Kady Sands, 21, recalls starting her gaming journey at the age of three, sharing a controller with her father.
However, she has observed a gradual increase in the financial commitment required to sustain her gaming hobby.
According to Sands, the price point has “slowly climbed up over the years,” and with certain titles now exceeding £70, they are becoming “unaffordable.”
For Kady, gaming serves a purpose beyond mere entertainment; she also utilizes it as a means of mitigating the noise of urban environments.
“I sometimes experience heightened sensitivity in public spaces,” she explained. “Having a portable console to focus on offers significant relief.”
The Nintendo Switch 2, a versatile hybrid console that can be used portably or connected to a television, has reportedly sold over 3.5 million units since its recent launch.
This success occurs despite ongoing debates among gamers regarding the console’s £395.99 price tag and the cost of some of its games, such as Mario Kart World, which retails for £74.99 in physical format.
A bundle deal offering the console and Mario Kart World was also available for £429.99.
Nintendo is not alone in the trend of escalating game prices.
Microsoft announced in May that its Xbox Series X consoles would see a £50 price increase, reaching £299.99, while Sony’s PS5 experienced a £40 rise to £429.99.
Kady, who works as a bartender, notes that with the added content often included in new releases, the cost of a major title can equal her earnings from a single shift.
To mitigate expenses, she has adjusted her gaming habits, exploring alternatives to the latest releases from major developers.
Kady finds that smaller indie titles provide “the same amount of enjoyment” at a “much cheaper” price point.
“I’ve shifted away from viewing triple-A games as the ultimate experience,” she added.
Nick Poole, CEO of UK Interactive Entertainment, representing over 2,000 gaming businesses in the UK, states that developers are “always seeking ways to manage production costs,” which are “significantly higher than 10 years ago.”
He attributes this increase to the “really high fidelity graphics” in modern games, requiring “a large number of people involved in the development process.”
“We must acknowledge the rising costs associated with creating these immersive experiences,” Poole added.
Despite this, he argues that gaming still offers good value compared to other forms of entertainment.
He compared the cinema where “you’re paying £15 to £20 for a three hour experience” to gaming where you might pay three times as much for “hundreds of hours of really immersive gameplay”.
For Dirk Casinillo, an aspiring professional gamer and online streamer, video games have served as a “coping mechanism.”
Having grown up in the Philippines and the UK before settling in Llanelli, the 22-year-old said that “moving around a lot and being alone a lot as a kid” led him to build “lifelong relationships” through competitive gaming.
However, he has also observed a noticeable increase in the price of flagship titles.
“It’s almost as if things aren’t necessarily improving,” he said. “They’re just becoming more expensive.”
While Dirk prefers to focus on mastering a few games rather than purchasing many new ones, he recalls when £40 was “considered expensive for a game,” whereas titles now frequently exceed £75.
Despite their concerns about rising prices, many gamers acknowledge the effort involved in creating the games they enjoy.
“People overlook the amount of things you need to do” to develop a game, said Nicholas Mayers, who aspires to design his own in the future.
“The sound, like everything! Movies almost look small by comparison.”
Nicholas, who described himself as “very passionate” about games, uses them as a form of escapism.
He said that when immersed in gaming, he doesn’t “need to worry about a lot of the stuff that goes on in real life.”
Despite their importance, Nicholas admitted that purchasing new games has become “a very hesitant decision” due to increasing unaffordability.
He said he would “play the same games over and over” while saving for new ones, even considering cutting food costs to prioritize gaming.
“I’ll try my best to budget and buy as much stuff in bulk as possible,” he added.
Nicholas is not alone in making sacrifices to continue playing.
According to Kady, based on feedback from Cardiff Metropolitan University’s gaming society, many individuals are foregoing social activities to afford game purchases and subscriptions.
“Lots of people have said they don’t go on nights out or in-person social events,” she reported.
“They would like to do both, but with the rising cost of games, you can’t have your cake and eat it.”
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