eKibitz - Videogame Price Gouging

Knowledge Reviews Technology Resources Money Humor & Satire Professional

Self-Help Family Relationships Motivation/Inspiration/Self-Help Holidays Do It Yourself

eKibitz » Technology » Videogame Price Gouging

Videogame Price Gouging
Written By: Joseph Gillespie

I've noticed a disturbing trend in the recent months, and I'm not particularly fond of it... as a consumer at least. Games which have become quite popular long running series, are getting a lot of attention from Hollywood recently. Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Halo all have movies released or in production, and there will likely be more by next year. That's awesome, especially since most of the movies are quite good.

But here is where it becomes a problem, go to eBay, Amazon, etc and look for any of these games. Especially Final Fantasy 7 - which is currently listed on Amazon at $80 for a used copy and $164.98 for a new copy (and not even new original, a new re-release "Greatest Hits" version)! Now, in this case I fully understand the rarity of this game. It's extremely popular, and very hard to find. However, on that note there are 50 copies for sale on Amazon alone. With more on eBay and Half. So, yes the game is rare, but there's no shortage of them for sale. Silent Hill is on Amazon for $50 for a used copy and $70 for a new copy (also "Greatest Hits"). This is a for the original PlayStation version of Silent Hill. Finally, Resident Evil for PlayStation is currently on Amazon for $129 New, however much more reasonable prices are available for the used copy, at only $24.

These prices are staggering. In comparison, a pre-order for the limited edition of Gears of War for Xbox 360 is only $70. As well, a pre-order for Halo 3 is only $60! Who in their right mind would pay $100+ for an old PlayStation game? Better yet, who would think someone would pay that much? I fully appreciate the market is hot for these games, and they will be marked way up. But, I wouldn't expect more than around $60 - which is $10 more than what these games retailed for brand new when they were NEW RELEASES! Today they are not worth $100+, even if they are marketed as "collectible" or "greatest game ever" etc.

I am trying to look at this from both sides, the consumer and the retailer. From both sides though, it seems wiser to be more logical in the pricing. I admit that I paid $50 for a copy of FF7 for the PlayStation after watching Advent Children, but I wasn't happy about it. However, here's my point. Consumers who are hardcore gamers are willing to put out the same amount for a classic as they are for a new title. So, if retailers set the price for these games at ~$50 they would sell. And at a great profit considering other older games, even those in the same series, barely sell for $12. In fact, Final Fantasy 8 for PlayStation is on Amazon right now for only $11. $70 for FF7 - $11 for FF8. That's obviously some serious greed going on there.

As I stated above, I fully appreciate the fact that since these games have received increased exposure they will be marked up. My issue is with the gross amount that is being presented, prices that are shocking even if they were for the most highly anticipated games on the current generation. In addition, I have actually seen a copy of FF7 for $80 - that did not include the first disk! That was the most shocking display of this insanity to me. A faulty copy of the game, still for $10 more than a brand new game. At these prices, gamers are not going to be able to purchase the games. I can lookup the script or plot for any of these games online for free, and get any story fix I may be looking for. It's not as fun, but it's better than not eating for a month just to play an ancient game.

I also want to take a moment to point out that I am NOT trying to say that Amazon, eBay, or any actual retail company is price gouging. I am speaking solely of the third parties who use these sites to sell their copies. These are more often than not just average gamers who seem to think they can take advantage of other gamers. And that's why this is so sad. My plea to the people who own these classics and are trying to sell them, look inside to your inner gamer, and think what you'd be feeling if this was happening to you. Here's a fond memory you wish to relive being horribly tainted by the anger and frustration of the greed that's being presented to you. Put the prices in competition with new releases if you want to really mark them up, around $70 is a huge markup but would still sell, however this $100+ stuff is just crazy.

Last Modified: September 3rd, 2006

Printer Friendly Version
Digg this
Add to del.icio.us
Add to technorati
Newsvine

Comments on This Article:

mccabe
03 Sep 2006, 07:29

Come on - it's simple marketing stuff - supply and demand. If idiots will pay $$$ for the games then good luck to the people selling 'em. Classic gaming is quickly becoming an industry like any other - personally speaking I can't wait for Uwe Boll to make 'Space Invaders'.