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Would you like cheaper computer games? Of course you would, who wouldn’t… and whereas game retailers such as Special Reserve offer some of the most unbelievable prices around (classic games for FREE? Your havin’ me on sir!) FreePlay, an organisation set about to reduce the price of video games, still believe it is not enough.
FairPlay’s stance is simple, games cost millions to make, and so do CD’s. Games are no longer made on cartridges they’re made on discs, like CD’s… so why do games cost 3 times more? FairPlay proposed to boycott the gaming industry between the dates of the 1st and 8th of December this year. It didn’t quiet go to plan but the organisation ploughs on, the question is are the organisation right? Naturally they have come to some heavy opposition with this including Roger Bennett, director general of the ELSPA. Roger insists there are many hidden costs they push up the price of software production. And to a degree he is correct, every wondered why Timesplitters 2’s R.R.P was £5 larger than Mario Sunshine’s? Because Eidos had to send the game to Nintendo in order to have it produced, something, which isn’t free. Yet £35 for Mario is still a far cry from £10 for a CD… and if there are hidden costs what are they? Why won’t he divulge further?
Because he is scared claims FairPlay, that after visiting their website www.fairplay-campaign.co.uk have a lot of things to say to the games industry. FairPlay claim that ‘the games industry has chosen to react to the FairPlay campaign with panicked hysteria, rather than actually dealing with the issues raised’. Is that so? In fact the entire website is written as if from some console fan boy hell bent of putting everything down and not addressing some important points. They criticize the comments they can but ignore the ones they can’t, it isn’t an unusual way to conduct an argument… politicians use it all the time but they fail to react to certain begging questions. FairPlay say “We think music CD’s are absolutely the nearest comparison to videogames”, but I don’t agree. Videogames make their profit from themselves, CD’s make money for the artist but then so does tours, merchandise, TV appearances and so on. The games industry does a mere handful of shows a year that hardly generates much more than publicity, all merchandise fails and only exists for truly obsessed fans whilst TV appearances are hardly paid for. So yes the music industry can do it, but the music industry offers much more than simple CD’s.
Unfortunately not all points raised by the public and the industry are as good as that one. Random comments from the industry often include the fact that companies are failing to make a profit as it is. Nintendo being the scare mongers that they are exclaimed that if game prices dropped the industry and Nintendo will be doomed as companies struggle to make money as it is. Perfectly true, over the past year just over 70 development houses have closed down. Capcom, Acclaim, RAGE and SEGA… large 3rd party developers all exclaimed disappointing sales over the past year with SEGA rethinking their strategy and buy outs rumours for Capcom. Squaresoft have failed to make back money after their failed movie despite the release of many titles including ports of the older SNES games and games such as Kingdom hearts storming the Japanese charts. But FairPlay comment on that if games were cheaper more people would buy them, leading to an industry growth overall and sales improving. Yet there is no proof that this will work and FairPlay’s rather obvious comment was ‘there is only one way to find out’. Another comment involves the time and money put into creating a game; the games require a team to work round the clock for years. This is true for Nintendo anyway, the amount of time and effort lavished on a game means that reducing prices would heavily damage Nintendo. But as regards EA is this equally true? A new movie license year in year out that offers the same variety in gameplay but a new storyline? FIFA is a prime example, are the yearly updates worth another £40? Did it cost as much to make as the new Zelda for example? I doubt it heavily and it is Nintendo themselves that generated a more startling point.
With the pre-orders of Zelda and for a limited period after the launch of the game you got a free game. The game was a simple update of the old N64 game Ocarina of Time and Ura-Zelda. But the game was free, it was used to promote the new Zelda yes but it was also free. The games would have required as much effort (with the changing format and frame rate improvements) as the new FIFA. The Sonic Mega collection offers a collection of even older games with no improvements whatsoever (the games still suffer slow down despite being ancient 16-bit titles) and SEGA still ask for a £40 pay out. FairPlay are also keen to point out that if old titles are being repackaged for just £20 (PS2’s platinum range) then why can’t new ones cost the same? Sony says the games are being reproduced internally so there is no need for Namco for example to pay Sony to produce a load of extra games. Sony also stress that they are re-released so gamers believe they could get cheaper games if they wanted.
Personally I question FairPlay, they miss out some vital facts despite being ‘industry insiders’, they attack everything in sight and called ELSPA workers as 50 year olds who haven’t played a game ‘since Galaxian’. A needless and unprofessional comment and FairPlay make them frequently… neither side offers facts of figures and at least one side act professional. Whereas I don’t agree with FairPlay’s boycott I do have to agree that maybe games could be cheaper and that it might be worth a go. After all the ELSPA did comment on the rise of 5% overall revenue saying: "The increase in sales revenue... is due to a significant fall in the price of discs and cartridges".
