Going out to stores and stopping by the electronics section, you’ll notice just how expensive it is to enjoy video games now. Almost all of the newest games are released on the newest consoles, which are already expensive, and they’re also releasing newer versions of older games, which is unfortunate if you bought the original version of that game.
When considering what exactly counts as “retro,” going based off the video game industry giant, Gamestop, the latest “retro” games operate on the Wii U and the PS3.
Hamilton student and staff gamers complain that gaming is not what it used to be. Newer games require money to advance, while older games relied on your skills.
“The fact that you can’t just pay to win to be good, that is actually progression,” said Humanities junior Nico Navarette. “People are trying to be niche and tap into the old stuff.”
AMPA junior Zachary Rouhi also mentioned the cost of new games.
“Honestly, modern games are super expensive now. Like, $70 for the new Resident Evil or Crimson Desert,” he said. “Games don’t really come out. It’s like the complete package now because now you got to pay [for] the DLC and stuff… getting a whole game when you buy it, I’m not really a big fan of buying $20 DLCs for a game that’s already $60.”
Hamilton E-Sports coach Mr. Guama said older video games are dependent on the user’s creativity, while newer games are dependent on companies’ profits.
“I think people are going back to retro style gaming because they are more thought out than the games that are currently being designed now,” Guama said. “No microtransactions and no life service reliability. When games are currently designed for life service, when a company releases a sequel— or let’s say they run out of business, they can just turn off the servers and people that bought the game can’t play it anymore.”
