Video games are fun, entertaining, and are one of my favorite hobbies. Unfortunately, video games are one of the most expensive hobbies to have. In this blog, I will look at expenses strictly from the viewpoint of someone who uses Xbox 360 for their gaming.
If you are just starting out, or if your Xbox dies for the 5th time, you will need a new console. Consoles range in price. For a refurbished Xbox 360, you will pay around $179.99 pre-tax. If you want the new Gears of War 3 ultimate bundle, it has an asking price of $629.99 at Game-stop. http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-360/consoles/gears-of-war-3-ultimate-bundle/93168 This bundle comes with an assortment of things that are completely unnecessary.
The next thing you will need is a game and a controller. A wireless xbox 360 controller goes for $49.99. A new Xbox game goes for $59.99. You can also buy used games for slightly cheaper which vary depending on popularity and age of the game.
If you are looking for an online experience to play with your friends or to see how good you are at Call of Duty, you will need an internet connection (approximately $40 to $80 a month depending on your service provider) and a Microsoft Gold Membership. The Gold Membership, the only way you can play online, ranges from $24.99 to $54.99 depending on 3 month or 1 year subscriptions. If you buy one year, it is much cheaper than buying 3 month subscriptions 4 times. Another problem for online gamers is the ability to connect to the internet. I have many friends who will not run a 300ft ethernet cable from their bedroom to their wireless network router, so they are forced to buy the "wireless network adapter". This costs anywhere from $50 used to $80-$90 new.
The problem with the video games as a hobby, is it is very expensive. I however, have started questioning why things are so expensive. With licensing and fees and disc production, it is feasible that a game can cost $55-$65 dollars. I do not believe however that a controller should be $50 and that a wireless adapter should be almost $100, when a regular wireless adapter for home computer use will run from $25 - $55 and does essentially the same thing. Microsoft requiring payment for online use is another hit to the avid video game fan. Sony offers their service for free and they are doing very well, which makes me start to feel that Microsoft is in it to take every dollar from the consumer they can get their hands on.
After analyzing the costs of merchandise and games and online access, I came across several articles about new "elite" gaming subscriptions. Some game companies are now planning on creating elite monthly memberships for online games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 which will soon be released. http://www.mw3info.com/mw3-subscription-fee/
Another aspect of the price of gaming online is "one time activation." When you get a new game that has online capability, you receive an access code which lets you access online content and play online. For example, when I purchased the new Mortal Kombat for 360, It came with a code that I entered online. This is not a problem until you get to the secondary used game market. If you were to buy my used copy of MK, you would have to pay for another activation code. This in turn creates more profit for the gaming industry and more frustration and expenses for the gamer.
It is my belief that all of this expensive extra content, most of which is useless, is making the consumer weary of their spending on video games. It is definitely changing my view of the video game industry from one that puts out excellent entertainment to one that is purely driven by profit and could care less about the consumer. If you take an interest in video games and are thinking about making it a regular hobby, be ready for a hit to your checking account.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Introduction and The Sims 1000 Years Later
My name is Anthony Martens, I am a Senior at RIC. I enrolled in video game theory because I have been playing video games since I was 4 and it is my favorite hobby. I started out playing Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, and Street Fighter. My current video game interests are open world role playing games, first person shooters, survival horror games, and action games.
In this blog I will take a look at a game in a genre that I don't play, and analyze a game in that genre from the perspective of someone from a society finding this game 1000 years later and playing it.
A video game genre that I do not play is simulation. The game I specifically chose is the Sims 3. Simulating real life is not something that I am interested in, but it will be interesting to take a look at this particular game since it is very popular.
When playing the Sims, a person 1000 years from now would wonder about the physical traits, clothing options, and personality traits of people during our time. Maybe humans have evolved and are much bigger or smaller. They would judge our physical ability immediately, for better or for worse. They may also ponder about the clothing options, as there may be much different forms of clothing if there is clothing at all in a society 1000 years from now. The person 1000 years from now might wonder about the ability to choose personal characteristics. Will they understand what "flirty" or "friendly" means? Will they have another language? These are all questions that will exist if a life form of the future plays this game.
The next thing a person 1000 years from now will ponder is the living quarters, monetary system, occupation, and similarity of needs that the sim has compared to theirs. In the beginning of the game you choose where to live. 1000 years from now houses may not look anything like they do now. They will question the furniture and appliances. What is a refrigerator? What is a stove? They may think our forms of electronic entertainment are primitive, as well as our couches, beds, etc. They may have a system of bartering and trading, not a monetary system like we have now. Also, the trades of the Sims (paper boy, teacher, police officer etc.) may be looked at as odd. Since the Sims tends to be realistic in its portrayal of human needs such as sleeping, eating, and bathing, I am sure a society 1000 years from now will also have those same needs.
After playing a borrowed copy of this game I found that after creating the sim's life and living vicariously through it for a while, I enjoyed unleashing destruction. From starving the sim to creating a fire, it became fun to mess around with the game. A person in the future might also do this to the sim, and wonder about how we were as people and what forms of entertainment we enjoyed.
Overall, I think the Sims being picked up by a civilization 1000 years after ours has been wiped out would look at the Sims 3 and think it was an accurate representation of our society today. They may think we spoke another language or dressed funny, but the lack of sci-fi and action elements would probably lead them to think it is a game based in reality.
In this blog I will take a look at a game in a genre that I don't play, and analyze a game in that genre from the perspective of someone from a society finding this game 1000 years later and playing it.
A video game genre that I do not play is simulation. The game I specifically chose is the Sims 3. Simulating real life is not something that I am interested in, but it will be interesting to take a look at this particular game since it is very popular.
When playing the Sims, a person 1000 years from now would wonder about the physical traits, clothing options, and personality traits of people during our time. Maybe humans have evolved and are much bigger or smaller. They would judge our physical ability immediately, for better or for worse. They may also ponder about the clothing options, as there may be much different forms of clothing if there is clothing at all in a society 1000 years from now. The person 1000 years from now might wonder about the ability to choose personal characteristics. Will they understand what "flirty" or "friendly" means? Will they have another language? These are all questions that will exist if a life form of the future plays this game.
The next thing a person 1000 years from now will ponder is the living quarters, monetary system, occupation, and similarity of needs that the sim has compared to theirs. In the beginning of the game you choose where to live. 1000 years from now houses may not look anything like they do now. They will question the furniture and appliances. What is a refrigerator? What is a stove? They may think our forms of electronic entertainment are primitive, as well as our couches, beds, etc. They may have a system of bartering and trading, not a monetary system like we have now. Also, the trades of the Sims (paper boy, teacher, police officer etc.) may be looked at as odd. Since the Sims tends to be realistic in its portrayal of human needs such as sleeping, eating, and bathing, I am sure a society 1000 years from now will also have those same needs.
After playing a borrowed copy of this game I found that after creating the sim's life and living vicariously through it for a while, I enjoyed unleashing destruction. From starving the sim to creating a fire, it became fun to mess around with the game. A person in the future might also do this to the sim, and wonder about how we were as people and what forms of entertainment we enjoyed.
Overall, I think the Sims being picked up by a civilization 1000 years after ours has been wiped out would look at the Sims 3 and think it was an accurate representation of our society today. They may think we spoke another language or dressed funny, but the lack of sci-fi and action elements would probably lead them to think it is a game based in reality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)