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<blockquote data-quote="Hella_Tellah" data-source="post: 3897616" data-attributes="member: 52669">It's completely fair to compare one product to another if you're paying for it in the same currency.&nbsp; In macroeconomics one speaks of the choice between &quot;butter and guns,&quot; but the principle is the same: money spent on one product cannot be spent on another.&nbsp; Video games and tabletop RPGs are both designed to increase the consumer's happiness through recreation, and there's significant overlap in the consumer base--many people who play tabletop RPGs also play video games.&nbsp; Since that overlapping consumer base pays for both video games and tabletop RPGs from the same limited supply of money, every consumer who is in both markets chooses which one will make him happier.&nbsp; The products compete over the consumer's limited supply of money.&nbsp; Really, what other product competes as directly with RPGs as video games do?Here's a more controversial statement, but I'd lay a good wager on it: D&amp;D competes more with World of Warcraft than it does with World of Darkness.&nbsp; That is to say, there are more potential buyers of D&amp;D that are choosing between spending their money on WOW or D&amp;D than there are potential buyers choosing between WoD and D&amp;D.&nbsp; When Wizards puts an MSRP on D&amp;D 4th Edition, they may consider the prices of other RPGs on the market, but they're probably more interested in comparing the price of D&amp;D to the prices of video games.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Hella_Tellah, post: 3897616, member: 52669"] It's completely fair to compare one product to another if you're paying for it in the same currency. In macroeconomics one speaks of the choice between "butter and guns," but the principle is the same: money spent on one product cannot be spent on another. Video games and tabletop RPGs are both designed to increase the consumer's happiness through recreation, and there's significant overlap in the consumer base--many people who play tabletop RPGs also play video games. Since that overlapping consumer base pays for both video games and tabletop RPGs from the same limited supply of money, every consumer who is in both markets chooses which one will make him happier. The products compete over the consumer's limited supply of money. Really, what other product competes as directly with RPGs as video games do? Here's a more controversial statement, but I'd lay a good wager on it: D&D competes more with World of Warcraft than it does with World of Darkness. That is to say, there are more potential buyers of D&D that are choosing between spending their money on WOW or D&D than there are potential buyers choosing between WoD and D&D. When Wizards puts an MSRP on D&D 4th Edition, they may consider the prices of other RPGs on the market, but they're probably more interested in comparing the price of D&D to the prices of video games. [/QUOTE]

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