The selective stinginess of gamers


In general, it seems like PC-gamers are more than willing to spend on hardware, but not as much on software. Conversely, console-gamers are more than willing to spend on games, but not as much on hardware.

I see it all the time. PC-gamers spend hundreds of dollars on a single video-card, a hundred-dollars or more each on headsets, mice, and keyboards; but when it comes to games, they will wait for the Steam-sale.

Console-gamers love to buy physical, special editions of games they sometimes play for an hour and then shelve. They routinely buy expensive physical games, but scoff at the idea of purchasing digital copies of games, even if it's cheaper.

One of the latest developments in the stingy console-gaming landscape is the Nintendo Switch. People are crying about how expensive the accessories are, like the JoyCons and the Pro Controller. They are also crying about how expensive the console itself is. If we can group all gamers together, it's amazing how one group of people can willingly spend hundreds of dollars on hardware before they buy a single game, and another group must practically be given hardware and offered physical copies of software.

For both their respective gaming-communities, the stinginess is costing them. For PC-gamers, multiplatform-games do not sell the best on their platform, so developers are less likely to make sure that the PC-versions are bug-free or optimized. For console-gamers, hardware-manufacturers like Nintendo cannot offer more powerful hardware because they know their audience is very price-conscious and want to spend as little money as possible.

For myself, I lie somewhere in the middle. I have dabbled in the extremes of both PC-gaming and console-gaming but I have come to a moderate middle-ground. The next time we come across a price that triggers the Ebenezer Scrooge within us, let's not react so harshly and immediately; and think about how the company arrived at that price, and the repercussions for not supporting it.

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