Author Topic: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)  (Read 4292 times)

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FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Basically, This. It has happened before, it will happen again, but why are games released in Europe always soo much more expensive?

 

Offline Shade

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Because people still buy them.
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Offline The E

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Because Europeans are so much wealthier.
If I'm just aching this can't go on
I came from chasing dreams to feel alone
There must be changes, miss to feel strong
I really need lifе to touch me
--Evergrey, Where August Mourns

 
Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Ah and I just bought Portal 2 and the Potato Sack too. 20 euro 'tax' I guess. Oh well, given how many games i got for 75% off last Christmas sale..
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- George Orwell

 

Offline Kszyhu

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
You can buy it in Poland for about 33 euros :D (not by Steam, of course).

 

Offline JGZinv

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
I paid $3 US for Portal 2 after some wheeling and dealing.
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Offline Kolgena

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Doesn't it kind of make sense, since prices are based on the number on the salary and not relative value? It's a bit like someone from China coming to US, and complaining that the stuff is waaay overpriced when you're using Yuan as the reference. Sure, that burger is 5 bucks (equiv 35 yuan) in the US and 15 yuan in China, but your Chinese purchasing power in China isn't drastically different from purchasing power of the dollar in the US. Instant noodles are 50 cents in America, and like 1 yuan in China.

Edit: made it sensical this time.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2011, 05:28:35 pm by Kolgena »

 

Offline Topgun

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Doesn't it kind of make sense, since prices are based on the number on the salary and not relative value? It's a bit like someone from China coming to US, and complaining that the stuff is waaay overpriced when you're using Yuan as the reference. Sure, that burger is 5 bucks (equiv 35 yuan) in the US and 15 yuan in China, but your Chinese purchasing power in China isn't drastically different from purchasing power in the US.

Edit: made it sensical this time.

Except it doesn't. It shouldn't cost valve anymore to digitally distribute a game to Europe than it does to the US.

This is just greed and exploitation. It might no be valve's fault, it might have to do with europe's laws, idk, but if things were fair it would cost the same.

 

Offline Kolgena

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
I think it's reasonable for Valve to do that. If the expected pricing for new releases is set at something, then undercutting everyone else just because you can doesn't make a lot of sense. It wouldn't be fair to the EU game developers who built games in Europe, and have higher operating costs than a game studio in America because of the exchange rate.

That, and free money. You'd be a seriously retarded CEO to turn that away, when the alternative also involves pissing off other game developing companies.

 

Offline Liberator

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Ah VAT at it's finest.  Ripping people off because the "leaders" want more moneys.  If you dig down, I believe that almost everything that is ridiculously over-priced in Euro-land is because of some tax or another.  Thank your politicians the next time they let you vote.
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Offline karajorma

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Try to stay away from politics Liberator, this kind of post is exactly what got you banned from Gen. Disc.
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Offline Liberator

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
At least it's pertinent and mostly accurate.  ;)

Seriously though, it's screwed up that it should be more expensive in digital distribution.  It should be the same price after the currency conversion.
So as through a glass, and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names, but always me.

There are only 10 types of people in the world , those that understand binary and those that don't.

 
Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
At least it's pertinent and mostly accurate.  ;)

Seriously though, it's screwed up that it should be more expensive in digital distribution.  It should be the same price after the currency conversion.

Even if you DO take VAT into account (and yes, we as the people do see things back from that, no need to be so negative Liberator ;) ), there's still an huge prize gap. It also does not adequatly explain the difference between mainland Europe and the UK, since the countries are both part of the EU (import tax related) and charge the same VAT percentages.

It also does not explain the vast price differences between US, UK, and Europe in these cases. Look especially at Bad Company 2, which was made in Sweden, and Far Cry 2, which is published by the french.
« Last Edit: April 18, 2011, 02:15:31 am by -Joshua- »

 

Offline Topgun

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
I would like to remind everyone that the great majority of production costs is not distribution, its development.

 

Offline blackhole

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
I would like to remind TopGun that the only reason this is still true is because developers are being retarded and not investing enough money in proper procedural generation of content, since almost half of that cost is mundane content creation.

 
Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
I would ask anyone to explain inflation to me. Since that appears to be the major cause for the massive price differences: Publishers have not updated their exchange rates since... 2005 or so, still thinking that 1$ is €1.

 

Offline Liberator

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Inflation is the loss of purchasing power of a currency over time due to a myriad of factors including, but not limited to, over issuance of currency into the markets, unemployment, and an over dependance on debt based solutions to induce or maintain an essentially unhealthy economic growth(last one standing gets the bill).

Anecdotal Example:  In 1955(ish) my dad was able to buy a movie ticket and popcorn for a quarter($0.25), last time I went, that same deal cost $15.  By my admittedly shoddy math, that means that in 60 years the dollar has roughly 60 times less purchasing power in 2011 than it did in 1955.  This is admittedly a weak example as there are other markets where there is less devaluation, but it's what it is.

Editorial: If things continue apace in Washington, the dollar will not even be worth printing in about 3 years and will cease to be the defacto world currency shortly thereafter.  I do not know if it can be stopped.
So as through a glass, and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names, but always me.

There are only 10 types of people in the world , those that understand binary and those that don't.

 

Offline The E

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Quote
Editorial: If things continue apace in Washington, the dollar will not even be worth printing in about 3 years and will cease to be the defacto world currency shortly thereafter.  I do not know if it can be stopped.

Cite proof. If you can't, leave your fearmongering out of the discussion. Not that it has anything to do with the topic at hand.

If I'm just aching this can't go on
I came from chasing dreams to feel alone
There must be changes, miss to feel strong
I really need lifе to touch me
--Evergrey, Where August Mourns

 

Offline Davros

  • 29
Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
Go look at the English download of photoshop
then clear your cookies go back and select the u.k as your nationality watch the price jump even though its the exact same version
and it was much more expensive a few years ago but theve give in a little to complaints.

photoshop cs5 $699 or £657 in the u.k which is $1076 when it should be £462

ps: do you know why many monitors in europe only have a vga connector ?
because there is a 14 euro tax if the have a digital connector
« Last Edit: April 20, 2011, 12:48:12 pm by Davros »

 

Offline Ghostavo

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Re: FUUUUUUUU--* (Or unfair pricing in video games)
But 14 euros is not really significant when you are buying a hundred, two or three hundred euro monitor. To be honest, I've never seen a display without at least a DVI connector in a really long time.

What really pisses me off is when a monitor is sold at, say... 300 dollars, gets shipped to Europe and then they convert the price 1:1 to euros and then double it and some more for ****s and giggles.
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