$80 for a Game? In This Economy?!
Yeah, how dare they give you a complete product when you could be drip-fed debt instead.
Let’s all take a moment of silence for the gamer forced to pay $80 for a Switch 2 game. Tragic. Unthinkable. Practically a hate crime against wallets.
I mean, why pay once for a finished product when you could spend hundreds of dollars for the privilege of chasing digital hats and gun camos?
The Glorious Victory That Doomed Us All
But let’s be fair. Gamers didn’t ask for this.
No, they fought back—valiantly!—when publishers tried to raise prices from $50 to $60 in the PS3 era. They said:
“How dare you charge ten more dollars for better graphics and online features!”
And when the PS4 era rolled around with ballooning development costs?
“$70? For a disc? I’ll wait for a sale.”
And so, in an act of mercy, the game industry responded:
“OK. You win. We won’t raise the price.”
They just invented DLC, loot boxes, cosmetic stores, season passes, limited-time events, premium currencies, and a full-blown gambling economy wrapped in anime skins.
Gamers won.
And now they’re paying $300 a year for free games.
Incredible work, everyone. Truly inspirational.
Finished Games Are So Rude
Nintendo has the audacity to drop a complete, self-contained experience—no loot boxes, no battle pass, no “Founder’s Pack” of horse armor—and they want $80? Up front? With no way to spend more later?
Absolutely uncalled for.
Meanwhile, over in GTA Online, people are casually spending 30 a day to buy flying cars, gold-plated guns, and penthouse casinos they’ll barely use. That’s not gameplay—that’s financial Stockholm Syndrome with a six-star wanted level.
But sure, let’s keep flaming Nintendo.
Let’s Talk Console Live-Service Vampires
You thought mobile games were bad? Console games looked at that model and said, “Hold my V-Bucks.”
GTA Online: Shark Cards that buy you fake cars and yachts that serve no gameplay function. Some users drop $500+ a year and still don’t own the good stuff.
Fortnite: Rotating skins, collabs, battle passes, and FOMO so ruthless it should be investigated by the Hague.
Call of Duty: Pay $70 for the game, then another $20 a month if you want your soldier to wear glow-in-the-dark joggers.
Destiny 2: Expansion packs, seasonal content, battle passes, exotic ornaments—this game doesn’t have a roadmap, it has a toll road.
Diablo IV: $70 base game. $90 Collector’s Edition. $30 premium pass. And don’t forget the $25 horse armor. Literal horse armor.
But yes, let’s definitely keep calling one-time payment gamesgreedy.
Let's See Some Receipts
| Game Type | Price Tag | Realistic Annual Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 Game | $80 once | $80 (that’s it) |
| Fortnite | Free | $200–$400 |
| GTA Online | Free | $300–$1,000+ |
| Call of Duty (Live) | $70 | $250+ |
| Destiny 2 | Free-ish | $200–$500 |
| Mobile Whale Game | Free | $1,000+ |
So yes. That $80 game is the real scandal here. Not the $40 Pikachu hoodie in Warzone.
Death by a Thousand “Limited-Time Offers”
Live-service games don’t rob you once. They mug you in monthly installments. Their business model is “digital layaway with no payoff.” They’ve weaponized FOMO, seasonal exclusives, and color palette swaps to turn psychological manipulation into billion-dollar revenue streams.
And you fall for it.
Every. Single. Season.
The Illusion of Frugality
You’ve seen the player who screams “$80 is too much!” while:
Equipping a $20 skin pack
Rocking a $30 weapon bundle
Buying a $15 XP boost
Subscribed to two battle passes
And preloading a $40 “Ultimate Pack” that includes early access to disappointment
They’re not being frugal. They’re just on a payment plan for regret.
Meet the Whales
Only 2–5% of users bankroll live-service games. They’re called whales, and they’ll casually drop $500 a month to unlock emotes, mounts, and hats you’ll never see again after Tuesday.
That’s the backbone of live-service monetization.
And somehow, we call them “dedicated” and you, for buying one complete game, “fiscally irresponsible.”
Let’s Review
$80 one-time purchase: evil
$250/year for dance moves and anime swords: completely normal
Finished games: a scam
Games designed to extract money forever: the future of entertainment
Gamer logic is wild.
Final Thought
The next time someone complains about Switch 2 game prices, gently remind them that their beloved free-to-play title just charged them $18 for a pet rock and $25 to recolor their boots.
And the kicker?
They’re excited to do it again next week.
