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In a world facing recession and peering at possible depression, it's easy to believe that video game prices are far too high. Who wants to pay $70 for a single game that might only take up a few hours of their time before being completed?

Not me, of course. But then, not every game costs that much - and so there's no easy answer to the question 'Are video game prices too high?'

The newest games for the Playstation often travel into this ludicrous amount. Some older, rarer, 'classic' games can zip even higher, well into the hundreds. But on average most games cost between $30 and $60, depending on your console of choice, and I don't think that price tag is unreasonable.

Why? Because video games are a luxury. They're not something you NEED to get through your day. An injection of Mario into your system is not a requirement for surviving a tough week, nice though it may be to have the plumber swimming through your veins. Luxury items are almost always going to cost more than the basic requirements for living, and if nothing else the extra price helps remind us that we DON'T have to own these games to keep on trucking.

One also needs to take into account that prices almost universally start out high. It's not just a video game phenomenon. Any product you can think of will begin life expensive and then, over time, slowly dwindle down to a more manageable price. That's the way consumerism works, so placing blame on gaming companies along isn't quite expansive enough. If you can't afford a game now, just wait a while and the price will (almost always) drop, especially if the game in question wasn't that good to start with.

Or, hey, just buy a used copy. They usually work just as well.

Most important to me, however, is the fact that games need to be a bit pricey. I know from the standpoint of a consumer that sounds a bit weird, but the fact is gaming companies need to recoup their losses, especially when a new gaming system comes out. On average video game companies lose a monumental amount of money building and releasing swarms of new gaming consoles. That money needs to be replenished, and that replenishment comes via game sales. In order to keep these companies churning out new games they need to expect a certain level of profit, and inflated prices do that.

I'm willing to shell out a few extra bucks if it means games will continue to appear in the future. And, if nothing else, spending a slightly outrageous amount of money on a game just means I need to complete it all the more thoroughly before moving on to something else. Get as much fun out of your games as you can and those price tags won't seem quite as bad in the long run.

Learn more about this author, Matt Bird.
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