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[MikeM]

I just did some napkin math on the cost of my gaming hobby on PC to date to determine what kind of value i’m getting from it:

~$2,500 CAD / 687 hours (per Steam)
= $3.64/hour on the PC hardware side

(AMD Reference 7900xt day 1, Ryzen 7600x, 32GB DDR5 6000mhz cl30)

$596.10 CAD / 687 hours= $0.87/hour on the software side.

Total cost per hour (ignoring electricity)= $4.51/hour.

Obviously, value is not just the cost per hour as enjoyment etc are all part of the equation. I do have to say that its not that expensive in relation to other hobbies that are out there and this is with a modern system and the price tag to go with it at the time of building.

It had me wondering what others determine as “value” to them, so i’m pushing the question out to GAF to hear what “value” means to you.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I feel that trying to rationalize the value sort of undermines the end goal. I have a gaming machine that i can afford and i'll use it to find interesting stuff at a price that seems reasonable and i'll end it there.

But yeah, money cost relative to other hobbies isn't that expensive, but time cost can grow quite large.

 

[RagnarokIV]

No idea

 

[Laptop1991]

As long as whatever i've bought i use then it's not a waste of money, if i don't then it is.

 

[Bartski]

Not in money spent per hour that’s for sure

 

[ReBurn]

I don't think about it. Life is better that way.

 

[Hrk69]

687 hours (per Steam)

 

[StueyDuck]

I just did some napkin math on the cost of my gaming hobby on PC to date to determine what kind of value i’m getting from it:

~$2,500 CAD / 687 hours (per Steam)
= $3.64/hour on the PC hardware side

(AMD Reference 7900xt day 1, Ryzen 7600x, 32GB DDR5 6000mhz cl30)

$596.10 CAD / 687 hours= $0.87/hour on the software side.

Total cost per hour (ignoring electricity)= $4.51/hour.

Obviously, value is not just the cost per hour as enjoyment etc are all part of the equation. I do have to say that its not that expensive in relation to other hobbies that are out there and this is with a modern system and the price tag to go with it at the time of building.

It had me wondering what others determine as “value” to them, so i’m pushing the question out to GAF to hear what “value” means to you.

I use my value determination machine that I store in my cupboard

 

[Gaiff]

I just did some napkin math on the cost of my gaming hobby on PC to date to determine what kind of value i’m getting from it:

~$2,500 CAD / 687 hours (per Steam)
= $3.64/hour on the PC hardware side

(AMD Reference 7900xt day 1, Ryzen 7600x, 32GB DDR5 6000mhz cl30)

$596.10 CAD / 687 hours= $0.87/hour on the software side.

Total cost per hour (ignoring electricity)= $4.51/hour.

Obviously, value is not just the cost per hour as enjoyment etc are all part of the equation. I do have to say that its not that expensive in relation to other hobbies that are out there and this is with a modern system and the price tag to go with it at the time of building.

It had me wondering what others determine as “value” to them, so i’m pushing the question out to GAF to hear what “value” means to you.

687 hours over what period of time?

 

[cormack12]

687 hours over what period of time?

1 day

 

[Portugeezer]

Value = Physical copy

 

[GametimeUK]

If I enjoy it I buy it. Can't necessarily put things in a measurable metric.

 

[West Texas CEO]

 

[ReyBrujo]

Since the title is so generic I would say I value games based on nostalgia, I'd buy a game that I played as a child (or a game that I wanted as a child because of reviews or magazines at the time) for way more than I'd pay a modern game. Yesterday I bought a Super Metroid and a Turtles in Time for SNES (the first one I never had but always wanted, the second I used to have and then traded it in for something stupid like James Bond Jr) even though I don't have a setup for playing SNES games anymore (everything is boxed). Also, lately I've been buying limited editions of things that I didn't care or didn't know that I care back when it was released but noticed they are excellent games or that I enjoyed them greatly even if that means I have to deal with scalpers.

As for PC, I use it for work so it's pretty much like tools like Snap On or Bosch or Makita, you pay an extra because you know you can abuse them.

