The market for video games has risen steadily over the past decade, and gaming culture has become increasingly popularized through live-streaming and social connections. Gaming, in many ways, reflected the new century’s movement into digitalization. It took the leisure activities that were already popular, like sports, movies, and board games, and brought them to the screen.
Its adoption into the mainstream was not smooth and was often blighted by media touting the negative ramifications of gaming. Like with any new form of entertainment, the old modes will aim to prove their uselessness before it gains momentum. When television first came into the frame, skeptics felt that the American family wouldn’t or couldn’t sit and stare at a box every night. In the 1950’s there was criticism that television would weaken family life and take kids away from other physical activities. Video games got that similar treatment in the nineties and early 2000s, with the campaign to “play outside.”
Thirty years on from first-generation consoles, these claims of harm seem to have faded into obscurity when it became clear that video games were here to stay. Not only did they remain, but they also grew into communities and fandoms that support multi-billion-dollar franchises. The issue now, however, is not the gamers but the precarious nature of buying games today: digitally purchased licensing.
License to Play But Not to Own
Many of the purchases that are made in today’s market are through respective consoles’ online stores. Much like e-commerce has continued to dominate and reinforce consumer behavior, virtual stores bring personalization and ease. It’s led to the fall of once-crucial institutions such as GameStop and EB. The tandem decline of popularity for physical stores and game discs, in some ways, exacerbates the license debate.
Essentially, video game purchases for both physical discs and digital copies operate in the same way. The gamer is not buying the game itself, but rather the license to play it because of copyright and intellectual property laws. Even the physical disc acts as a digital ‘key’ to tell the console that the person is allowed to play this game. This has raised concerns within the gaming community about playability in the event of server shutdowns or bankruptcy of the gaming company.
The Rise in Video Game Prices
While it’s not a high risk that games could become unavailable after purchasing a license to play them, this potential issue concerns the fair-play and authentic nature of gamers. Beyond the chance of losing access, the crux of the issue is the price. In GameStop’s heyday, AAA games would cost $50, but now they cost $70. Prices for new games coming out are expected to climb. Microsoft and Nintendo earlier this year announced they’re raising prices to $80 for games in both formats, including, egregiously, Mario Kart World.
Asking gamers to pay the same price for a digital and physical copy of a game is somewhat nonsensical. Additionally, online multiplayer is a key priority for gamers today, putting a greater sense of jeopardy on licensing as well as contributing to the cash cow of microtransactions.
The cost of everything has gone up, and some may argue that a $20-$30 increase over 20 years is very consumer-friendly. Detractors will say GTA V launched for $60 in 2013, which is equivalent to about $83 today, so the concept of expensive games isn’t new. GTA V was a bar-setting AAA game, and gamers will tell you it was worth the $60 as they’re still playing it today. There is just no way to convince gamers that Mario Kart World, despite being an open-world game with exploration capabilities, is worth the same.
Gamers’ Choices Will Have Its Market Influence
The cost of these high-level games, however, is unlikely to drop back down again except for a sale. It forces gamers to say, “I’m begrudgingly paying $80 not to own a game.” Again, it is highly unlikely to lose the license; however, in the age of online multiplayer dominance, a company shutting down its servers effectively kills the experience, even if there are still offline game modes.
The model, however, is unlikely to change despite gamers’ protestations because of the copyright laws, but also because the market is still succeeding. The only changes that will occur are going to be that games are going to get more expensive and it’s up to the gamers to shape the market with their purchases.
