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Message: <blockquote data-quote="John Morrow" data-source="post: 2112737" data-attributes="member: 27012">It think you talk about the real problem but them misidentify at the end.  The problem isn't that gamers can't afford the games that are being published for $40-$50 or even the special editions that are being priced at $75 or more.  Clearly, a lot of people do have the disposable income to make those kinds of purchases, as you plainly state that you do.  The problem is that people won't spend that kind of money on something unless they really want it.  And that people aren't willing to spend that sort of money on a lot of new releases means that they don't have any real burning desire to own those books.What I think people are saying is that they are willing to toss away $19.95 on a book and not feel too bad if they are ripped off, just like they might spend $19.95 on a gadget advertized in one of those "Wait!  That's not all!" commercials even if they don't really need it or don't expect it to work.  That $20 is disposable in the sense of, "I don't care if I throw it away on something useless", not just in the sense of, "I can afford to spend this on something recreational because I need that money to eat and pay rent."  People have the money to spend but simply choose to spend it on something that seems to be a better value proposition to them.But I think the deeper and more important message here is that people view role-playing products like those $19.95 gadgets on TV.  They don't expect too much.  They don't necessarily expect to be satisfied.  They think it's likely that they won't get their money's worth.  And I think that might be the real problem here.  Role-playing game companies could charge $50 a book if people felt they were getting their money's worth.  But all too often, they simply don't.  And this goes back to the idea of a role-playing game as an impulse purchase rather than something people really want.  Is that really the best the industry can do?  Hope that someone will drop $20-$30 on a book they don't really want or need as a gamble?</blockquote>

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