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
FairPlay’s stance is simple, games cost millions to make, and so do CD’s. Games are no longer made on cartridges they’re made on discs, like CD’s… so why do games cost 3 times more? FairPlay proposed to boycott the gaming industry between the dates of the 1st and 8th of December this year. It didn’t quiet go to plan but the organisation ploughs on, the question is are the organisation right? Naturally they have come to some heavy opposition with this including Roger Bennett, director general of the ELSPA. Roger insists there are many hidden costs they push up the price of software production. And to a degree he is correct, every wondered why Timesplitters 2’s R.R.P was £5 larger than Mario Sunshine’s? Because Eidos had to send the game to Nintendo in order to have it produced, something, which isn’t free. Yet £35 for Mario is still a far cry from £10 for a CD… and if there are hidden costs what are they? Why won’t he divulge further?
Because he is scared claims FairPlay, that after visiting their website www.fairplay-campaign.co.uk have a lot of things to say to the games industry. FairPlay claim that ‘the games industry has chosen to react to the FairPlay campaign with panicked hysteria, rather than actually dealing with the issues raised’. Is that so? In fact the entire website is written as if from some console fan boy hell bent of putting everything down and not addressing some important points. They criticize the comments they can but ignore the ones they can’t, it isn’t an unusual way to conduct an argument… politicians use it all the time but they fail to react to certain begging questions. FairPlay say “We think music CD’s are absolutely the nearest comparison to videogames”, but I don’t agree. Videogames make their profit from themselves, CD’s make money for the artist but then so does tours, merchandise, TV appearances and so on. The games industry does a mere handful of shows a year that hardly generates much more than publicity, all merchandise fails and only exists for truly obsessed fans whilst TV appearances are hardly paid for. So yes the music industry can do it, but the music industry offers much more than simple CD’s.
Unfortunately not all points raised by the public and the industry are as good as that one. Random comments from the industry often include the fact that companies are failing to make a profit as it is. Nintendo being the scare mongers that they are exclaimed that if game prices dropped the industry and Nintendo will be doomed as companies struggle to make money as it is. Perfectly true, over the past year just over 70 development houses have closed down. Capcom, Acclaim, RAGE and SEGA… large 3rd party developers all exclaimed disappointing sales over the past year with SEGA rethinking their strategy and buy outs rumours for Capcom. Squaresoft have failed to make back money after their failed movie despite the release of many titles including ports of the older SNES games and games such as Kingdom hearts storming the Japanese charts. But FairPlay comment on that if games were cheaper more people would buy them, leading to an industry growth overall and sales improving. Yet there is no proof that this will work and FairPlay’s rather obvious comment was ‘there is only one way to find out’. Another comment involves the time and money put into creating a game; the games require a team to work round the clock for years. This is true for Nintendo anyway, the amount of time and effort lavished on a game means that reducing prices would heavily damage Nintendo. But as regards EA is this equally true? A new movie license year in year out that offers the same variety in gameplay but a new storyline? FIFA is a prime example, are the yearly updates worth another £40? Did it cost as much to make as the new Zelda for example? I doubt it heavily and it is Nintendo themselves that generated a more startling point.
With the pre-orders of Zelda and for a limited period after the launch of the game you got a free game. The game was a simple update of the old N64 game Ocarina of Time and Ura-Zelda. But the game was free, it was used to promote the new Zelda yes but it was also free. The games would have required as much effort (with the changing format and frame rate improvements) as the new FIFA. The Sonic Mega collection offers a collection of even older games with no improvements whatsoever (the games still suffer slow down despite being ancient 16-bit titles) and SEGA still ask for a £40 pay out. FairPlay are also keen to point out that if old titles are being repackaged for just £20 (PS2’s platinum range) then why can’t new ones cost the same? Sony says the games are being reproduced internally so there is no need for Namco for example to pay Sony to produce a load of extra games. Sony also stress that they are re-released so gamers believe they could get cheaper games if they wanted.
Personally I question FairPlay, they miss out some vital facts despite being ‘industry insiders’, they attack everything in sight and called ELSPA workers as 50 year olds who haven’t played a game ‘since Galaxian’. A needless and unprofessional comment and FairPlay make them frequently… neither side offers facts of figures and at least one side act professional. Whereas I don’t agree with FairPlay’s boycott I do have to agree that maybe games could be cheaper and that it might be worth a go. After all the ELSPA did comment on the rise of 5% overall revenue saying: "The increase in sales revenue... is due to a significant fall in the price of discs and cartridges".
