So, it'll probably surprise nobody here that I have amassed quite a
collection of video-game catalogs from yesteryear. What can I say; I
like old games and --as much-- I like the ephemera that came with
those games. The boxes, the manuals... and the catalogs.

And I like reading through those catalogs. I like reading what the
marketing team had to say about the games; the things they considered
most important to announce to the world. It really helps tell you the
state of the industry, and what gamers thought were vital features.

But thumbing through these booklets, one thing that doesn't
immediately stand out are the prices. They look so regular. $49.95 for
a brand new game in 1992? Why, that's what we pay today! I guess some
things never change.

...Except, of course, they do. Because the $49.95 of yesteryear could
buy you a heck of a lot more than it could buy you today. And great as
a lot of those games were, for that price you were getting a heck of a
lot less game than you get for that price today. Modern games are huge
and detailed and, unlike the video games of the 80s and 90s which were developed by a few dozen people, the games of 2026 might have teams
numbering in the thousands.

Which is all just a long-winded way of saying that games of yesteryear
were really expensive. How expensive?

Well, I grabbed a few catalogs, and jotted down the price and release
dates of some of the newest games. I tried to keep all the games
within a common date range (e.g., 1992, with a few exceptions). I
mostly selected games that have, over time, come to been recognized as excellent titles (e.g., you probably have heard of many of these
games).

And then I calculated what those games would cost today if we took
inflation into account.*


TITLE PRICE (year) / PRICE (2026) ----------------------------------------------------------------
Darklands $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Deluxe Paint IV (Amiga)** $199.95 (1992) / $445.48 (2026)
Eye of the Beholder II $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
F-15 Strike Eagle III $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
H.E.R.O. (Apple II)*** $39.95 (1994) / $123.79 (2026)
Kings Quest V $59.95 (1991) / $141.71 (2026)
Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Magic Candle III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Mean Streets $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Michael Jordan in Flight $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Might & Magic III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
No Greater Glory $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
OriginFX**** $39.95 (1992) / $91.67 (2026)
Rex Nebular $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
SimCity (Mac Color version)*****$79.95 (1989) / $207.58 (2026)
Star Legions $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Strike Commander $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
Ultima VII Serpent Island $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)



Now, knowing how these games compared to their contemporaries, if they
were to release today, updated so they were equally cutting-edge (in
both production values and gameplay mechanics), is there any chance
you'd pay these sort of prices for any of these games?

I mean, I sure wouldn't... but I did back then. Ultimately, I ended up
buying /all/ these games... albeit not at these prices. It really is a testament to how much more affordable gaming has become... because once-upon-a-time, video games were /really/ expensive!







----

* all prices are of games new, purchased direct from publisher. Which
was never the least expensive way to buy games, but it does give you
an idea of what the high-end of the market was at the time.

** DeluxePaint IV was, for its time, sort of the equivalent of
Photoshop today; one of the premier painting programs. I added it just
to give an idea of how prices of those sort of apps compared.

*** I added HERO because it is one of the first computer games I ever
purchased for myself. I didn't get this price from a catalog, but I
remember it cost $39.95

**** I include this one because OriginFX wasn't even a game; it was a
set of screensavers for Windows 3.1. And yet they cost the 2026
equivalent of $90 USD!!!!

***** I wanted to include SimCity but Unfortunately, the only
publisher catalog that mentioned it was an old Broderbund catalog from
1989, so I picked the 'best' version of the game available (e.g., the
one closest to the PC version that would release a year later)



--- PyGate Linux v1.5.8
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

So, it'll probably surprise nobody here that I have amassed quite a collection of video-game catalogs from yesteryear. What can I say; I
like old games and --as much-- I like the ephemera that came with
those games. The boxes, the manuals... and the catalogs.

And I like reading through those catalogs. I like reading what the
marketing team had to say about the games; the things they considered
most important to announce to the world. It really helps tell you the
state of the industry, and what gamers thought were vital features.

But thumbing through these booklets, one thing that doesn't
immediately stand out are the prices. They look so regular. $49.95 for
a brand new game in 1992? Why, that's what we pay today! I guess some
things never change.

...Except, of course, they do. Because the $49.95 of yesteryear could
buy you a heck of a lot more than it could buy you today. And great as
a lot of those games were, for that price you were getting a heck of a
lot less game than you get for that price today. Modern games are huge
and detailed and, unlike the video games of the 80s and 90s which were developed by a few dozen people, the games of 2026 might have teams
numbering in the thousands.

Which is all just a long-winded way of saying that games of yesteryear
were really expensive. How expensive?

Well, I grabbed a few catalogs, and jotted down the price and release
dates of some of the newest games. I tried to keep all the games
within a common date range (e.g., 1992, with a few exceptions). I
mostly selected games that have, over time, come to been recognized as excellent titles (e.g., you probably have heard of many of these
games).

