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The Sims 4 may not be as expensive as you think!
Chicherino
Posts: 118 Member
I know a lot of people say that The Sims 4 is expensive, BUT! Did you guys know that in 1990, the average Nintendo game cost around $50 in the US? If you take inflation into account, that would be more than $90 in today's money! 
Please check out my TS4 Let's Play series, "Love After Strangerville"!
Origin ID: Chicherino
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Chicherino
Origin ID: Chicherino
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Chicherino
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And no before anyone comes at me, the sims 3 store was optional. You didn’t have to buy any of it and in many cases (mine) I got it all for free via EP registration and points.
Try playing sims 3 without stuff packs or game packs. You wouldn’t want to as the game would be boring. Right now the sims 4 without any sales is almost £500 and that figure will continue to rise.
And for what it’s worth I have games from previous generations. I found my sims 2 expansion that was 19.99, I have a sims 3 expansion with a 24.99 price tag on it.
You don't have to buy any of the DLC. It's all optional, as well. Rather you find it boring or not without the packs, the fact remains all the DLC for Sims 4 is as optional as the Sims 3 store you deem as optional, as well.
But long as you got and still get value out of your purchase that's all that matters.
Sims 3 eps were 35.99 - 39.99 with most being 39.99 when the game was in development. They sometimes went on sale - just like all the other Sims eps did and do.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
Not turning this into a separate discussion but we are in different countries with different currencies and I know what I paid and as I still have all my sims 3 discs many of which have the prices on- I know what I paid.
Mine are all still listed in my account - I pre-ordered all Sims 3 packs and I know what EA asked for them. In the USA they were the price I stated unless the were on sale - but pre-orders are not usually on sale. I always pre-ordered up until Sims 4 where they stopped the pre-order bonus item. Then there was no point. I also have all my disks - but from EA there is no price on them.
"Games Are Not The Place To Tell Stories, Games Are Meant To Let People Tell Their Own Stories"...Will Wright.
In dreams - I LIVE!
In REALITY, I simply exist.....
And that came as a complete game. That you didn't have to buy in pieces over many years to come.
I have paid at least 300£. I've played for about 200 hours and due to live service I can no longer play it. I must have broken 1000 hours on both Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines and Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion and I can still fire both of these up. Value to entertainment ratio is highly subjective and for me the sheer amount of frustration that TS4 brought me over the years exceeds the enjoyment that I got out of it long ago. I'm happy that you're enjoying your purchase, but there's no denying that The Sims is an expensive series, only beaten by train simulator in expensiveness.
That is interesting, I always have thought games have gotten more expensive (dlc not being considered). You do have a good point though.
My hubby and I used to go out to dinner and a movie once a week. It'd cost us anywhere from $30-50 for dinner and at least $30 for the movie (depending on if we got drinks and snacks or not) That's at least $60 a week or $240 a month for entertainment purposes.
We find that we are happier staying home, making dinner, and settling in to play our favorite games. We still go out for dinner and a movie now and then (maybe once a month) but for us, spending $20-40 on my Sims games when one comes out every few months, and him spending 40-80 on whichever game he's interested in every few months still saves us $120 dollars a month at least. Much, much more on the months where neither of us has a game/game pack coming out to spend on.
TLDR: The Sims 4 can be quite affordable if you are willing to budget for them in place of other things.
I realize there are probably quite a few people who have less/more disposable income than my husband and I. I figure we are probably middle of the road there. Its just an example that works for us.
I've spent $595 $535 US dollars on my Sims 4 (official content, that's not counting what I've paid towards mods and CC to support my favorite modders and creators). Yeah, it's pricey, but that is over 4.5 years and I have put in, at minimum, 4707 hours (not counting my offline play).
That means, to date, I have paid around 12 11 cents an hour to enjoy my game. Well worth it, if you ask me. I don't want to know how much I've spent on coffee in the last 4.5 years and that only lasts as long as the cup stays warm.
(ETA: I forgot for a second that I didn't pay for my base game, I won my copy of it, though I did pay later for the digital deluxe upgrade. I have adjusted accordingly)>
I guess "expensive" is viewed very differently, I not only play but I build and it can take hours, sometimes a couple of days to do a build..so I have gotten my moneys worth and some, for the simple entertainment, and escape from everything the game can give. Your experience seems very different from mine, I've played 3,731 online hours, not including when I'm offline..so it's a bargain for me. I wish your experience would have been better.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Apart from the fact Sims 3 being expensive doesn’t make Sims 4 a cheap game. I’d rather say both games aren’t cheap, my gaming non simming son’s laughing at me for spending so much money on a game. Not that I care because it was worth every penny, no other hobby gave me so much joy for over nine years now, but that doesn’t mean it was a cheap game.
Packs are also optional, or you can wait and get them on sale. I include purchasing packs as part of my general entertainment budget. Being an old lady, I don't go out drinking or to clubs anymore, so the money I'm not spending on alcoholic drinks and cover charges can go support my Sims habit. And being partially disabled (mild mobility issues, but enough that I use a cane and don't really like to go out without my husband to give me a hand when necessary) I spend a lot of time at home, so having The Sims is entertainment, and a chance to have something in my control in a world that feels out of my hands at times. And my husband supports my Sims habit because it keeps me quiet and happy most of the time -- he's not interested in playing himself but he likes to hear about my Simming adventures.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Of course, whether it's worth it to you depends on your situation. It's worth it to me, personally, because I play it enough to justify the costs, and because my partner (who shares my interest in gaming) and I are able to set aside a budget for it.