Would you buy a game for $10?

Kaeru Gaman · Post by **Kaeru Gaman** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:43 pm

I normally pay €10,- a game at the ak software pyramide...
just bought AgeOfMyth+Addon last week, and two Civ4 Addons the week before.
this is an amount I often spent for a game without test or demo, just because it could be fun.
I also like Magazine-Versions for €5,- up to €8,-

more (€15 - €25) I only pay for games I really want and already have decided,
like I'm waiting for Anno1701, AOE3 and Settlers6 to get down to €20,-

€20,- is too much for me for simple games like a bunch of companies offer,
trial version play an hour, pay 20,- for full version...
those games are often too simple to be worth 20, for 10 I may decide to get them.
there are maybe a dozen games I would have bought if they were 10 instead of 20...
(like Sunshine Acres, Ranch Rush, etc.)

I don't use torrent as a matter of principle, if a game is too expensive for me, I don't get it.

GeoTrail · Post by **GeoTrail** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:04 pm

Here in Norway, many new games costs around $112. So a price of $10 for a game sounds ridiculous. But yeah, if I find a nice looking game for $10, or other software that costs $10, I tend to buy it to try it.

Tipperton · Post by **Tipperton** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:20 pm

GeoTrail wrote:Here in Norway, many new games costs around $112.

Ouch!

And I thought $50 to $60 USD was a bit much to pay for a game...

DarkDragon · Post by **DarkDragon** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:33 pm

Tipperton wrote:
GeoTrail wrote:Here in Norway, many new games costs around $112.
Ouch! And I thought $50 to $60 USD was a bit much to pay for a game...

We pay 50 to 60 Euro (~ $37) ... in Germany for newcomers.

Kaeru Gaman · Post by **Kaeru Gaman** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 7:54 pm

DarkDragon wrote:We pay 50 to 60 Euro (~ $37) ... in Germany for newcomers.

sorry, DD, you got the factor the wrong way round.

€50,- = US$ 66,49

and yes, there are some newcomers over 50,- on PC but most are even starting with 45,-
for console games 60,- is a normal starting price.
the most expensive I saw (5 years ago) was Socom2 with Headset for PS2: €89,-

DarkDragon · Post by **DarkDragon** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:58 am

Kaeru Gaman wrote:
DarkDragon wrote:We pay 50 to 60 Euro (~ $37) ... in Germany for newcomers.
sorry, DD, you got the factor the wrong way round.

€50,- = US$ 66,49

and yes, there are some newcomers over 50,- on PC but most are even starting with 45,-
for console games 60,- is a normal starting price.
the most expensive I saw (5 years ago) was Socom2 with Headset for PS2: €89,-

Oops

I had 4 months no mathematics. Well I knew the euro was more worth than dollar, so I changed it backwards

. Was a bit puzzled.

Console games of the wii could be sold for 25€, but they sell it for 40€ (But just a few are over 40€ on the wii).

The most expensive game I've ever seen was Guitar Hero or something like that with the Guitar and ... ~140 or 170€.

blueznl · Post by **blueznl** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 9:47 am

Now the joke is that we often pay in Euro's what it's in the US in Dollars, ie. a game available for 50 bucks in the US typically costs here 50 euros... or more!

The same thing applies for consoles and handhelds. Take the nintendo DS. Picked up a new one in the US for 129 dollars, that's just the regular price, whilst the cheaper chains here sell the same box for 149 euro or even more.

Nintendo's new DSi will have region coding again, that's one box my kids won't get...

LCD · Post by **LCD** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:47 am

I paid us$ 150,- for a 3D Software imported from the States (unstable and with fu...ng copy protection which forced me to insert the original CD every time I start it). The name was Animation:Master 2000 and it was the last software with copy protection I ever purchased.
I do not like computer games very much, except for a few exceptions like Civilisation (surely not, if online games) and retro games (not the remakes, on real retro machines), so it depends only on the game type and copy protection, but not the price. I do not buy games because they are cheap.

Froggerprogger · Post by **Froggerprogger** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:23 am

I would pay 10 EUR for a good game. But there's one trouble-point: How to pay?
When I go to the supermarket and see some discountered games, I sometimes simply buy one.
But in the internet there's the trouble of paying. I have no credit card (a common 'problem' in Germany), and so paying by invoice for oversea-software seems to be very complex and possibly unsecure to me. If there would be a simple 'buy'-button and all behind would be automatic and secure transferring my money to the target I would much more often pay for things in the internet, e.g. for donate-ware.

Kaeru Gaman · Post by **Kaeru Gaman** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:50 am

ah, good point, FP!

paying overseas IS a serious problem.
Not much people in Central Europe use a Credit Card.
Some are registered to PayPal, some use Amazon.

If you want to sell broadly in Europe, you should offer payment via PayPal and Amazon Marketplace aswell.
... and if you also add ebay-buy-now function, you would cover everybody who likes to click&buy a 10-bucks-game...

Marco2007 · Post by **Marco2007** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 1:32 pm

I got a Prepaid Visa:
Austrian Link: http://www.electronprepaid.at/

GeoTrail · Post by **GeoTrail** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:42 pm

The Visa Electron has many limitations. Especially here in Norway, it can't be used in cabs or online purchases.

Marco2007 · Post by **Marco2007** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:59 pm

I never had problems...worked everywhere, I tried it (Paypal, some stores, Avira, lottery, ...).

berryoxide · Post by **berryoxide** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 11:45 am

Yesterday I was in a second hand PC game shop. They actually sell new and used stuff, but I found a new copy of Prince of Persia Warrior Within for 8€ (roughly 11$). Previously I had played only The Sands of Time and it was a torrent download with a no-CD crack and some other stuff. I found the game nice then and I wanted the sequel of it but at the time it was released I didn't have enough money and I was upset with cracks and their problems and therefore didn't pirate the game either. Now about 3 years later I find it brand new for 8€. I wasn't skeptical, I took my wallet out and bought it. Played it now for a few minutes and I must say it is IMPRESSIVE! Even for a 3 years old game it is great and like a wise guy once told me, it's not about the graphics or the music, it's about experimenting, fun and nostalgia. The same shop had the newer installment of the game, The Two Thrones for 25€. For that price I was like "nah, too expensive".

The cool thing is that the game was brand new and not used. However I do go much more often to buy used games (of course after looking at the game discs for scratches, etc) because they're cheaper and no one cares if it is used (should it be an offline game, online games like Spore need to be bought new because of the activation key).

Anyways, here is a teenager with a game he bought for 8€ and end result = HAPPY.

Kaeru Gaman · Post by **Kaeru Gaman** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 12:11 pm

[half OT]
I found "Prince Of Persia - The Two Thrones" and "Glory of the Roman Empire" and "Thief" and "Gothic" for 2,50€ each in a rummage last but one week ...