Just under 50 years ago, the world of consumer electronics was revolutionized. In the early 1970s, there were slot machines for the first time and thus the first offshoots of video games. At that time it was the game Pong, which took the first step towards success.
The machines were set up in supermarkets, cinemas and other public places. For a mark you could play a round back then. A very low price if you consider how the price curve of the games would develop later.
But what is the price level of video games today? Has it risen enormously since the first steps of the developers? And what does the future look like?
Let's take a look back into the past, where you could only buy the games in the store or from a mail order company.
What were the prices back then?
If we take the Atari 2600, which appeared at the beginning of 1980, we quickly realize that the price level of the games back then did not differ much from the games of today. So the regular prices of the games fluctuated between DM 100 and DM 170, which corresponds to approximately EUR 50 - 85. So the basic price of games has been on a comparable level for decades.
When the Playstation 2 appeared, a new game for this cost an average of 60 euros. Even if you might sometimes think that the prices of the games have risen continuously over the years, you can see here that this is not the case.
What's behind the prices?
Of course, nowadays a lot more costs are behind the prices than 30 years ago. The competition in various areas is becoming increasingly fierce due to the ever-increasing number of developer studios, forcing producers to be much more innovative and technologically advanced.
Of course, server costs and the compensation of employees are also aspects that must be taken into account when calculating the price to the end customer.
DLC's and in-game currency
For a few years now, it has been a popular tool for developers to release content for a game afterwards. You have the opportunity to purchase additional levels or new maps for a fee. The price of these DLC's is different.
Oftentimes, the studios receive a lot of criticism for this approach, because the content sometimes already exists at the time of the game's release and only needs to be unlocked by purchasing it. It often happens that the purchased extensions are out of proportion to their price.
At the beginning there was this form of additional content due to many technical hurdles not yet. So it was in the interest of the developer to let all plans for the game flow in or even to work on a second installment of a series as quickly as possible.
Many games also offer the option of buying in-game currency that can then be invested in the game in other ways. For example, you can buy a battle pass or various skins with it. Rarely can this be done without real money in the game.
Sales and promotions
Since most games are now purchased digitally, many stores offer recurring discount campaigns where you can save a lot of money when buying a game. The games can be reduced by up to 90%. Now is the time to invest in games.
A big advantage for the gaming community that has never existed before. In the past, it was more common to focus on used games that could be purchased well below the market price. Alternatively, you should always look for game keys, which usually offer the opportunity to save at the RRP even before release.
In which direction is the price formation going?
In the near future, the
