The Real Costs of Games. 2nd Edition.

Before Skipping Ahead.

Most people shouldn't be thinking about what games to buy. Games are even better when reality doesn't come to bother your enjoyment of them. They should simply be there to bring you a good time or make life better. If you believe this, share this series with someone who does think about what games to buy so they can recommend good games for you. After that, never read a post from this series ever again. Make sure to thank your reviewers for being so thoughtful too. They are the real ones for having to deal with the complications reality has brought to gaming. And yet, if you want to be among those who give their time and thoughts to making games simple and great, continue on.

Why has gaming become so terrible?

We could answer this by saying mOnEy RuInS eVeRyThInG or something similar, but constant reaffirmation of such hasn't made us do anything different regardless of whether it's true or not. The better conclusion I found is that the making and appreciation of games almost never respects the time and money put in to making them. The only way we are able to get players to pay for more than what we feel the game deserves is through tricks that fool players broadly or selected to paying for more. Only the smaller games have a chance to be an exception, but it's almost never the case. This is why it has become extra complicated to figure out how much a game really costs. Even worse, with many other industries, it's part of the job to find quality products. Games on the other hand are being bought by people who won't be putting the same level of thought to figure out the true costs. Parents and players will pick games simply because they look good without anyway of seeing past the artwork that is worth the time. This is where you come in to change that. For whatever reason, you have the luxury of spending time looking past the artwork and get to see why the game is on the shelf. With that knowledge, you can get a better idea what games are worth the time and money of yourself and most people. Although your advice might not always be followed because of some other factors like personal taste that can't be fully tested in your cost model, you can at least solve some parts of game shopping for your peers.

What should shape your cost model?

The potential costs of a game are constant, but whether any of those costs are worth paying can very between people and context.

This is because the cost of pretty much anything is more than just your money. Pretty much any potential consequence could be considered a cost. Consequences can consist of the money you give along with your time spent and so many more that I could never fully represent here. Use pretty much anything you know about the game itself and the people who benefit from it along with all the other factors behind the purchase to determine the cost and if it's worth paying.

My cost model as an example.

These are questions that I often ask myself to figure out cost and if a game is worth buying. Feel free to use this to help figure out what you value or discourage in games. Just remember to have your own opinions before reading so that we may have disagreement and make both of our models better.

I don't need to consider all these factors for every game.

Is the experience I will get worth the time to spend?
1. This is the ultimate test.
2. Games that try to be the last game I play score low.
3. Games that eventually end regardless of length score high.
4. This can also be considered while playing a game as new factors arise as well.
What is the price of getting everything?

Complete experiences score higher. Even if a complete edition has other costs.
History of rolling content updates or paid DLC score lower.
Games that have limited edition content or items score even lower.
Low scoring features can be compromised if such seem consistently fair. Deep Rock Galactic cosmetic packs are one such compromise. Doesn't mean I forget them for scoring. Just means they are good enough to beat the negatives they concurred.

Will I be satisfied after purchase?
1. Games that create new desires/problems or never fulfills my desires/problems are never worth paying. Live service and Gatchas will commonly grant short term satisfaction that seems to never last into retrospect. Refer to note i for limitations.
Will I be able to keep the game?
1. Most games and expansions physical and digital grant a license to play rather than any protected ownership. Is it likely someone will use that to take away the game? If so, then I should almost never buy. Otherwise, keep it in mind and do something to insure that can't happen.
2. DRM and Anit-cheat systems are a sign that a game could be taken away. Score them low.
3. Console aren't worth taking care of long term in my opinion. Once my system or controllers are broken, it will be much harder to play the games again. The ease of use of consoles is nice, but those costs outweigh the benefits. Score low.
How does the game compare to other games I like?
1. Many games will lose to something and score less. This is because some schmucks will spend their time making masterpieces that devalue the currently in review game. Sometimes these masterpieces are given out for free or some other lesser costs as well.
2. When comparing to similar games, I can weed out games that aren't novel or unique by scoring them low. Even if a game is worth it otherwise, our limited time makes playing similar games way less enticing.
3. Games that expand upon games I love or genres score high despite the previous games contributing to selling the currently game in review. Refer to note i for why this doesn't conflict with 3a.
How volatile is the game?
1. Games that can change in any factors listed are scored by worst case scenarios. For example, games and expansions that could change price unpredictably score low.
2. Games at the risk of delisting can create fomo that is hard to avoid, but if a purchase can be avoided to deter such practice, then follow through and score low.
How will purchasing the game effect what other games and products will become?
1. Games that are build off of other negative consequences score low. Supporting ESA members score low. Any game that is contributing to making this model more complicated score low.
2. Many games will still win despite losing to many of these points. Consider what other actions I can do to mitigate the negative consequences despite my purchasing decisions. Sometimes, speaking with my wallet has become too insignificant on it's own for one reason or another.
How do all these factors weigh on each other?
1. Some factors cancel out. Some are added to the tallies. Break all of it down to determine my decision or wait until I get more info.

Extra notes:

i. 3a only concerns with games and products in games that take away something from itself or other games by knowledge or existence that costs to ratify. Otherwise, games with possible squeals or genre expansion would score low which is pretty much every game. The problem of media creating costly desire is outside the scope of the model.

Graduation.

Now that you have read all of this, you have obtained the power and cursed knowledge of how to buy games. You can never enjoy games as much as everyone else ever again. This also comes with the responsibility to help other people determine what games are worth their time and money. It's not like they are cursed so you might as well help them get the enjoyment you were looking for.

Lastly, I also write other blog posts and bulletins about "The Real Costs of Games" if you want to make everything even more complicated. Check out the whole series here. Have fun. >:)

The Real Cost of Games 2nd Ed. Version 2.1.1

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