Bloomberg Calculates the Real Cost of Being a Video Gamer*

FriskyTanuki

FriskyTanuki

CAGiversary!
Feedback
36 (100%)
http://www.bloomberg.com/consumer-spending/2012-01-20/the-real-cost-of-being-a-video-gamer.html

This is probably one of the worst mainstream gaming articles ever written:
Bloomberg Rankings examined the cost of becoming video gamers for a family of four based in San Francisco.

Note: Data providers are on the final slide. Console costs are based on the Microsoft Xbox 360 platform. Brand mentions are not endorsements.

Game Consoles

$300: Microsoft Xbox 360 Slim 250GB. Comes with one controller -- Wal-Mart
$50: Xbox 360 Wireless Controller -- EB Games/GameStop
$18: Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote -- Amazon.com
$90: FragFX Shark 360 for Xbox 360 -- EB Games/GameStop
$16: Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit -- Amazon.com

Running Tally:
$474

PC Gaming

While Gordon uses his laptop to play Zynga games, many PC gamers are more hard-core. "PCs are the hot rodders of game play," says Jamin Warren, founder of Kill Screen magazine, which focuses on the game industry. Warren says hard-core gamers often soup up systems by adding motherboards, boosting RAM and optimizing graphics.

$3,333: Digital Storm Dreadnought PC with Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader -- Digital Storm
$800: Samsung SyncMaster 27-Inch 950 Series HDTV 3D Monitor Combo with Apps -- Amazon.com
$170: Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming -- Logitech
$100: Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700 -- Logitech
$80: Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard with Joystick -- Logitech

Running Tally:
$4,607

The Experience

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 won't be fun if your monitor doesn't provide a crisp image and your network connection drags. Warren suggests an inexpensive TV by Chinese manufacturer TCL (under $400). For others:

$4,800: Sharp Elite PRO 60-Inch 3D LED-LCD TV -- Amazon.com
$2,400: For the hard-core gamer, Comcast's Extreme 105 Internet service with download speeds of up to 105 mbps ($199 per month for one year in San Francisco). That's 35 times the median download speed in the nation, according to speedmatters.org -- Comcast
$180: APC Power Saving Back-UPS Pro with Surge Protection -- APC.com
$33: Monster Cable THX 1000 HDX-8 Ultimate High Speed HDMI cable -- Amazon.com

Running Tally:
$12,020

Gaming on the Go

Gaming consoles have long battled for market share and it's no different with handheld gaming devices. The Sony PSP-300 for $130 and the Nintendo 3DS for $170 (famous for games such as Super Mario Land and The Legend of Zelda) are among the hottest portable players. Even so, Kill Screen's Warren says touchscreen technology and the app store make the iPhone 4S and the iPod Touch 64GB the best handheld gaming devices.

$400: iPod Touch 64GB -- Apple Store
$19: LevelUp Race Tilt Action Racing Controller for iPod Touch -- Amazon.com

Running Tally:
$12,439

Motion Control
When Nintendo introduced the Wii and motion control in 2006, it attracted more people to video games. Now the PlayStation and the Xbox include it as well, leading to the success of games such as Just Dance 3, by Ubisoft.

$150: Xbox 360 Kinect -- JR.com
$30: Dream Gear Universal TriMount 3-in-1 Flat-Screen TV Mount for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii Sensors -- Best Buy
$27: Kinect Perfect Range Anti-Slip Gaming Mat -- Amazon.com

Running Tally:
$12,646

Headsets and Speakers

It's easier to strategize and score goals in Electronic Arts's FIFA Soccer 12 if you have a headset. (Or, after the kids go to bed, a headset makes it easier to chat with others online and team up to kill the enemy in Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.)

$249: For the Xbox 360 - Turtle Beach Ear Force XP500 Programmable Wireless Headset -- Amazon.com
$250: For PC players - Turtle Beach Ear Force PX5 for PC Gaming Headset -- Office Max
$247: For PC players - Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System -- Sears

Running Tally:
$13,392

Accessories

The holy grail in game play is to make your video experience as lifelike as possible. These help.

$60: For racing, two Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheels for Xbox 360 -- Best Buy
$60: For combat, Xbox 360 Gears of War 3 Wireless Controller -- EB Games/GameStop
$150: Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller -- Best Buy

Running Tally:
$13,662

Carrying Cases

Carrying around an Xbox while it's still on can do permanent damage, says Warren. When it's off, a good carrying case protects your game player and can store CDs, controllers and cables.

