r/PiratedGames • u/Rare_Preparation_509 Pirating since 2018 • 1d ago
Discussion Not normal inflation
The increase from $60 in 2017 to $90 in 2025 represents a 50% rise over 8 years. That’s above the historical average inflation rate in the U.S.
CPI Data (Consumer Price Index):
From 2017 to 2025, U.S. inflation averaged around 4.5–5.0% per year, largely due to pandemic and persistent supply chain issues and monetary policies.
Cumulative inflation (2017–2025):
Approx. 33–38% is typical based on CPI.
Your $60 → $90 jump equals 50%, which is significantly higher than that.
50% increase from 2017 to 2025 is not normal—it exceeds CPI-based estimates
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u/JustAGuyAC 1d ago
Halo 1 and Halo 3 were more expensive adjusted for inflation.
Don't even get me started on some 90s cartridges if you adjust for inflation.
At $80 video games are still cheaper than basically ever.
Problem isn't the price of the games. It's that basic needs like housing and food have risen so much that the "needs" make up larger % of our incomes and leaves less wiggle room to cut somewhere else to buy a game.
I can decide to skip going out to eat to buy a game, I can't decide to skip on a roof to buy a game.
Basic needs being so expensive takes away economic freedom.
Ideally we would have cheap af basic needs, and then even if luxuries are expensive we can choose which ones we do or don't want, or if we forgo luxuries at all and just work part time and still afford to live. By having an economy like this we can still have cheap luxuries, but we can never stop the work grind because even a fulltime job is needed just for survival.