Does the “World of Mario Kart” prove the price of $80?

On Thursday morning, Nintendo began this week’s troubles, focusing on the juicy little Nintendo live stream Mario Karting World. It’s nice to get some interesting new details about the Switch 2’s flagship release title, but it doesn’t really answer the biggest question for many gamers: Why Mario Karting World Cost $80?

By comparison, the price of standard video game with $60 has remained stable for about 15 years, and even considering the higher recent gains, there are some big titles – at first glance, the price is totally frustrating. When the $80 price was first revealed, gamers immediately asked questions. Nintendo’s party line has been telling gamers ever since Just waiting directly. This means that once fans see the action of the game, they will understand the price increase.

Now that the live broadcast is over, I don’t think Nintendo really reveals anything to explain. (And I actually played it Mario Karting World)

But after thinking about some ideas, I was desperate to scold Nintendo for Nickel and Diaking customers, and I realized that maybe the price doesn’t even need to be reasonable. As tariffs continue to be chaotic, Nintendo may have bigger problems. After all, you still can’t book Switch 2 in the US.

Mario Karting WorldThe price may have nothing to do with the game itself

In the Big Switch 2 interviews directly and directly in the media two weeks ago, Nintendo employees usually take this position Mario Karting WorldThe price makes sense due to how much content there is in the game. Thursday Mario Kart– The center has a direct understanding of this, and to be sure, the game Do There seems to be a lot of cool new stuff.

It has a huge open world full of hundreds of optional challenges to explore with friends. There are dozens of unlockable outfits, many new tracks, many local and online multiplayer modes, and even enhanced social features such as webcam support. It’s obvious Mario Karting World is a huge game that can be found to enjoy dozens (or even hundreds) of hours. Strictly speaking, even if no one really likes spending $80 on video games, it’s easy to think it’s worth $80 (Nintendo explicitly believes that’s it).

But there are more here. The biggest one: Video game prices have been going on for a long time, even if other tech products become more expensive. Usually, over time, prices rise. It sucks, no one likes it, but that’s life. You used to be able to get a week’s food at a taco clock for $20, and now you can’t. In fact, the gaming company has maintained a $60 price tag for such a long time, which is actually a strange distortion.

I think gamers have gained a lot of deals in big budget games over the past decade. This is even easier to argue when you look at the cost of making large video games in the 4K era.

Unfortunately, the game company is Distant There is less coming about budgets compared to film studios, so the best information we get comes from data breaches. One such violation in 2023 shows Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 For PS5 cost $300 million develop. It also takes longer to make a sensational game, which increases labor costs.

My face when I think about real-world economics.
Credits: Nintendo

It is also worth pointing out that since the leak, PlayStation (among many other video game companies) has laid off employees in its in-house studios. Although Nintendo took a contractor position from its testing division last year, the company has no long history of mass layoffs for full-time employees. This is undoubtedly due to Japanese friendly staff rights compared to the United States, but it should be noted that Nintendo has actively opposed layoffs in the past.

For example, former CEO Satoru Iwata once cut his salary in half to ensure jobs are not lost. And if the cost of treating employees fairly is slightly higher than slightly higher in Switch 2, I can.

Mario Kart World The $80 price may be a sign of coming…

I’ve tried my best to explain why Mario Karting World The possible costs may be as much as the cost, but this doesn’t make the impact of your wallet hit less. That’s a a lot of Money enjoys luxury goods like video games, especially when financial stress is high. Fans may also want to know why this game, And this is the only gamecosts so much, especially when some families struggle to afford basic knowledge such as groceries and rent.

This is where the last and craziest real-world factors come into play: your salary. In the United States, wages have not kept up with inflation or productivity over the past few decades. In 2022, the Institute of Economic Policy found that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is worth less than any time in nearly 70 years. EPI also found in 2015 that hourly workers’ productivity has increased by 74% over the past 40 years, while hourly workers’ wages have increased by only 9% over the same time frame. Wages and productivity rose at a near 1:1 level compared to the 30 years after World War II.

In short, things cost more, but you don’t necessarily get more rewards.

It’s a political question, not something, and any potential solution is far beyond my salary rating. But over the past two weeks, I’ve gone from thinking about $80 Mario Karting World It is unreasonable to refuse to accept it.

You’re allowed to get annoyed for $80 (I’m still) video games, but this may not be the last game we’ve seen on this level. Switch gamers will eventually vote with their wallet when determining whether the price is reasonable.

The story is an opinion piece that does not necessarily reflect the views of Mashable or its publisher Ziff Davis.