It’s because games are cheap compared to many alternatives that people would use to entertain themselves. They are one of the cheapest forms of entertainment when you consider how much time people spend interacting with them. An Uber and a night at a bar, or a dinner for two at a steakhouse could cost more.
I’m not very consumerist, but grew up poor by US standards (and am honestly on my way back). A lot of people seem to want at least some nice things. Sneakers, nice clothes, nails, hair; whatever they’re into. I think it helps distract them, or gives them something to look forward to. Part of it may also be that society seems to conflate a persons worth with their income and possessions, and that has been internalized.
I’m pretty sure there was a study done that found that people with lower incomes tend to spend their extra money on experiences and such (tattoos, games, etc.) rather than save and invest. And they do that bc they figure they aren’t gonna have the money for long so might as well do something enjoyable with the money when they do have some extra. Whereas people who have higher incomes often have some extra money, so they can make plans and invest with the expectation that they will have more extra money later
Yeah, that’s my experience. I think there’s a kind of anxiety that if they don’t spend it now, some unexpected expense may come along where they’ll have to spend it on that. When unexpected expenses are required, they have to borrow/hustle/pawn/pick up another shift/etc. A lot of people couldn’t even balance a budget if they tried (i.e. they don’t have enough income to cover both expected and “unexpected” expenses).
It’s because games are cheap compared to many alternatives that people would use to entertain themselves. They are one of the cheapest forms of entertainment when you consider how much time people spend interacting with them. An Uber and a night at a bar, or a dinner for two at a steakhouse could cost more.
I’m not very consumerist, but grew up poor by US standards (and am honestly on my way back). A lot of people seem to want at least some nice things. Sneakers, nice clothes, nails, hair; whatever they’re into. I think it helps distract them, or gives them something to look forward to. Part of it may also be that society seems to conflate a persons worth with their income and possessions, and that has been internalized.
I’m pretty sure there was a study done that found that people with lower incomes tend to spend their extra money on experiences and such (tattoos, games, etc.) rather than save and invest. And they do that bc they figure they aren’t gonna have the money for long so might as well do something enjoyable with the money when they do have some extra. Whereas people who have higher incomes often have some extra money, so they can make plans and invest with the expectation that they will have more extra money later
Yeah, that’s my experience. I think there’s a kind of anxiety that if they don’t spend it now, some unexpected expense may come along where they’ll have to spend it on that. When unexpected expenses are required, they have to borrow/hustle/pawn/pick up another shift/etc. A lot of people couldn’t even balance a budget if they tried (i.e. they don’t have enough income to cover both expected and “unexpected” expenses).