$30: Case for the Xbox 360 Slim -- EB Games/GameStop
$30: Griffin FlexGrip Action for iPod Touch -- Apple Store
$15: Power Support HD Anti-Glare Film Set for iPod Touch -- Apple Store

Running Tally:
$13,737

Gaming Furniture

For a cool $40,000, you can pick up NovelQuest's Emperor 200 Workstation with leather seating, LCD monitors, an integrated PlayStation 3 and many extras. Or your game room may benefit from these:

$500: Two BoomChair Sky Lounger Gaming Chairs with built-in speakers, subwoofers and extra-large seating -- Best Buy
$40: Atlantic Game Central M Rack -- Best Buy
$60: Generation Game Tower, to organize gaming gear -- EB Games/GameStop
$40: Rock Band Double Storage Ottoman -- EB Games/GameStop

Running Tally:
$14,377

Console Care

One way to destroy a gaming console is to stuff it into the back of an enclosed entertainment center where heat and dust eat away at it. According to Computer Dust Solutions in Hancock, Michigan, dust can contain conductive materials such as water, oils and metallic elements that lead to signaling errors. Better to be on a stand with an open back. A few other maintenance items also help:

$8: Disc Skip Fixer Pack with cloths for Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 -- EB Games/GameStop
$125: JFJ Easy Pro Disc Repair Machine -- EB Games/ GameStop
$25: Cooling Fan Console Stand with Controller Storage for Xbox 360 Slim -- Wal-Mart
$10: SmartWipes for iPod -- Griffintechnology.com

Running Tally:
$14,545

Games

Kleiner Perkin's Gordon says his favorite all-time game is World of Warcraft. According to market research firm NPD Group, the hottest games in 2011 included Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Just Dance 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

$1,650: 30 new games for multiple consoles -- EB Games/GameStop
$100: Two Xbox 360 Live Subscription Gold Cards -- Amazon.com
$600: 30 PC games from Steam Online Game Platform -- SteamPowered.com
$10: 10 iPod Touch games -- Apple Store

Running Tally:
$16,905

Collectibles and Apparel

If you don't want to be accused of being a video game addict, don't stock up on game T-shirts and memorabilia.

$100: Gears of War 3 Retro Lancer Replica -- EB Games/GameStop
$10: Super Mario Question Mark Box Plush -- EB Games/GameStop
$15: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood 7-Inch Ezio -- EB Games/GameStop
$30: World of Warcraft: Stormwind Limited Edition Mug -- EB Games/GameStop
$17: 1up Mushroom T-Shirt -- ThinkGeek.com

And the real cost of being a video gamer is....(advance to next slide)

Final Tally:
$17,077

Methodology

Bloomberg Rankings examined the cost of becoming video gamers for a family of four. Cost is based on the Microsoft Xbox 360 but that is not an endorsement of the product over competing game consoles.

To contact the editor responsible for this slideshow: Nikhil Hutheesing at [email protected]

If you have a suggestion for a "Real Cost Of" slideshow, please submit ideas to: [email protected]

Data providers: Amazon.com, APC.com, Apple, Best Buy, Comcast, Crazyondigital.com, Digital Storm, EB Games/GameStop, Entertainment Software Association, FAO Schwartz, Griffintechnology.com, JR.com, Logitech, NPD Group, OfficeMax, Sears, Speedmatters.org, ThinkGeek.com, Toysrus.com, Wal-Mart
Click to expand...
Note
 
Thank you, Bloomberg. I can point to this bullshit $4500 PC estimate and say, "See, honey, mine only costs $1000. I'm making this sacrifice for *us*. And the horse porn must've been downloaded by a virus you caught while browsing Gilmore Girls fanfic."
 
Being a gamer is INSANELY expensive. I've spent $212,000 this year alone.

First I went out and bought a Wii, which was $150. I thought that was bad enough.

It turns out that a Wii requires a power connection, which means I also needed a house.

The house cost $211,850.

Gaming is way too expensive.
Click to expand...

Some of those user comments are funny... but others are sad, in that they actually believe this BS.

EDIT* it seems like most people are just calling the author an idiot. Most don't seem to believe it.
 
this is why manufacturers are so mad at piracy.
look how much money they're losing on lost sales!
 
I've crunched the numbers and created a more CAG-friendly calculation:

Cheap Ass Gaming Needs

1.) Games that you feel compelled to buy but go straight into your massive backlog

Running Tally:
Too fucking much. Stop buying crap and go play your games dummy.
 
Seems like this writer is the type that falls for the "You should get some of these Monster cables with your new TV!" pitch at Best Buy.
 
The entire categories of Carrying Cases, Collectables And Apparal, Gaming Furniture, Console Care and the magical "Comcast's Extreme 105 Internet service with download speeds of up to 105 mbps ($199 per month for one year in San Francisco)." are all stuff that most people probably wouldn't even touch.

On a sidenote, I love how they think gamers buy 60' inch 3D, LED-LCD TVs, 27' inch monitors and the most expensive possible disc drive for the PC. What kind of gamer buys stuff like that? Even Bill Gates might think that's a little excessive.
 
Somebody send an email suggestion to [email protected] and tell them to contact a real gamer and ask what they spend per year. Grab some guy shopping in the gaming section of Walmart and the price would probably be 10K less then what the reporter ended up with.
 
they left out some stuff

215471989_GKZWD-L-2.jpg
 
I guess I should give up being a Video Gamer since I don't make that amount of money. Then again, I don't have half of the stuff mentioned.

I don't have any of the stuff listed in the sections of "PC Gaming Section" all the way down to the "Console Core" as well as any of the "Collectibles and Apparel." I do have a PSP 3000, though. lol


Let's see I have pieces of "Game Consoles," "Gaming on the Go," and "Games" sections. When I first saw the list, I was like you don't need that $90 accessory or the universal remote when you can just use the controller.
 
I didn't get as far as everyone else. I gave up after seeing all the useless extras for the 360 were included.

Nothing like an article about gaming from a non-gamer.
 
The biggest issue with this is that the cost of a TV/game console/PC should be divided over 5 years or so for the length a gamer will use it regularly. So sure you spend $5000 for a pretty damn nice gaming set up (PC+Xbox+PS3+TV+games+accessories+whatever else) but that over 5 years brings it to a max of about $1000 a year and probably far less for us CAGs.
 
[quote name='-Never4ever-']Stopped reading after I saw this.[/QUOTE]
you're missing out.
it gets funnier!
 
I kind of feel embarrassed for Jamin Warren, who was quoted in the story (and hopefully misquoted about that motherboard thing). I got the first issue of Kill Screen when it launched and though not perfect, it's a decent little game mag. Wouldn't describe it as the Bloomberg writer did, though... it's not exactly Game Developer.

[quote name='62t']they left out some stuff

215471989_GKZWD-L-2.jpg
[/QUOTE]
Hah, I'm playing that with my husband at the moment! Of course, we bought the game, link cables, and one of the GBAs cheaply ;)
 
Becoming a console gamer....... $Some ridiculous sum of money.

Becoming a PC gamer............. $An absurd amount of moolah.

Mobile gaming, furniture, accessories, carry cases that somehow aren't accessories also, the actual friggin' games, etc., etc.,........... $More money than the amount that went poof in 2008.


Being a CAG................. Priceless. (Priceless is going cheap these days!)
 
[quote name='momouchi']The biggest issue with this is that the cost of a TV/game console/PC should be divided over 5 years or so for the length a gamer will use it regularly. So sure you spend $5000 for a pretty damn nice gaming set up (PC+Xbox+PS3+TV+games+accessories+whatever else) but that over 5 years brings it to a max of about $1000 a year and probably far less for us CAGs.[/QUOTE]

Much of that hinges on how much you need to play the latest stuff at their best. If you're picking up the hobby from scratch or have been away for a long time, you can get excellent play from a fairly inexpensive PC.

So, rather than amortizing over five years, just stick to games that are at least five years old. Your cost of entry for a complete PC setup that can anything of that vintage without breaking a sweat is under $1,000. And you'll spend a heck of a lot less for the games, too.

This can be applied to consoles in that getting in towards the end of a consoles life as its maker's lead platform means getting it for a much lower price, a huge choice of cheap games, etc.


Getting the latest thing the day it launches is something I leave to wealthier folks. None of the stuff I really like is particularly time sensitive. The games with yearly releases, such as Madden, hold no interest for me.
 
True, but I was thinking fairly high-end with my post just to represent the upper levels of what CAGs might spend. It is still nowhere near these estimates.
 
[quote name='shadowkast']Ummm, 4.8 stars with 100 reviews?!?. so, $100,000+ total spent on $100 worth of cables....Bloomberg needs to do an article on that!

Edit: financing available. Ha, pay interest for a year on your single cable.....that's just bonkers!!![/QUOTE]

Did you read any of the reviews? They're pretty lol-worthy.

"Was trying to hook up my Zune to my TV with my Monster Cable and it just wouldn't work. I took the Monster Cable back to Best Buy and they suggested this cable. Not only did it plug my Zune into my TV perfectly, it turned it into an Ipod shuffle. Thanks Best Buy!"

"My girlfriend wanted a diamond... I wanted a new TV. When I stumbled across this I knew my problems were solved. Just ordered me a sweet Sharp Aquos/Quattron Quad Pixel/70" Class 1080p Aquomotion 240
Full Array LED LCD HDTV.... and got her this beautiful 'diamond' to hook that bad boy up to my cable box.... won't she be surprised when I pop the question and whip this out. Just hope she's happy with the size. I mean i'd get her the 6 footer but my cable box is only 12 inches away from my TV, so I just can't see it being any benefit."

"When I heard that this cable had a Dielectric-Bias System to reduce distortion, I knew no amount of money would be too much to stop me from buying one. I was able to find a way to use it to convert a signal to my 1992 Toshiba TV, and wow, what a difference. It makes cartoons look like actual people. Can't wait to put on Battlefield Earth with this baby."

"The past few years I was feeling more and more depressed due to the fact that my wife is so obsessed with that Vampire Diarrhea show on TV, and there was nothing in the world that could convince her to switch the channel. With this Silver-Plated HDMI cable, my prayers have been answered. There is no way in the world that any vampire related video signal can survive going through it. It simply filters out those horrid shows once and for all. I'm actually surprised they didn't name it "Vampire B-Gone" or something like that. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"
 
[quote name='The Crotch']Da fuck?[/QUOTE]


I just recently souped up my gaming pc by installing a motherboard. it actually works much better now. I'm thinking of adding a powersupply next.
 
I started to try and calculate how much "being a gamer" has cost me for comparison, but it's just going to be easier to call them an idiot.

I will add that (although I realize it's because I don't own a 360) there is absolutely nothing in that entire list that I own (other than the generic "games" entry). I'm surprised that they didn't include a surround-sound setup in their calculations. They could really inflate that bill if they wanted to look through some audiophile equipment and say that every true gamer buys these things as well.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']Don't most people already own tv's even if they are not gamers?[/QUOTE]

What? No! Before we know it, you're gonna tell us that people have MULTIPLE televisions in their house...
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']What? No! Before we know it, you're gonna tell us that people have MULTIPLE televisions in their house...[/QUOTE]
Oh, honey, he's teasing you. Nobody has two television sets.
 
No doubt there are many people that waste their money on video games and hardware. After all, this forum only has 338,000 registered users. Someone is out there buying Alienware rigs and Monster cables.

There's nothing wrong with a good cost-benefit analysis, even a superficial mental analysis. Let's say you are choosing between building a $500 PC and a $1,000 PC. You could spend double on your PC, but will you have double the fun with it over a $500 PC?

I'm constantly amazed at people who buy too much ram and the highest end video card they can find to play PC games. And sometimes you ask them what their monitor's native resolution is and they say 1440x900. Talk about overkill.
 
Yeah, just bought a computer from Newegg and had to compare cost and value. Ended up with a nice $650 one that makes Skyrim look amazing on the high res textures.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']I just recently souped up my gaming pc by installing a motherboard. it actually works much better now. I'm thinking of adding a powersupply next.[/QUOTE]

that's totally awesome bro...how much dat gonna cost you?
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Oh, honey, he's teasing you. Nobody has two television sets.[/QUOTE]


Hey, hey, I've seen this one. I've seen this one. This is a classic. This is, uh, where Ralph dresses up as a man from space.



Great movie :)
 
Yup, it appeals to their audience of geriatric misers, so why not callously blurt out some numbers with no research or validity. You have to wonder what other trifling misinformation will pass by with Bloomberg's stamp of approval.
 
[quote name='Strell']Frisky is wrong. This is the best mainstream gaming article ever written.[/QUOTE]

I agree although he left out some costs like having your marriage fail, not paying attention to your kids, getting fired from your job. I guess those are harder to quantify but all of us go through that, right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top