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Should Good Indie Games Be More Expensive?

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-wonder-what-the-internet-will-say dept.

spidweb writes "Indie gaming blog The Bottom Feeder has an article on why independent games should be more expensive. The enforced low prices on XBox Live, Amazon, and iTunes might feel good now, but they'll kill off the variety and depth gamers are hoping indie developers can provide. From the article: 'Every year, life is getting more and more expensive. Insurance. Rent. Food. And, at the same time, games are getting cheaper and cheaper, sometimes as cheap as a dollar, as we engage in a full speed race to the bottom. This is not going to help developers stay in business. This is not how a healthy industry is maintained.'"

3 of 150 comments (clear)

  1. More expensive? You mean LESS expensive by RaigetheFury · · Score: -1, Troll

    Look... I'm sorry but 15 years ago games were $10-$15. Most developers use other engines to produce their games so don't give me the BS about how much a game costs to make.

    So now we have very few games with good storylines or replay ability... but "really flashy". Just go to your local store and peer in the window for Xbox, Wii, etc. How many games in there would you give more than a 5/10. But they all cost the same.

    This retarded arguement about indie games should cost more?!? Hell no. Indie games should cost less... in fact ALL games should cost a LOT less.

    The last few games I've bought were all PC games off of steam because they were reasonably priced. If it's more than $30... you're over charging. Period. You can try to argue this with me... but everything past that mark is greed pure and simple.

  2. Re:Economies of Scale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    It should be "Should expensive games be better".

    FYI: Indie =/= Good

    This is also an example of a "indie game".

  3. Re:Economies of Scale by bit01 · · Score: 0, Troll

    No, but there is one in selling more copies. It's called marketing and advertising. You can make the best game of all times, if nobody knows it exists you won't sell it.

    There is this amazing thing called word-of-mouth. Make a decent product and you know what? People will tell each other about it. Remarkable, isn't it? And no paid "marketers" involved at all.

    ---

    The majority of modern marketing is nothing more than an arms race to get mind share. Everybody loses except the parasitic marketing "industry".