And then I calculated what those games would cost today if we took
inflation into account.*

TITLE PRICE (year) / PRICE (2026) ----------------------------------------------------------------
Darklands $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Deluxe Paint IV (Amiga)** $199.95 (1992) / $445.48 (2026)
Eye of the Beholder II $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
F-15 Strike Eagle III $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
H.E.R.O. (Apple II)*** $39.95 (1994) / $123.79 (2026)
Kings Quest V $59.95 (1991) / $141.71 (2026)
Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Magic Candle III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Mean Streets $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Michael Jordan in Flight $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Might & Magic III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
No Greater Glory $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
OriginFX**** $39.95 (1992) / $91.67 (2026)
Rex Nebular $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
SimCity (Mac Color version)*****$79.95 (1989) / $207.58 (2026)
Star Legions $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Strike Commander $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
Ultima VII Serpent Island $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)

Now, knowing how these games compared to their contemporaries, if they
were to release today, updated so they were equally cutting-edge (in
both production values and gameplay mechanics), is there any chance
you'd pay these sort of prices for any of these games?

I mean, I sure wouldn't... but I did back then. Ultimately, I ended up
buying /all/ these games... albeit not at these prices. It really is a testament to how much more affordable gaming has become... because once-upon-a-time, video games were /really/ expensive!

----

* all prices are of games new, purchased direct from publisher. Which
was never the least expensive way to buy games, but it does give you
an idea of what the high-end of the market was at the time.

** DeluxePaint IV was, for its time, sort of the equivalent of
Photoshop today; one of the premier painting programs. I added it just
to give an idea of how prices of those sort of apps compared.

*** I added HERO because it is one of the first computer games I ever purchased for myself. I didn't get this price from a catalog, but I
remember it cost $39.95

**** I include this one because OriginFX wasn't even a game; it was a
set of screensavers for Windows 3.1. And yet they cost the 2026
equivalent of $90 USD!!!!

***** I wanted to include SimCity but Unfortunately, the only
publisher catalog that mentioned it was an old Broderbund catalog from
1989, so I picked the 'best' version of the game available (e.g., the
one closest to the PC version that would release a year later)

You never make a conclusion. I think it is because video games are

becoming antiques. They were flashy and exciting back in the day, but
we've seen it all. Make way for VR and whatever else is next.
--
d-aPzPvj4ys

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.8
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Price deflation with associated quality degradation is not unique to
the gaming industry, it seems to happen with many consumer goods.

A washing machine costing around $200-250 USD in 1960 would be about
$2,700 adjusted for inflation today, and almost 70 years later a lot
of people will spend only $500-600 for a new washer.

It may seems like impressive progress, but some of those 1960s
appliances were built like tanks and lasted 35+ for an owner that
wanted to keep them that long. They tended to get replaced more for
cosmetic reasons than functional.

You can still get well-built washing machines but they're like $1,600
with an expected lifespan of maybe 15+ years with possible repairs
along the way. Meanwhile the $500 units tend to get replaced every
6-8 years or so.

So it's not really that stuff has gotten cheaper... it's just that
society's standards have gotten lower while the tolerance for cheap
disposable garbage has grown. And we've seen a lot of talent and
innovation exit the gaming industry as wokist ideals crept in, which
elevated the publishing of garbage games, resulting in a glut of
titles they can barely give away for free.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.8
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Rin Stowleigh wrote:

Price deflation with associated quality degradation is not unique to
the gaming industry, it seems to happen with many consumer goods.

A washing machine costing around $200-250 USD in 1960 would be about
$2,700 adjusted for inflation today, and almost 70 years later a lot
of people will spend only $500-600 for a new washer.

It may seems like impressive progress, but some of those 1960s
appliances were built like tanks and lasted 35+ for an owner that
wanted to keep them that long. They tended to get replaced more for
cosmetic reasons than functional.

You can still get well-built washing machines but they're like $1,600
with an expected lifespan of maybe 15+ years with possible repairs
along the way. Meanwhile the $500 units tend to get replaced every
6-8 years or so.

So it's not really that stuff has gotten cheaper... it's just that
society's standards have gotten lower while the tolerance for cheap disposable garbage has grown. And we've seen a lot of talent and
innovation exit the gaming industry as wokist ideals crept in, which
elevated the publishing of garbage games, resulting in a glut of
titles they can barely give away for free.

Have you checked the song in my signature? That's my argument against
what you are saying. You're saying they're intentionally screwing around making bad games. I think that's the best they can do.
--
d-aPzPvj4ys

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.8
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:02:18 -0600, phoenix <j63840576@gmail.com>
wrote:

Have you checked the song in my signature?

No, I haven't, sorry. I only read or give time to a very small
fraction of what's posted here, don't take it personally.

That's my argument against
what you are saying. You're saying they're intentionally screwing around >making bad games.

Nope -- you've completely misinterpreted what I've said. I didn't say
anyone is intentionally publishing bad games. I'm saying that as all technology innovations experience inevitable maturization, certain
measurable patterns (of quality degredation at the expense of price
deflaition) inevitably apply themselves.

