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By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne, who is still having twitching problems after his traumatic episode with Heat.net The number one reason why most people don't buy video games is because they figure games are way too expensive. You can't blame these people, because when they walk into a store such as Babbage's and see $50 price tags on almost everything, they are more than likely to be overwhelmed. Unlike these people, I feel that games are inexpensive and when compared to other forms of entertainment, they are actually a bargain. I think one of the best forms of entertainment to compare video games to are movies. To go see a movie, it costs between five and eight dollars. This might seem like much less then a $50 video game at first, but you have to ask yourself how long each will last. A movie lasts an average of two hours and then it's over. A good video game can last a month or more, and even then you can go back to it in the future if you want to relive some old memories. The enjoyment factor is so much greater if you have more time to experience what you paid for. The old saying "more bang for your buck" applies to video games now more than ever. If you multiply the amount of times you would have to go see a movie to equal the amount of time you spend playing a game, you end up paying a whole lot more for the movie. When I buy a new game, I usually play it at least 50 hours before I buy a new game and forget about it. I would end up paying a minimum of $125 if I spent that amount of time going to the movie theater. Video games are starting to look a lot more inexpensive now, aren't they? I know what you're thinking right now: "Who the heck is going to go see the same movie so many times it adds up to 50 hours?" Well, it's not that you would do something like that, I'm just trying to show you that while you pay more for your video game initially, you're generally going to be having fun for a much longer time than if you went to the movies. After spending thousands of dollars on video games in my life, I'm starting to see the benefits of shelling out the extra buck, or the extra $40 in this case. Movies are great to go see, and I should know that because I see one almost every weekend. However, video games just seem to bring more enjoyment to me and for a much longer time. There are so many forms of entertainment in this world and to say that video games are one of the most expensive forms is a joke. People who say that video games are too expensive have been hit in the head too many times and are cheating themselves out of a great time.
© 2001 ivan@mastergamer.com