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
Page:
An internet retailer has advertised a half price sale in my inbox...
Remember what happened with the PSX games price drop to 29.99 for all games?
That was started in a shop (I think it was Virgin for some reason) as a promotion which the continued due to it's popularity. All the other shops had no choice but to lower their prices also. Could easily happen again.
Whilst we're on prices. Has anyone ever seen a game sale? Ever in you entire lives? No 'half price games sale'?
I've never wondered why, either.
They sell books , CDs, DVDs, TVs, even dishashers for half price in the sales, why not games?
Some internal agreement whithin the industry? It really confused me when I thought about it.
That was started in a shop (I think it was Virgin for some reason) as a promotion which the continued due to it's popularity. All the other shops had no choice but to lower their prices also. Could easily happen again.
Whilst we're on prices. Has anyone ever seen a game sale? Ever in you entire lives? No 'half price games sale'?
I've never wondered why, either.
They sell books , CDs, DVDs, TVs, even dishashers for half price in the sales, why not games?
Some internal agreement whithin the industry? It really confused me when I thought about it.
I agree with lowering the costs of games, but I don't agree with fairplays comments.
After all, the retailers don't pay the developers what we pay the retailers for the games. The developers make profits from the retailers that buy the copies off them, and so the retailers are the ones that can choose what to sell the games at - hence the sale prices of one retailers might be totally different to those at anothers.
So, prices could drop lower at places like Game, but that is up to the retailers, not the blame of the developers as it once was (£70 for Turok my backside!)
After all, the retailers don't pay the developers what we pay the retailers for the games. The developers make profits from the retailers that buy the copies off them, and so the retailers are the ones that can choose what to sell the games at - hence the sale prices of one retailers might be totally different to those at anothers.
So, prices could drop lower at places like Game, but that is up to the retailers, not the blame of the developers as it once was (£70 for Turok my backside!)
Incidentally, I picked up a promotional BMX XXX pen the other day from my mate's shop. It was one of those 'turn it upside down and see the naked lady' pens. Got funny looks from the wife...
Great point Pb, a recent article i read not sure where pointed out that games use DVD's and special edition DVD music cost more in fact around £25...
Someone will always lose out if you lower the price or keep it the same. It looks like Fairplay can't see the wood for the trees.
Besides, Sony and Microsoft use DVDs, more expensive than conventional CD, and Nintendo use their own mini-DVD system, so the price of a CD thing is flawed before you even start adding up the cost of everything else.
As well as all the usual stuff, distributors and games companies have to supply games shops with promotional material, I know I've seen enough of this in the past to realise this could cost a fair whack if the same amount is sent to every games shop in the country.
Even those film licences don't come cheap, and although EA seems to knock out the same Fifa game each year with a few more bells and whistles, they still have to renew their licence with Fifa as well as ensuring the support of any licenced players.
So it seems that Fairplay have forgotton one truth in life 'it all adds up'
Besides, Sony and Microsoft use DVDs, more expensive than conventional CD, and Nintendo use their own mini-DVD system, so the price of a CD thing is flawed before you even start adding up the cost of everything else.
As well as all the usual stuff, distributors and games companies have to supply games shops with promotional material, I know I've seen enough of this in the past to realise this could cost a fair whack if the same amount is sent to every games shop in the country.
Even those film licences don't come cheap, and although EA seems to knock out the same Fifa game each year with a few more bells and whistles, they still have to renew their licence with Fifa as well as ensuring the support of any licenced players.
So it seems that Fairplay have forgotton one truth in life 'it all adds up'
I'm really not too bothered. If people want cheaper games they can usually get games second hand nowadays very easily (SR stores, GAME stores, etc. even online like Ebay) and if they don't want second hand games, there are places on the net (Again, SR are an example) where you can get games cheaper than retail. The prices may not be the £15 or so you pay for a CD, but they are cheaper none the less.
Hmmm. Tough one to call here. Well, I'm with FairPlay's claims that games are far too expensive at £45 a shot (£30 would be more like it), but I'm against their slanderous claims of this and that. If they didn't do the latter, I would definitely support them. Can anyone here really say that games are good value at £45? Perhaps the odd game like the GTA series, but not many.
Would you like cheaper computer games? Of course you would, who wouldn’t… and whereas game retailers such as Special Reserve offer some of the most unbelievable prices around (classic games for FREE? Your havin’ me on sir!) FreePlay, an organisation set about to reduce the price of video games, still believe it is not enough.