The *perceived* (operative concept, pay close attention to that word)
cost of production and thus consumer acquisition drops...relative to
inflation, and those price drops look good on paper to the gullible.

At the same time the quality, creativity, innovation, and even the
quality expectations of the consumer decline over time.

I think that's the best they can do.

Watching what happens to human creativity over the course of time,
you're probably right. With regard to games, it almost certainly is
the best these kids can do these days, considering the age group
thati's still developing games. After GenX, these kids have grown up
in very creativity-limiting circumstances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVr2XVUmBPk






--- PyGate Linux v1.5.10
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 1/31/2026 3:53 PM, Rin Stowleigh wrote:

Price deflation with associated quality degradation is not unique to
the gaming industry, it seems to happen with many consumer goods.

A washing machine costing around $200-250 USD in 1960 would be about
$2,700 adjusted for inflation today, and almost 70 years later a lot
of people will spend only $500-600 for a new washer.

It may seems like impressive progress, but some of those 1960s
appliances were built like tanks and lasted 35+ for an owner that
wanted to keep them that long. They tended to get replaced more for
cosmetic reasons than functional.

You can still get well-built washing machines but they're like $1,600
with an expected lifespan of maybe 15+ years with possible repairs
along the way. Meanwhile the $500 units tend to get replaced every
6-8 years or so.

So it's not really that stuff has gotten cheaper... it's just that
society's standards have gotten lower while the tolerance for cheap disposable garbage has grown. And we've seen a lot of talent and
innovation exit the gaming industry as wokist ideals crept in, which
elevated the publishing of garbage games, resulting in a glut of
titles they can barely give away for free.

There is also a macro-economic factor of middle-class wages have not
kept up with inflation for a number of decades. The percentage of
income that has to be spent on necessities has grown significantly,
leaving less "disposable" income for luxuries like games and long
duration appliances.

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.10
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

So, it'll probably surprise nobody here that I have amassed quite a >collection of video-game catalogs from yesteryear. What can I say; I
like old games and --as much-- I like the ephemera that came with
those games. The boxes, the manuals... and the catalogs.

And I like reading through those catalogs. I like reading what the
marketing team had to say about the games; the things they considered
most important to announce to the world. It really helps tell you the
state of the industry, and what gamers thought were vital features.

But thumbing through these booklets, one thing that doesn't
immediately stand out are the prices. They look so regular. $49.95 for
a brand new game in 1992? Why, that's what we pay today! I guess some
things never change.

Except all games did not cost that back then, and games today cost a
hell of a lot more.

I have multiple games on my steam wishlist, waiting until they are on
enough of a sale to be worth getting, because the base price is $90 and
then there's the tax on top of that.

<snip

Strike Commander $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)

I had this game back in the day, and I sure as hell did not pay $80 for
it, more like $25 CDN.

Back then I don't think I ever paid more than $40 for any game.

Round the time of Skyrim I think average game prices were more like $60
which makes the current norm of $90 plus taxes a bit steep considering
the quality of gameplay we're actually getting in comparison to those
older games.

Just checked the box, City of Heroes, bought new May 6th, 2004; $59.99
CDN sticker on the front.

That's what I remember as the norm back then, $60 for a AAA game, and DLCs/expansions ranged from $15 to $40 depending on how much they added.

The quality seems to have gone way down, plus the intrusive asking for
MTX all the time, and DLCs that are just core gameplay they took out to
sell you separately. (As though they sold cars, but only the Driver's
seat came standard, all the others were addons you had to buy.)

Xocyll
--
I don't particularly want you to FOAD, myself. You'll be more of
a cautionary example if you'll FO And Get Chronically, Incurably,
Painfully, Progressively, Expensively, Debilitatingly Ill. So
FOAGCIPPEDI. -- Mike Andrews responding to an idiot in asr

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.10
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 13:57:46 -0500, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

TITLE PRICE (year) / PRICE (2026) >----------------------------------------------------------------
Darklands $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Deluxe Paint IV (Amiga)** $199.95 (1992) / $445.48 (2026)
Eye of the Beholder II $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
F-15 Strike Eagle III $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
H.E.R.O. (Apple II)*** $39.95 (1994) / $123.79 (2026)
Kings Quest V $59.95 (1991) / $141.71 (2026)
Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Magic Candle III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Mean Streets $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Michael Jordan in Flight $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
Might & Magic III $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
No Greater Glory $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
OriginFX**** $39.95 (1992) / $91.67 (2026)
Rex Nebular $69.95 (1992) / $160.51 (2026)
SimCity (Mac Color version)*****$79.95 (1989) / $207.58 (2026)
Star Legions $59.95 (1992) / $137.57 (2026)
Strike Commander $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)
Ultima VII Serpent Island $79.95 (1992) / $183.46 (2026)

I purchased several of these games when they were new and I never paid
these prices. I sure as hell did not pay $80 for Ultima VII or $70 for
Rex Nebular. These prices listed here are MSRP, not actual store
price.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.10
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)