this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
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"Mario 64 was 60 dollars in 1995 meaning that it would be about 100 dollars today"

Pay has NOT kept up with inflation. People are poorer.

Folk need to stop pretending like people have as much money as they did in the 90s. Rent costs, house prices are astronomical.

Xbox's business is still impacted today by outpricing people with their initial Xbox One reveal pricing a decade ago.

Nintendo Treehouse comments are absolutely packed with people complaining about prices.

Again, I'm vastly aware that game budgets, inflation etc have increased!

but Pay has NOT increased accordingly. I don't know the solution, but that's the reality.

And I make these points as someone who is lucky enough to earn well enough to just buy them regardless. Most aren't as fortunate.

Game bubbles regularly disregard the poor, unfortunately, as the industry has an above-average number of middle-class background workers.

Price increases combined with physical knock effectively prices the poor out of legally gaming (Buying directly from them/the digital store)

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[–] frogbellyratbone_@hexbear.net 15 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

There are plenty of reasons to hate game companies but "won't someone think of the treats" isn't very compelling lol

fuck Nintendo and all, but it sounds like you're arguing only rich people should be able to afford video games... ://

Cause generally speaking, pay absolutely has kept up with inflation for the last 30 years

are you referring to US?

it hasn't kept up with inflation in the US. you can check almost any median wage chart v. inflation.

edit: just randomly: 137% inflation since 1990 whereas wages only increased 34.3%.

https://inflacalc.com/inflation/us/1990/to/2024

https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/economy/median-american-household-income-over-last-40-years/

https://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2025/01/median-household-income-in-november-2024.html

the picture is even more dire with you compare it to an accurate CPI like True Living Cost or Common Man [sic] CPI.

if you're talking about inflation in video games (i think you are), you're probably absolutely right that it hasn't increased compared to the median wages.

[–] Parzivus@hexbear.net 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Your links seem to agree with me? This is from the third one, income adjusted for inflation has still increased.

fuck Nintendo and all, but it sounds like you're arguing only rich people should be able to afford video games... ://

[–] frogbellyratbone_@hexbear.net 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

read the graph again. nominal is not real wages.

[–] Parzivus@hexbear.net 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I didn't say it was? They've both increased.

[–] frogbellyratbone_@hexbear.net 5 points 4 days ago

looking at the graph, real wages only increased 7%. inflation during that time period increase 80%.

also important to remember, "inflation" is based on the CPI, which isn't truly accurate or fair. if you compare it to an actual, legitimate CPI, it's way way way more fucked.