The article examines the pricing history of video games from 1982 to 2025, highlighting how inflation affects perceived value. It shows new cartridge games in the 20th century cost over $100 today due to high production costs and low competition, with must-have games often exceeding $140. By the 2000s, prices stabilized around $60, but inflation means that past prices would be substantially higher today. The recent post-COVID inflation makes an $80 price point for new games more reasonable compared to decades past.
New cartridge games in the 20th century routinely retailed for well over $100 in 2025 money, thanks to a combination of relatively high manufacturing costs and competition.
Adjusted for inflation, those early 21st-century games were still demanding prices approaching $90 in 2025 dollars, well above the new $80 nominal price ceiling.
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