Since the creation of consoles, companies have fought for content to only be available on their systems. Xbox has purchased full rights to games like Gears of War and Halo. PS4 holds the rights to games like “Spiderman” which sold over 20 million copies. These franchises have made Microsoft and Sony millions in revenue. The best part is that their opponents make nothing since they own no rights to the content.
This exclusivity forces gamers to buy a specific console if they want a specific game. Consumers have spent hundreds on new systems just to play their favorite titles. This is just the first of many ways gaming companies obtain money from gamers.
The hobby of gaming has slowly become more of an investment as players are paying huge sums of money for games. Not only are the games themselves expensive, but companies have used unreleased content as a way to make extra revenue.
The downloadable content, also known as DLC, applies more revenue for gaming companies. This unreleased content forces players to spend extra money to gain new characters or more content. Games like “Xenoverse 2” force players to spend over $45 extra to gain all the stories and new playable characters.
To enhance players’ gaming experience, games sell things like digital backgrounds, player skins, emotes and different musical additions to the gameplay. These additions feel immersive and really increase the appeal of the games for true fans, but they get to be quite expensive.
Certain games charge as much as $5.99 for a new character and over $11.99 for extra content passes. Famous fighting games like “DBZ Fighters” and “Brawlhalla” charge huge amounts of money to gain all the fighters. If they choose not to spend the money, they are heavily restricted on whom they can play
PV sophomore Carson Duncan has spent a large sum on his favorite games. “I spent $60 on the game and $200 on packs to buy better players on my team,” he stated. Due to rising prices of in game skins and content to improve gameplay he has paid more than twice the games value.
These games can make players feel left out when they are not able to have the unique, powerful characters and abilities as those who pay money. “Fortnite” was a leading force in free battle royale games. The term “free” came with conditions since the game had hundreds of skins and weapons to be bought.
Student Heaven Ross gave her experience on gaming prices.“I think it’s ridiculous how much people are willing to spend on something that isn’t even real. A family member of mine spent an exuberant amount of money on Fortnite skins and made a P.C that costs almost $1500.”.
Along with additional content and game additions, there are premium accounts. They have been called things like the “Battle Pass” or “Gold Accounts.” These accounts allow you to gain better rewards for playing. Players are given additional in-game currency when they accomplish tasks or given exclusive content only members receive.
The gaming systems themselves even have premium accounts that allow for more immersive gaming experiences. Xbox requires these accounts to do things like play online with friends and join groups. An Xbox account costs $9.99 monthly, and the premium is $14.99.
To some, it almost feels like players are not allowed to experience the full beauty of a game without scraping out their wallets. It is not just the games that are expensive, but also the console and controllers themselves.
To build one’s own gaming PC costs gamers anywhere from $300 to $2000 depending on the quality desired. Even popular gaming systems that do not require building like an Xbox or PlayStation cost.
Many avid gamers feel gaming is no longer focused on fun but, rather, on profit. The days of arcades are over, so if consumers want to play, they need their wallets—quarters are worthless now.
