Game Economy Influencing Microsoft Games and Game Prices

E3 2009. Simply mentioning this phrase once caused gamers to trill with excitement, reveling in the information this conference disclosed to the public. E3 09 has become the talk of the gaming community in the weeks following. Gamers got glimpses of many new titles, as well as updates to their systems, and even a type of gaming that involves hands-free control in Microsoft Project Natal. Overall, most gamers agree, this year's E3 proved to be one of the best, at least since they removed the "Booth Babes."

Covered at E3 were several highly anticipated game titles that will be dropping down from "gaming heaven" into our eager hands this fall, i.e. Halo: ODST, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and Assassin's Creed 2. Some game titles were expected, and others were a surprise, however one thing weighs heavily on many gamers' minds: cost.



In the past year, our economy has stagnated and so has the game economy as a whole due to the rising game prices. Americans, many of whom are gamers have suffered because of this. With the higher cost of games (factoring in DLC) and lack of cheap games on the market, many gamers are hard pressed to find the cash to fund their addiction. Microsoft has been long accused of being a cash hog, releasing things in bits and pieces to increase their profit and see Microsoft games market share take off. Just look at their upcoming Halo ODST for example. Even Bungie admits that it shouldn't be more than a $40 addition to the Halo franchise but Microsoft wants to milk it to the tune of $60 for a regular copy and $100 for a collector's edition. Some like me find this to be a bit outrageous.

Also, for instance, Fall 2009 will see the release of Microsoft Avatar Marketplace for the Xbox 360 which will hold free and purchasable additions to gamers current avatars. Many believe such a move is unnecessary and that Microsoft should release all avatar content at no price. But then, how will they make money from the gamers who cannot resist that Halo 3 t-shirt for their avatar?

Personally, after seeing game pricing shoot up, working a minimum wage job and going through college, gaming takes a backseat, as it does for many Americans these days. Gaming is becoming an expensive hobby, though for now, some prices on economy games can be considered reasonable if you aren't solely interested in the expensive games. Sony's free gaming network and recently released free games gives gamers an alternative to Microsoft's money snatching hand.



Whether you're a Sony "fanboy" or a Microsoft "slave," the rising game price and accessories will affect us all eventually. All that we can do is try to make our voices heard and don't be afraid to visit your local used game store on occasion. Remember, we're all in this together and we can make our voices heard through our wallets. Maybe the big dogs will pay attention?