It is December 1st and the people of Ceske Budejovice are rejoicing. No, not because it is December but because we have a new shopping centre, Mercury. It's quite a nice place and it is aptly named as the new bus station is on the top of the building. I know strange right?

Now some of you are thinking what the hell does this have to do with video games? Well, in the shopping centre, much to my delight today (I, like half the city was curious and went to check it out), is a DatArt which is basically the largest chain of electronics stores in the country. So I spent some time playing Battlefield 2 on the Xbox 360 display and drooling on the slim PS2s and such.

But as part of an ongoing project I was also looking at the prices of things here in relation to the prices elsewhere. If the gaming industry ever wondered why their sales were in a slump anywhere east of Germany I can tell them why.

The average income in the country is around 19,000 Czech Korun (about $905) and the average rent in the country for a flat is around 7000-8000 CZK ($333-$381). I have mentioned this all before so it should not be a surprise. The cost of living here is about 75% of America, naturally things are generally lower priced etc. But the economy is strong and has shown some growth over the last several years. But we are not on the Euro and probably will not be until 2010.

The surprise should come in the video game prices that I have seen lately. Since it is the holiday shopping season I have been wandering aimlessly through the streets and the shopping centres thinking about what to buy the people in my life here. Well ok really I've been thinking "What the hell do I get my girlfriend?" because video games just won't do it for her.

So here is a roundup of some of the local prices for gaming equipment and probably the very reason why the state of video gaming is in decline here and the state of piracy is on the rise.

Micro$oft cannot do basic math:
So if things are supposed to be cheaper then an Xbox 360 Core System here should be approximately about 6279 CZK ($299) not the 8990 CZK ($428.10) that it actually is. Instead of being 25% cheaper to be in line with the economy it is approximately 43% MORE.

So then the Xbox 360 Console Including a 20GB Hard Drivefor $399.99 (8400 CZK) should be 6300 CZK, not 11,990 CZK which is 90% MORE. Wait, TWICE AS MUCH?! Michael, I think you screwed up some mundane detail (-Office Space). Right so then add the cost of a new game 1990 CZK or about $94.76 to the bundle and we're all on our way to bankruptcy here considering that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is $59.99 that makes a new game here for your Xbox 360 58% more. Time to sell the kids Ma!

Sony went to the same school:
Ok just so no one claims I am Microsoft bashing I will show you that Sony went to the same math class. While at DatArt today I was happy to see and be able to caress the Sony Playstation 2 slim. Yes, I actually caressed it. I know, there is something wrong with me. I probably would have rubbed it up against my cheek had it been the silver one and not just the black one. Well the love affair came to a quick end when I saw the pricetag which was a whopping 3990 CZK or about $190, 46% more than the $130 in America. The really strange thing is the pricetag for the PS2 Silver Slim was MORE, the price was 4190 or $199.53 (that's 53% more folks). Now that's just stupid since I could go buy a can of silver spray paint for less than that. Well I think I could, I haven't been out pricing cans of silver spray paint lately. But it seems like all the kids can afford it from the enormous amount (and unbelievable detail) of graffiti in the country so it must not be that much.

So while they don't quite deserve a $ in the $ony I think they are quite close with the 50% markup here. A brand-spankin-new game for the PS2 will suck an additional 1490 CZK out of your wallet, that rings to the tune of $70.95 which happens to be about 77% more than the current price for Marvel Ultimate Alliance in America. Yes, again not as high as the 90% markup on the standard 360, but still outrageously priced. Given the 75% cost of living here the PS2 slim should be about 2048 CZK and games should be about 630 CZK. Actually those prices sound reasonable and I would even work a little harder just to have the money to buy a game or two a month. Right now 4 games cost about the same as my rent and even the silver slim PS2 is 70% of my rent alone.

Oh and the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) Core which is $199.99 in America is about $285.24 here.

Nintendo, thou art no better!
Ha ha, laugh it up fanboys, but Nintendo is no better much to my chagrin. Well ok it's not really my chagrin as I'm not the one that's been humiliated, but you get the point right? Well I don't need a new DS as mine is just fine (knocks on the hardwood floors in the flat) but I happened to catch the price of a new one in a shop window the other day and was shocked to see 4990 CZK or roughly $237.62. We are not talking about a DS lite or even the pink one. This is just a standard, full-sized DS. The same DS that can be had for 2730 CZK ($130) in America. Heck one can even get the Electric Blue version for that same price. So instead of being 2050CZK (75% of America's price) it is 83% more than the price in America. Oh Nintendo, you have forsaken me! With the varying price point of DS games it is a little more difficult to get a reading on the distance between the American and Czech prices but I will try. Most games here come out from 990 - 1190 CZK or $47.14 - $56.66. Looking at the newer games for the DS like Final Fantasy III we can see that the $39.99 (840 CZK) price point is itself outside the standard range of games here and this is the highest price point for a DS game. And games like Big Brain Academy are far cheaper everywhere else than here at $20 or 420CZK they are less than 50% of what they are here. Nintendo, for shame! From all reports the Nintendo Wii will be set at 250 Euro which will translate into 7045 CZK, slightly more than my rent and my utilities combined if you remember this article. By the way that translates into $335 for those keeping score.

PC game prices make us steal!
No, I have not actually heard anyone say that, but it is definitely a possible utterance in this country where a new copy of Battlefield 2or Battlefield 2142will run you 1499 CZK or about $71.38 in comparison with the $39.99 in America.

 So why do all this research and comparison? Simple, to show you a glimpse into the struggles of gamers outside of the comfy confines of America and to maybe get someone at a game company to realize that we WANT to play, we just cannot afford to play. IF just the game prices themselves were affordable there would probably be more people willing to take the bite in the hardware department. But expecting us to pay 50-90% more for something in an economy that basically has 25% less money is ridiculous. We simply cannot do it. When the gaming industry wonders why they have limited market penetration and low revenue they don't bother to even consider these facts I think. They just lump all of the European Union together and say "charge them by Euros" well guess what? As of today the Euro is 27.92 Czech Korun so we cannot afford that price. The gaming companies need to think about this. Granted there are only about eleven million people here and most would probably not be interested in purchasing a video game system so it is a small cap market, like the Milwaukee Brewers, and will always face problems. But if this problem exists here, it most likely exists elsewhere. That means that they are probably outpricing hundreds of millions of people. Hundreds of millions of people that given the opportunity might actually purchase and play a video game system.

Czech Republic Price Roundup 1 December 2006:
New 360 game 1990CZK ($94.76)
New 360 Core/Prem system 8990/11990CZK ($428.10 / $570.95)
New PS2 Slim black/silver 3990/4190 ($190 / $199.52)
New PS2 game 1490CZK ($70.95)
New Nintendo DS 4990CZK ($237.62)
New Nintendo DS game 1990CZK ($94.76)
New PSP Base Pack 5990CZK ($285.24)
New BF2142 or BF2 for PC 1499CZK ($71.38)

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