“Why Expensive AAA Games Are Not Always Worth the Money”

I have always been reminded by gamers that the more a game is costly, the better its quality would be. I used to believe it too. However, this concept is growing tenuous in the recent past. Certain ones of the high-priced AAA games I have played do have some gorgeous graphics, but once the novelty has worn out, the games are not so much fun. I feel like I have made a huge investment in receiving a very low payoff.

Among the things that come into my mind is that a lot of games today appear to be made to make money and not entertain. I feel like the game is still seeking to sell me something, like the expansion packs or even other add-ons even after spending all the cash. This is supported in the Journal of Business Ethics, which reveals that the trend of modern games is to create systems that promote constant consumption over single-use purchases . This observation when playing games is actually immersion disrupting.

Another reason is that price does not appear to be an indicator of quality of a game anymore. There is repetitive information on some of the most expensive games. According to research into the monetization models of AAA games, business models do play a part in the perception of value to players and their perception of the game (Diaczok & Tronier, 2019, p1). It implies that a more expensive price does not always result in an enhanced gaming experience. This makes perfect sense when one reflects on the same. A lot of what we are paying is not the enhanced gaming experience, but marketing and brand name. It is likely one of the reasons why such series as Call of Duty can issue similar titles annually and sell them at full price.

It is this that frustrates me personally. I spend so much money playing games, only to end up doing the same things over and over again. Things such as Cyberpunk 2077 have great games before launch, which is not always the case. It slowly dawns on you that more content does not always imply better content, which will only lead to a waste of time.

Finally, I do not think that the worth of a game can be reduced to the price or graphics. It is a matter of whether it is really fun. I do not feel that the AAA game industry will change soon unless more individuals start questioning the idea that a costly thing is good.