Think Video Games Are Too Expensive? So Does Valve

You know what I don’t like? Paying out the nose for video games.

I mean, when you consider hours of fun per dollar paid, video games still do pretty well against books and movies. But, all the same, 60 bleeping dollars for a third rate for a console port actually causes me physical pain.

It looks like sales data from the good folks (or future totalitarian government) at Steam have come to the same conclusion. Games are too expensive. By lowering their prices, Steam managed to increase their sales dramatically.

This is what we gamers have been saying all along. Games cost too much!

Can I get an “amen”? Perhaps a “hallelujah”?

According to Valve, when they’ve offered discounted games via their Steam service, they saw huge sale increases. Their 50% off promo for Left 4 Dead saw a 3,000% sales increase—that amounts to a huge revenue increase.

What this ultimately means for we gamers is that the invisible hand of economics is going to drive the prices of video games down. That is, assuming of course, that EA and other heavy hitters don’t take a move from the mafia playbook and start fixing prices.

Oh and can I just plug PC gaming real quick? Yeah. All you guys playing Left 4 Dead on the Xbox 360 must really flush at the thought of we PC gamers playing Left 4 Dead without Xbox Live fees after having bought it for half the price.

(in whiney young Luke Skywalker voice) But, consoles are way better!

My frame rates and pocketbook would disagree. Yeah, you’ll pry my mouse and keyboard from my cold dead hands.

How’s your gaming PC looking these days? If she’s getting outdated, I’d encourage you to check out our gaming PC and gaming laptop reviews for the skinny on performance gaming rigs. Otherwise, more from the international clandestine brotherhood of gamers: