Is a game ever really worth $60?

I came across this question recently with BloodBorne. Still am somewhat facing it. Historically, I would usually wait about four months or so and find the game that I want for nearly half the price.

There seems to be so much hype around BloodBorne that it's becoming hard for me to resist the temptation, even though I never really played much of any of the Souls games in the series, nor do I really get into dark and gritty games. (It must say a lot about how impressionable I am.)

Besides all that, this isn't so much about Bloodborne, but rather more about the original question. So I ask again; is a game ever really worth $60+, or are we better waiting it out a few months for a much more reasonable sale price?

@SpiderLuke: bro look a game is worth $60 only if you truly like that genre of games, if you only want to try it out or give it a shot then wait a month or two for a price drop so that you can test out if the game suits your liking or not, for example i like the action puzzle type of games with a blend of mystery in involved(uncharted ;) ). it is after all your personal opinion that if you want to grind a completely new genre of the game regardless bloodbourne in general is an awesome game and i can successfully say this that it lived upto its hype, whether you want to try it or not is upto you. :)

For me to spend $60 I must want to have it right when it releases and for it to be something I'm going to invest a lot of time into. Like, 100+ hours. GTA V and Fallout: New Vegas are the last 2 games I remember pre-ordering and paying full price for. So no, I don't think $60 is worth it for most games. I get through a decent amount of games and that's just too much to spend per game, especially when I'm typically done playing a game within a few weeks.

As a new IP Bloodbourne has a chance at becoming a hit. But it could also end up on the gaming graveyard of forgotten IP's. Many videogames have been worth the $60.00 price. Other's have not. But maybe Bloodbourne will stand the test of time. At the very least you have given this game at chance. $60.00 is a lot of money to try on a new IP. But it has to start somewhere. At least you have given this new game a chance. The videogame industry needs more new franchises. But someone has to take the chance and see if a game is really worth the $60.00 brand new at launch.

I think asking $60 for a console-based game or $40 for a NDS cartridge is pretty outrageous. I know someone will jump in here and get on your case about the "work that went into it" how the company "has to make money too" blah blah, but frankly we all know a lot of people worked on it and they need to get paid too, but cut the prices of both in half and I'm guessing WAY more people will be buying games and keeping them, not trading in constantly because it's so damn expensive to own new games.

I say this: are you going to play it at least 4 days a week for at LEAST 4-6 months? Then go ahead and buy new. If it's a game you can beat in a day or two and trade in for another new title? Go ahead and buy new.

If it's a game that you're iffy about, might play for a week or so, don't know a lot about? NO. Wait for used, seriously, try ebay or online even three weeks after a release. You'll find new(er) titles for $45 vs 60 still in stores. $60 is a lot of money for someone like me so they only game I've ever owned that I can say I 150% got $60 use out of is GTAV which I've been playing almost two years now. I've regretted every other game I've bought brand new or ended up trading it in.

In Canada here the new game price is $70, going up to $75 soon. Very few games are worth that price at all, and Bloodborne is the only game I've played in a very long time that I felt I truly got $70 out of it.

$60 dollars isn´t THAT much, on the contrary, previous gen games ( PS1, SNES, NES, N64, PS2 ) were comparably much much more expensive. $300 US for a PS2 console in 2000 was a truckload of cash.

Sure they can be. As raugutcon noted, games have actually done well price-wise as inflation has occurred. A $60 SNES game would be about $100 of our dough today.

If you can get Bloodborne for $40, is that better than $60? Of course. Simple math. But in terms of "is 60 a good enough price?" it comes down to how much money you have and how much enjoyment you get out of it. I got Katamari Damacy for $0.90 the other day on the PSN sale, and I basically got my money's worth within 2 minutes of playing :-P Extrapolate that fun/dollar way of looking at it to a $60 game... maybe compare it to the enjoyment you get from $20 at the movies or a dinner out if you want... at what point was that game $60-worth of fun for you? Personally, if it's a good game of decent length it usually exceeds 3x one Thai dinner of fun pretty easily.

I rarely buy games at launch, and thus rarely pay $60, but I almost always get at least $60 of fun out of the games I buy (even when I payed 30 or 40 for them).

In other words, if you are a discriminating consumer and buy things you did research on and are pretty sure you'll enjoy for the cost presented to you... you'll probably rarely feel ripped off at whatever price you pay for the game. Nothing wrong with waiting, of course, for a lower price (as noted, I often do too)

The value of the game is determined by what you get out of it and we all normally take something away that is different from the other guy. I have a few X1 games that I bought at either full/sale price (all under $59.99) that I'd say were a steal and would not have left me sore if I paid more.

9 times out of 10, they're not.

Oh Jesus Christ....

