, only the real popular games stay at high prices. Just make Sure you KEEP WELL AWAY from GAME and Gamestop there complete rip offs, HMV and xtravision tend to good prices, still to dear but good compared to RRP.

[IrishBlaggard]

i tend to shop around myself,
but ya know yourself theres always an impulse buy here and there.
i agree xtravision is good but mostly after a few weeks when they need to get the self space back,
i picked up crackdown myself for 30euro just for the halo beta,
the gas thing is if i trade it,which i will, ill get 40euro for it,seriously.a few of those cheap bargains work out good like that,worth checking out,if only to gain some credit to get the game ya want...
nothing worse than ya paying 75euro and when ya get home and turn it on then a mate hits ya up with a private chat invite telling ya he only payed 57.99

[Spartan1127]

I have games in Monaco for 70-75 euros. No matter how old it is. That is why I order from play.com for games that cost between 20-40 euros. You should look into play.com irishblaggard. They have good prices and delivery to ireland is free.

[IrishBlaggard]

cheers for that,will look into it for sure

[Spartan1127]

Ya, shipping is da bomb.

[Pepper Jack]

i agree with the irish boys for once, americans moan on and on about paying like $50 for a game, when we pay like $100 for one, and we pay more for the console, for the XBL subscription and for everything else too, yet they are the ones that get things like video marketplaces and the odd free game and the arcade etc, i hate you

[mossjasonm]

regardless of what country i think everyone is paying to much for their games.

[friedkarma]

OMG! I'm tired of all the threads misplacing blame for European prices. Look at your freakin' taxes and your cost of living FFS! Compare anything! Gas/petrol, automobiles, steak knives, etc. You pay more in every case. I'd have some empathy if you complained about the staples in life, such as food, but you're whining about luxury goods. Put it in perspective, then elect a government that will reduce the barriers to do business. In my experience, only Brazil and India are more difficult than the UK to do business; and those 2 nations are developing and are very protective of their industries. Its within your power to bring your cost of living down, SO DO IT!

[IIJoshIII]

Not just in Europe, but we pay a lot in the U.S too. I rarely buy games unless it's a must have. Otherwise, they're just rented.

[shane32Eire]

Originally Posted by friedkarma

OMG! I'm tired of all the threads misplacing blame for European prices. Look at your freakin' taxes and your cost of living FFS! Compare anything! Gas/petrol, automobiles, steak knives, etc

Thats funny i did bring that up in my post, funny you must have missed it....

[stonespike]

Yeah I do think so. Seems like majority if not all feel the same way. Now days games cost more to make, so they feel the prices are justified. When we consumers feel it's not. The thing we, as consumers, don't understand is that we hold the key to whether these prices increase or decrease. Unfortunately, we still eat them up at this price, and they won't change it now-- they've seen and felt increases in their income, it would be stupid to change.

We are paying too much, thats the bottom line. But you have to consider the extreme amount of money that goes in to making some of these newer games, and money the company has to pay for developing, advertising, R&D, etc.

[friedkarma]

Originally Posted by shane32Eire

Thats funny i did bring that up in my post, funny you must have missed it....

I didn't miss anything. I'm responding to the thesis of this thread that video game manufacturers are price fixing. If my evidence coincides with yours, then so be it. Shane, I guess that shows you understand the root cause. Maybe you should have run for office this past election.

[FuriousThor]

I think we are only going to see the price of games going up. Especially after a ton of people spend over $100 on a Halo3 game because it comes with a helmet. Watch and see, this is just a test to see how many people would spend this much money on a game and before long the game will cost that much and there will be no helmet. We as consumers are setting ourselves up to lose alot more money to these companies as we speak.

[Pepper Jack]

Originally Posted by friedkarma

Put it in perspective, then elect a government that will reduce the barriers to do business

its that easy? my vote matters i hear, i'll just go an vote for a govt who will bring down our taxes and importation prices and then i'll get what i want....its that easy

[IrishBlaggard]

yeah, ithink your right about the price test, i remember the halo 2 downloads being free after so long that was a test then too, to see how many people would rather wait for the freebies.i for one waited as i knew it was a test, but the fans aint going to wait and they know this.
in the end we loose out.
we should say enough is enough,but easier said than done.
try getting the halo fanboys go bycott halo3 over price,dont think so...
ill be the same though,ill be it on launch day but the normal one.i can watch all the special edition vids free on the net...
and grand teft auto is $90 for the special edition, thats abit steep dont ya think???even if your rolling in it

[friedkarma]

Originally Posted by AlexJunglist

its that easy? my vote matters i hear, i'll just go an vote for a govt who will bring down our taxes and importation prices and then i'll get what i want....its that easy

Have you ever known a political process to be easy??? My only point was to put the blame where it belongs. To say the video game industry is fixing prices in the UK and Ireland is unfair.

[IrishBlaggard]

Originally Posted by friedkarma

Have you ever known a political process to be easy??? My only point was to put the blame where it belongs. To say the video game industry is fixing prices in the UK and Ireland is unfair.

i wasnt only referring to the uk and ireland,
games companys in general are price fixing,
micrsoft/sony etc set RRP and shops use that as the guide but alot of game stores up the price to sqeeze a few extra $$$ mostly the big/multinational companys take full advange of it,
especially on the bigger games or console launchs... it goes with out saying really
wasnt really blaming anyone in particular but if i was,
i would blame us gamers (not us as in USA-us as we the people)
were the ones handing over our money day in day out
and if we continue buyin, its obvious they'll keep selling after all its a business.
first and foremost theve gotta make a profit
now im in a fairly good position to buy games, late 20s steady income no family commitments etc etc so my moneys my own,
i know i know its an age old argument but its the parents i feel sorry for,the way the prices are going mammy and daddy will be only able to afford to buy little johnny jr 1 or 2 games a year.

and on the political side of it,it was the general election here last week in ireland, and when TDs came knocking looking for votes i ask all i spoke to about the gaming market and prices but they ALL looked at me as if to say games... WTF are you on,
were trying to sort out housing and health servies etc etc
i tried the the fastest growing sector in entertainment and has been for that last decade or so even making more money than movies approach to no effect...it aint even for consideration here.
guess they got bigger fish too fry
but then agian we only got a population of around 4.5 million so were only a grain of sand compaired to the USA,
realistically it would take politicians in the states or UK to start the ball rolling but then again that can be a bad thing too.
(we all know the grand theft auto story)

what ever way ya look at it, its the gamers who are loosing out
something should be done,but will it??? probably not...