Author: Rob Knop (---.comcast.net)
Date: 12-16-2005 06:24
They want to pay less, and receive more, and stretch their dollars and be told what smart shoppers they are for saving money.
Be fair-- people want to pay less and receive more, but that last sarcastic remark makes it all sound very childish.
Squeeze is all around. Yes, every time I say something like this I get flamed by all comers, but the fact is that for many game purchasers, games (in particular roleplaying games) are expensive. Many people have finite disposable income, and with the $30-$35 full color book being (at least one of) the standards for print gaming books nowadays, that becomes a reasonably substantial purchase. Yes, people will come and flame me with all sorts of "how can you say that, compare it to yadda yadda yadda" or "look how much you get" comments; I know, I've been down this flamewar road before.
No, not everybody, plenty of people have plenty of disposable income. And my understanding is that the game industry in general has figured out that the smaller fraction of people with more disposable income make the $35 full-color hardback a better source of revenue than the chepaer $20 B&W paperback. But the fact remains that for many people, games are expensive-- not because retailers are greedy, or because anybody in the gaming industry is making anything close to what they ought to given the effort they put in, but just considering how much disposable income one has and how often one can spend $35 on something which is pure hobby.
I'm not offering solutions, nor am I criticizing anything Marcus has said-- other than the implicit belittling of people who really aren't rich enough to just afford a "good customer" rate of game purchases at full price. It's the gas prices and the health insurance prices, not wanting to be patted on the head and told that you're smart for buying below cost. It's real considerations, not ego stroking. Be fair. There are challenges all around.
0-Rob
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