HertogJan: I might simply be too old or actually understand the value of money as I have to work for it
It's quite arbitrary. Surprising how many people who have to work for it still have a mortgage and a car loan. You know, instead of cutting the commute and renting a cheaper apartment close to work, or perhaps driving a perfectly good older car. Coming from that angle, these game prices are just peanuts.
You can also get a cheap mass-produced coffee maker for $30 and drink the cheap, pre-ground variety of coffee that you get from any local market. Or you can enjoy a good home-ground coffee from premium beans made with a premium coffee maker. The difference in price-per-cup is incredible. So is it silly? Similar differences exist for tea..
And then people like to compare the price of things to a movie ticke or eating out or something like that. Like, anything is cheap or at least easily justifiable if it only costs as much as eating out or going to the movies does. As if that were something everyone does, or even can afford to do.
Fun thing, I'm stingy in that regard. I hardly ever eat out, because it just seems so damn expensive (even though the good establishments are definitely worth it in terms of what you get for the money versus what you get if you buy cheap supermarket meals). I never go to movies.
On the other hand, I have.. yes, >1000 games in my library on GOG. Games that I hardly ever play, and games that I won't be able to finish in a lifetime. In hindsight, having 100 games I really like at ten times the price would've been a better deal. Now I don't think 100 eur for costumes is reasonable, but I sort of understand.
You know, recently I've been thinking about how I don't really play games that much, it's just difficult for me to enjoy them and they suck anyway. I figured I should start playing something I wanted to play in my teens, but didn't because I wasted all my free time on games.
So what do I do? Well my old guitar is a pile of crap, and I'm not getting the tones I want from my rig. So I dropped some money on a new guitar, a new multi-fx, and accessories like straps & strap locks, picks, a carry case, etc. We're talking a few grand. Probably around as much as I spent on my GOG games, if not more. I don't actually know how much I've spent on GOG and I'm not sure I want to know.
Still cheaper than my >10 yo car.
Let's talk computers. Two grand on a high end desktop. Is that crazy or not? Some people think 1k eur is a lot to spend on a computer. Others buy a new laptop plus accessories for two grand. Every three years or so. And they also replace their expensive smartphone every couple years...
It's funny how people can justify the price of electronics that they almost treat as disposables. In hindsight, a game that you may be able to play decades later doesn't seem *that* expensive, does it? Not that they are as useful as a computer or a phone. Not that they have that much replayability. Still thought, what if it's a game you *really* like? What if it's one of the five to ten games you buy a year (as opposed to the 100)? Maybe, over the years, it brings more joy than the ten-or-so pizzas you could order for the same money.
The value of money is quite arbitrary, and there's a surprising amount of variety in the way we calibrate our perception of it. It's quite confusing too. That's why I try to refrain discussing the price or "worth" of a game in general, but especially so in reviews. Make enough, rent cheap, and all games are cheap (but maybe not worthy). Make little, and even a $2 game is expensive. Especially if it's not a particularly good game.
EDIT: Regarding kids who don't have to work for money. I was the kid who saved everything up, and then spent it all to upgrade the computer every few years. That's the only way I could play not-ancient games (and that didn't actually leave money for buying games...), and I was still always stuck way behind the curve so the newest games wouldn't run on what I had.
I don't think that's the only way to roll, and I wouldn't judge kids harshly for spending the money on something that you find silly. Truth is, what can you do with the limited allowance when you're a kid? Isn't it for having fun? Then spend it on what you find fun (after carefully judging if there's something else that would make more sense). I'm working under the assumption that their allowance is small enough that it's useless for investing and therefore useless for saving up for big things like a home or a car. So yeah, it's spending money, let them enjoy it. That's one point in life when they *can* enjoy it and not worry too much about the big picture.
(That said, learning to save up and assess the worth of things would be a very useful skill to practice for many people..)
Actually I think this is why I'm still stingy about eating out or going to movies and things like that; I just got in the habit of saving all I get and never spending it on "fun little things" whose cost would add up and keep me from buying the big thing. I still kinda live like that, although having a job and actually getting a paycheck every month changes things quiiite a bit.