FairPlay’s stance is simple, games cost millions to make, and so do CD’s. Games are no longer made on cartridges they’re made on discs, like CD’s… so why do games cost 3 times more? FairPlay proposed to boycott the gaming industry between the dates of the 1st and 8th of December this year. It didn’t quiet go to plan but the organisation ploughs on, the question is are the organisation right? Naturally they have come to some heavy opposition with this including Roger Bennett, director general of the ELSPA. Roger insists there are many hidden costs they push up the price of software production. And to a degree he is correct, every wondered why Timesplitters 2’s R.R.P was £5 larger than Mario Sunshine’s? Because Eidos had to send the game to Nintendo in order to have it produced, something, which isn’t free. Yet £35 for Mario is still a far cry from £10 for a CD… and if there are hidden costs what are they? Why won’t he divulge further?
Because he is scared claims FairPlay, that after visiting their website www.fairplay-campaign.co.uk have a lot of things to say to the games industry. FairPlay claim that ‘the games industry has chosen to react to the FairPlay campaign with panicked hysteria, rather than actually dealing with the issues raised’. Is that so? In fact the entire website is written as if from some console fan boy hell bent of putting everything down and not addressing some important points. They criticize the comments they can but ignore the ones they can’t, it isn’t an unusual way to conduct an argument… politicians use it all the time but they fail to react to certain begging questions. FairPlay say “We think music CD’s are absolutely the nearest comparison to videogames”, but I don’t agree. Videogames make their profit from themselves, CD’s make money for the artist but then so does tours, merchandise, TV appearances and so on. The games industry does a mere handful of shows a year that hardly generates much more than publicity, all merchandise fails and only exists for truly obsessed fans whilst TV appearances are hardly paid for. So yes the music industry can do it, but the music industry offers much more than simple CD’s.
Unfortunately not all points raised by the public and the industry are as good as that one. Random comments from the industry often include the fact that companies are failing to make a profit as it is. Nintendo being the scare mongers that they are exclaimed that if game prices dropped the industry and Nintendo will be doomed as companies struggle to make money as it is. Perfectly true, over the past year just over 70 development houses have closed down. Capcom, Acclaim, RAGE and SEGA… large 3rd party developers all exclaimed disappointing sales over the past year with SEGA rethinking their strategy and buy outs rumours for Capcom. Squaresoft have failed to make back money after their failed movie despite the release of many titles including ports of the older SNES games and games such as Kingdom hearts storming the Japanese charts. But FairPlay comment on that if games were cheaper more people would buy them, leading to an industry growth overall and sales improving. Yet there is no proof that this will work and FairPlay’s rather obvious comment was ‘there is only one way to find out’. Another comment involves the time and money put into creating a game; the games require a team to work round the clock for years. This is true for Nintendo anyway, the amount of time and effort lavished on a game means that reducing prices would heavily damage Nintendo. But as regards EA is this equally true? A new movie license year in year out that offers the same variety in gameplay but a new storyline? FIFA is a prime example, are the yearly updates worth another £40? Did it cost as much to make as the new Zelda for example? I doubt it heavily and it is Nintendo themselves that generated a more startling point.
With the pre-orders of Zelda and for a limited period after the launch of the game you got a free game. The game was a simple update of the old N64 game Ocarina of Time and Ura-Zelda. But the game was free, it was used to promote the new Zelda yes but it was also free. The games would have required as much effort (with the changing format and frame rate improvements) as the new FIFA. The Sonic Mega collection offers a collection of even older games with no improvements whatsoever (the games still suffer slow down despite being ancient 16-bit titles) and SEGA still ask for a £40 pay out. FairPlay are also keen to point out that if old titles are being repackaged for just £20 (PS2’s platinum range) then why can’t new ones cost the same? Sony says the games are being reproduced internally so there is no need for Namco for example to pay Sony to produce a load of extra games. Sony also stress that they are re-released so gamers believe they could get cheaper games if they wanted.
Personally I question FairPlay, they miss out some vital facts despite being ‘industry insiders’, they attack everything in sight and called ELSPA workers as 50 year olds who haven’t played a game ‘since Galaxian’. A needless and unprofessional comment and FairPlay make them frequently… neither side offers facts of figures and at least one side act professional. Whereas I don’t agree with FairPlay’s boycott I do have to agree that maybe games could be cheaper and that it might be worth a go. After all the ELSPA did comment on the rise of 5% overall revenue saying: "The increase in sales revenue... is due to a significant fall in the price of discs and cartridges".