Gaming is the cheapest it's ever been, if you have a problem paying the least you ever had for games then just stop playing games.

All this "well is it worth it" nonsense is exactly that, Christ

No, wait a month and it'll be half the price.

Depends on the game but usually they are (provided it entertains you). Buying a game that last over 10 hours breaks the game down to $6 an hour. Now think about what other forms of entertainment you can get for $6 an hour. Not much, maybe an early movie or a cheap meal, but a night out will cost you much more than that.

Not really, I've learned from my mistakes...

I don't think games are worth $60. I can't remember the last time I paid full retail for a game. I happily wait a month or two before picking them up. Most games typically fall 50% just a cpl months after release.

Well for one I got bloodborne at best buy 20% plus. 10 dollars credit. For two games were 60 bucks 15 or more years ago and the fact most everything else has doubled in proce but games are still about the same is amazing to me.

A decent meal at a restaurant is $60. It costs $80 to fill my car with gas. I pay $100 a month for my freaken water bill. $60 for a game, to me, is a bargain.

@jakesnakeel: wow you use a lot of water lol my water bill is 15 or 16 a month lol

A game can be worth $60 but that's not to say it makes sense to pay $60 for a game. (if that's not a contradiction) Usually you'd buy a game for less and only if it's so good that you would have paid $60 for it, if not more, unfortunately there is no way to know that without buying it first.

What you hypothetically could do is buy a game for less, and if you like it, buy more copies until it equals $60. And you would be supporting the game in more ways, not just with profit but by increasing the number of copies sold, and by exposing more people to the game.

Well consoles aren't computers so the games are priced high.

I'd disagree with that. Consoles, at least Sony, has caught up with deals somewhat. If a game is new on PC, chances are it is full price, granted it's a AAA game. Prices for a lot of Sony titles do end up dropping after a couple months. They offer a lot of sales too. I'm quite positive that was all inspiration from Steam, though. Playstation's store is looking more and more like Steam every day.

Eh, you disagree completely?

I don't spend $60 on a game as I get used games or wait for a sale but if you get a ton of hours of entertainment out of a game, it is worth the $60 especially when you have the option to sell the game when finished. Look how much it costs to go out for a decent dinner, bar, movie theater, etc. and that is just a couple hours of entertainment. I think the PS3 generation is the cheapest gaming generation when you consider the used game industry, PS+ sales, Amazon sales, etc..... When we start talking about the expensive DLC, it is a whole another story as it beyond ridiculous. We are starting to see games with DLC around the $100 mark. This bothers me way more than $50-60 price for new released games.

I am very excited about Mortal Kombat X - $60...... Now add the Kombat Pack 4 characters (Predator, Jason, Tremor, Tanya) DLC - $30!! Oh come on! Who knows what the Goro DLC will cost? Now we are seeing games approach near the $100 mark after tax and simple DLC..... Mortal Kombat X looks so awesome though.

With the costs of developing AAA games getting higher and higher I am surprised games dont cost more now. More likely were going to see the payment model continue to shift towards things like dota/LOL type deals.

Take Dragon Age Inquisition. That game is MASSIVE. I would easily spend 100 dollars for a game that would take me around 100 hours to beat. If AAA games started costing 75 dollars it wouldnt bother me too much. If you want to experience it right away you can spend a premium. If you can wait for the inevitable sale than more power to you.

if a game I willing to play over 10 hours, $60 is worth!

Agreed, as long as the game is good and lasts a decent amount of time I think $60 is fine.

The value of a dollar is different to everyone. Personally, I don't give a shit about sixty dollars.

@SpiderLuke: i am paying double that... Stop complaining

All depends, personally if the game is fun and enjoyable - it would be worth the money. All games could be longer, have extra features etc. as long as you're having a great time playing it, it pays for itself.

It also depends how badly do you want a specific game as well, if you're not in a rush, waiting few weeks can give you a good discount. ;)

@SpiderLuke: For something like Bloodborne which will probably take me about 100 hours? Yeah definitely. It is currently at about $68 on Amazon for me here in the UK. I'm waiting for it to drop to at least $60 before I buy it. Just on principle of refusing to pay $70 for a game.

But when it hits the original full retail price I'll go for it. Unless I'm busy in which case I'll wait till the summer.

If it's a game I'm really into then yes it is worth it. Couldn't wait to get Bioshock Infinite, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Dragon's Dogma, and Beyond Two Souls to name a few (most recently Bloodborne, loving it so far). Each game was great.

Then I sometimes make the mistake of getting games I'm hesitant about but get great praise so I go for it and regret it, such as with RDR, GTA V, The Last of Us, and Shadow of Mordor.

You can usually tell if you'll like a game or if you are forcing yourself to like it because a lot of people do. Spending full price on a game you are looking forward to usually turns out well.