Used Game Prices Dropped 23.7% by End of 2008
In yet another indication of the myriad ways the recession is effecting the videogame industry, Video Game Price Charts reports (via Gamasutra) that the average price for a used game saw a significant drop in 2008, ending 23.7 percent lower than where it started in January.
As you can see in the chart above, the average price for a used game started at $12.69 at the beginning of January last year. But by November 3rd, the price tumbled to its lowest point of the year — $8.57, a 32.5 percent decrease from the starting price. The average price ticked up again in the remaining days of 2008, and finally ended at $9.68, which was a decrease of 23.7 percent.
What’s particularly interesting about these numbers — and where you see the real effect of the recession — is when you compare them to the price fluctuations of 2007. As you can see in the chart below, the average price of a used game saw a similarly downward trajectory in 2007, indicating a decrease over the year is natural. But the extent of the drop was far less drastic than that seen in 2008. The lowest point of the year was a 30.4% drop from the starting price, but then the price ticked back up by 26.6% for a total loss of only 11.8% of the starting value.
Related posts:
- U.S. Toy Sales Down 3% in 2008
- Game Consoles Headed for Fall
- Concert Sales Down in ‘05, Ticket Price Up (AP)
- Video game industry sales sink 23 percent in U.S.
- Microsoft slashes XBL DLC prices
