I just made an interesting realization. Many retailers put a crapload of games on sale for 50-85% off or more ever since Black Friday with most of them being 75%+ off, both on new and old titles alike which is great. But what I've observed is that many of these titles, such as the new Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, and a whole host of other popular current titles as well as game packs and collections are on sale either ongoing or recurring in a frequent rotation either on the same retailer, or from one retailer to another. For example, Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite are on sale on Amazon for $9.99 or less pretty much every single day since November. If they went off sale at all it was maybe for 15 minutes. :) If they're not on sale on Amazon, they're on sale on GMG or Gamer's Gate or Steam etc. virtually every single day somewhere, then the're on sale on Amazon again.
Essentially these games are not even on sale really, they are just regular price of $9.99. For it to be a sale, it'd have to be a higher price normally and the sale is a price reduction... but since it is never on regular price it isn't really a sale now. It's entirely psychological, and I totally get the marketing concept of overpricing things for periods of time then putting them on sale to kick in a buying frenzy, but it would seem that now things are just on sale all the time and it isn't even a sale anymore. You know you can buy it whenever you want and not pay a dime more than 75% off, so you're not compelled to whimsically buy a game at that price even anymore thinking it is an offer that might not happen again for some time. No, now you know it'll happen tomorrow again if not on store A, then on store B and again on store A next week.
Everyone has different experiences and perceptions and motivations, but I'm pretty much feeling at this point like I never ever have to pay $60+ for a game ever again, or even $30 really. The majority of games that come out that I'm actually interested in, whether they are AAA titles or lesser known don't really cost $30-60 anymore. Almost all of them are on sale 10-50% off not just on release day and afterward, but even BEFORE they're released. Hell, the new Thief game has been listed on Steam for like 2-3 months now giving the impression it came out months ago when it hasn't even been released yet and it has went on sale for 10-25% or more off already! I see this over and over with games and I just think "shit, why ever pay $60?" You can buy the game before it even comes out on sale, you can buy it the day it comes out on sale, a week later on sale, a month later on sale, it's always on sale. But, more importantly for me at least is that they go 75% off or more within 4-8 months usually it seems and sometimes with a drop in the "regular" price that nobody ever pays on top of that. And that's not even considering flash sales and other promotions that are more limited in quantity or scope.
So I can't help but express my immense gratitude to the gaming industry for flooding the market with billions of games and making for a highly competitive market fighting to get gamer's attention and money, which ultimately ends up having to lower prices to compete and have infinite sales that drive prices into the ground. Now I know in almost all cases, one never has to pay more than $5 for even the craziest most intense awesome AAAAA game because it'll be on sale in 15 minutes for $2.99!
There are exactly 2 games on my wishlist that are special to me and which I'm willing to spend more than $10 to get when they come out, and those are The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. These are exceptions to my normal pricing logic because I both want them with excitement, but also due to huge respect and admiration to CD Project RED for their method of development as gamers for gamers and the detail they put into it because of that, plus the stance on no DRM. So, I'll buy DRM enabled games for <= $5 each, but DRM free might get my bankroll! ;oP
Woohoo! It's a great time to be a PC gamer! ;oP
Post edited January 27, 2014 by skeletonbow