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
FairPlay’s stance is simple, games cost millions to make, and so do CD’s. Games are no longer made on cartridges they’re made on discs, like CD’s… so why do games cost 3 times more? FairPlay proposed to boycott the gaming industry between the dates of the 1st and 8th of December this year. It didn’t quiet go to plan but the organisation ploughs on, the question is are the organisation right? Naturally they have come to some heavy opposition with this including Roger Bennett, director general of the ELSPA. Roger insists there are many hidden costs they push up the price of software production. And to a degree he is correct, every wondered why Timesplitters 2’s R.R.P was £5 larger than Mario Sunshine’s? Because Eidos had to send the game to Nintendo in order to have it produced, something, which isn’t free. Yet £35 for Mario is still a far cry from £10 for a CD… and if there are hidden costs what are they? Why won’t he divulge further?
Because he is scared claims FairPlay, that after visiting their website www.fairplay-campaign.co.uk have a lot of things to say to the games industry. FairPlay claim that ‘the games industry has chosen to react to the FairPlay campaign with panicked hysteria, rather than actually dealing with the issues raised’. Is that so? In fact the entire website is written as if from some console fan boy hell bent of putting everything down and not addressing some important points. They criticize the comments they can but ignore the ones they can’t, it isn’t an unusual way to conduct an argument… politicians use it all the time but they fail to react to certain begging questions. FairPlay say “We think music CD’s are absolutely the nearest comparison to videogames”, but I don’t agree. Videogames make their profit from themselves, CD’s make money for the artist but then so does tours, merchandise, TV appearances and so on. The games industry does a mere handful of shows a year that hardly generates much more than publicity, all merchandise fails and only exists for truly obsessed fans whilst TV appearances are hardly paid for. So yes the music industry can do it, but the music industry offers much more than simple CD’s.
Unfortunately not all points raised by the public and the industry are as good as that one. Random comments from the industry often include the fact that companies are failing to make a profit as it is. Nintendo being the scare mongers that they are exclaimed that if game prices dropped the industry and Nintendo will be doomed as companies struggle to make money as it is. Perfectly true, over the past year just over 70 development houses have closed down. Capcom, Acclaim, RAGE and SEGA… large 3rd party developers all exclaimed disappointing sales over the past year with SEGA rethinking their strategy and buy outs rumours for Capcom. Squaresoft have failed to make back money after their failed movie despite the release of many titles including ports of the older SNES games and games such as Kingdom hearts storming the Japanese charts. But FairPlay comment on that if games were cheaper more people would buy them, leading to an industry growth overall and sales improving. Yet there is no proof that this will work and FairPlay’s rather obvious comment was ‘there is only one way to find out’. Another comment involves the time and money put into creating a game; the games require a team to work round the clock for years. This is true for Nintendo anyway, the amount of time and effort lavished on a game means that reducing prices would heavily damage Nintendo. But as regards EA is this equally true? A new movie license year in year out that offers the same variety in gameplay but a new storyline? FIFA is a prime example, are the yearly updates worth another £40? Did it cost as much to make as the new Zelda for example? I doubt it heavily and it is Nintendo themselves that generated a more startling point.
With the pre-orders of Zelda and for a limited period after the launch of the game you got a free game. The game was a simple update of the old N64 game Ocarina of Time and Ura-Zelda. But the game was free, it was used to promote the new Zelda yes but it was also free. The games would have required as much effort (with the changing format and frame rate improvements) as the new FIFA. The Sonic Mega collection offers a collection of even older games with no improvements whatsoever (the games still suffer slow down despite being ancient 16-bit titles) and SEGA still ask for a £40 pay out. FairPlay are also keen to point out that if old titles are being repackaged for just £20 (PS2’s platinum range) then why can’t new ones cost the same? Sony says the games are being reproduced internally so there is no need for Namco for example to pay Sony to produce a load of extra games. Sony also stress that they are re-released so gamers believe they could get cheaper games if they wanted.
Personally I question FairPlay, they miss out some vital facts despite being ‘industry insiders’, they attack everything in sight and called ELSPA workers as 50 year olds who haven’t played a game ‘since Galaxian’. A needless and unprofessional comment and FairPlay make them frequently… neither side offers facts of figures and at least one side act professional. Whereas I don’t agree with FairPlay’s boycott I do have to agree that maybe games could be cheaper and that it might be worth a go. After all the ELSPA did comment on the rise of 5% overall revenue saying: "The increase in sales revenue... is due to a significant fall in the price of discs and cartridges".
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
Page: