Publishers 2K, Ubisoft and Bethesda charge Australians more on steam for no reason, proof inside.

... Did you just gloss over everything and only notice the less-than-Spartan comment? That statement was not just directed at games, rather, it was directed at the fact that every single "luxury" item in Australia has that price increase! Computers and phones have an immense markup because they can, and these are practically essential in todays society! Games being comparatively more expensive here is only one part of the problem, not the whole problem. But it is the part that everyone on this subreddit would care about, and one that should be addressed.

The argument that Australian prices are closer to what games should be worth is bullshit. Games are no longer a niche product that barely anyone buys, they are now a massive industry that rivals Hollywood in budget and profits. If they were still a niche product, they would cost more, but they now have such a massive pool of potential customers that they don't need to squeeze every customer dry to get a profit. Sure, the over-budgeted drivel that these AAA companies are releasing is unsustainable, something will give eventually, but that is their fault for putting so much money into the game, not the fault of the consumers for not being willing to pay more.

And I don't even want them down to $60 AUD. I just want some equivalence - give us the game at the same price or comparable to the prices in America, and let our exchange rate deal with the conversion. Don't bump an extra $20USD or more on because you feel like it and expect us to not be displeased.

One final thing: I never said that I wanted our government to get involved and do something about it (knowing them, they would implement a minimum cost limit instead of a maximum the incompetent fucks), nor did I say that I dislike capitalism as a concept. I just wanted you to think about what it would be like if you had to deal with the "Australia Tax", not only in games, but in every facet of your daily life. I wanted you to put yourself in our shoes, and ask yourself if you would feel hard done by.

/r/truegaming Thread Parent