People find ways to fill their boredom – at a cost. It used to be as simple as that: a person would spend around $30 on a repetitive game with little story or adventure. Now, video games can cost double what they once did. 

Despite what people think, inflation has only played a minor role in the increased cost. Instead, the rise in prices is due to salaries rising for creative writers and game developers. For a while now, the main complaint has been that games are reaching an unexpected price and that these games aren’t “worth it.” 

When it comes to video games, the higher cost of games produced by AAA studios is valid, because it motivates studios to keep up in the ever-growing race of graphics and quality. For example, the recent trailer drop of “Grand Theft Auto (GTA) VI” brought in the question of how much it will cost and if it will break into the triple-digit category. Video game graphics are usually a lot better than the trailer, and considering what was shown, “GTA” is looking to be one of the best video game franchises of all time for its graphics. The cost will be worth every penny due to the amazing imagery and hundreds of hours of expected playtime.

Video games rising in price is also largely due to the competition with each other for playtime and story. Larger franchises such as “God of War,” “Resident Evil” and “GTA” are constantly fighting each other for the betterment of the consumer, so paying more is only reasonable if it means the bar keeps being raised for the quality of the games.

The largest question now is about indie games — games made by independent groups and small studios. These companies are raising prices on a smaller level, but it’s providing the same initiative and reward system. The recent release of “Lethal Company” took the internet by storm with low graphics and a fairly simple system at the simple cost of $10. By making a fun, well-written game with loads of playtime hours, the same is accomplishable.

As for board games, such as “DnD,” the price has risen to $15-$25, but even then, with a well kept set of cards and boards, you can make a pack of physical games last a long time. The difference between these tabletop games is that they are repetitive and boring after a while. They are often local to a group the owner wants to play with, and the team of players gets bored after a period of time. The prices of these physical games in stores should not rise, but there’s justification as to why digital video games should be surging in cost.

There is a fine line when a game gets too expensive for what it’s worth, but that’s for the developer studio to handle. If an upcoming game were to cost $100 and it wasn’t “worth it,” then it simply won’t be bought and the fault is on themselves. Games rising in cost is not some terrible result of inflation, but instead it’s the result of better graphics and storyline – improvements game enthusiasts have been asking for.