I think once they realised they could sell skins for the price of full games, they were like “fuck it”. I think the only reason this works still is that they have a critical mass of kids who have no way to compare and don’t realise how much they’re getting fucked over.
But as younger generations are more and more aware earlier on, their business model is, perhaps, flailing. But of course they want to apply a business solution to the problem.
My teenage nephew and I share a Gundam obsession. We also both love video games, just different kinds. He was very excited when one shooter or another had a Gundam crossover via skins. He was just waffling a bit since they cost real money. He eventually let slip that they were like $20-25 each. “But you can get them all for like $60, so it’s a better deal than just getting two.”
I was stunned. Dude, you can buy a whole game with that. Multiple games. “Yeahhhh…” You can get a couple HG model kits. Or an MG. “True… but they’re so cool!”
I don’t think he bought the skins. Although a few months later he was angrily reciting the general online discourse regarding Switch 2 game pricing despite not having any Nintendo hardware at all (which is par for the course). And not even two weeks later he’s over the moon about Doom Eternal… which he bought new… at $70… and finished in a week or so. “I can’t wait for the DLC!”
Presumably that nephew isn’t having to budget what to spend on, or maybe isn’t even really spending their own earned cash? Hard to know the value of money when you’ve never had to value it!
I think once they realised they could sell skins for the price of full games, they were like “fuck it”. I think the only reason this works still is that they have a critical mass of kids who have no way to compare and don’t realise how much they’re getting fucked over.
But as younger generations are more and more aware earlier on, their business model is, perhaps, flailing. But of course they want to apply a business solution to the problem.
My teenage nephew and I share a Gundam obsession. We also both love video games, just different kinds. He was very excited when one shooter or another had a Gundam crossover via skins. He was just waffling a bit since they cost real money. He eventually let slip that they were like $20-25 each. “But you can get them all for like $60, so it’s a better deal than just getting two.”
I was stunned. Dude, you can buy a whole game with that. Multiple games. “Yeahhhh…” You can get a couple HG model kits. Or an MG. “True… but they’re so cool!”
I don’t think he bought the skins. Although a few months later he was angrily reciting the general online discourse regarding Switch 2 game pricing despite not having any Nintendo hardware at all (which is par for the course). And not even two weeks later he’s over the moon about Doom Eternal… which he bought new… at $70… and finished in a week or so. “I can’t wait for the DLC!”
Sigh.
Presumably that nephew isn’t having to budget what to spend on, or maybe isn’t even really spending their own earned cash? Hard to know the value of money when you’ve never had to value it!