 

[angelgs90]

Nothing that can be rationalized in numbers, power, price or good reviews.

 

[feynoob]

Between put day1 70$ on games, while others value sales.

At the end of the day, it how you view your purchase.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

I think it's impossible to measure that. But I definitely don't count hours played as value.

If I play a 60 hours long game to the end, but feel like half of it was making boring tasks, in fact I think I've lost precious time insisting on that game, and the money I spent on it.

I think the best way to "measure" it, is too look at your financial situation in that moment and ask yourself if you want and you can buy a game, avoid buying a bunch at once that you know you won't be able to handle, and keep playing something just if you're really having a good time with it. If you're not in debt because of it, and if you don't give away other more important things in life to play, and you had fun while playing, then it was probably worth it no matter the price.

But it's easier said than done.

 

[Robb]

I have no idea in terms of hours tbh.

All I can really say is that games that hook me and I can’t put down/wont substitute for other types of entertainment bring me the most value. Those games where, once you stop playing, your fingers are itching for more and you’re still thinking about them and what you’ll do as soon as you get back etc.

For a game like that the actual price doesn’t really matter to me.

 

[Humdinger]

I tend to think more in terms of time than money. "Is this game worth my time?"

"Value" is always relative. That is, "Is it worth my time?" means compared to other things I could be spending my time on.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

But did you spent all these hours on your fairly new AMD machine, or are older builds involved in this, too? I like these kinds of calculations, but would like to see a more detailed breakdown with the electricity bill added. I do unironically think that these things should be taken into consideration, as most of us have tons of alternatives when it comes to past time activities.

 

[Perrott]

High developer prestige = high value.

Rockstar, Naughty Dog, Ueda, Kojima games, just to name a few, all day one.

 

[Killer8]

Dollar to hour ratios are lame and reward shitty copy paste game design.

 

[deriks]

The time playing it's not the best thing to determine something, but how the experience is to most people

Metal Gear Rising is a fairly short game, but it's loved by every hack'n slash enthusiastic for the fighting and for the killer soundtrack - which became a industry meme

Silent Hill 2 is also kinda of a short game, still is considered as the best horror game ever - which is

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I base value on how much I enjoyed a game.

That's it.

 

[adamsapple]

My personal enjoyment of a game.

I base value on how much I enjoyed a game.

That's it.

What the grumpy cat said.

 

[cireza]

I don't know how much this helps the discussion, but from a personal standpoint, I find that anything that allows me to save some of my free time is worth money. I'd gladly work harder (=not longer, obviously), to earn more money, to be able to afford products or services that allow me to enjoy my free time to the fullest.

 

[Iced Arcade]

I base value on how much I enjoyed a game.

That's it.

The only real answer

 

[Leonidas]

If I beat a game I feel I got value out of it.

If I did the OPs calculation my cost/hour of gaming would be way lower.

 

[gaming_again]

If I enjoyed the game or not. I spend more on meals out than on games, and I don't expect to get 100 hours of pleasure out of them.

 

[Edgelord79]

Art direction only matters to me when I’m deciding to buy a game or not.

After I’ve bought it, the only thing I care about is if I can enjoy it once in a while in my free time. If I can’t find enjoyment in it, it holds no value. There is no investment value in games or technology for me regardless of its physical or digital.

So basically I don’t care too much about technical details as long as I can enjoy myself once in a while.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Probably something like $1 per 5 hours of play time.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

How much care/attention/focus is put into the narrative, characters, art direction, music and gameplay/combat mechanics.

Then if those elements are interesting enough and I'll get at least a weeks worth of gameplay from the game (about 2-3 hours a night), then I'm happy to pay full price or close to full price.

 

[MiguelItUp]

If it's something I "need" and is something I'm going to be using/enjoying pretty frequently.

 

[Filben]

I don't quantify gaming like that. Little content can outweight padded and repetitive content any day. It's hard to measure but I don't need to. With most games I just know their value for me.

 

[nikos]

I paid $25 USD for a beer last night, which was more than what Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remix cost me earlier in the day.

Gaming provides incredible value for the cost.

 

[nush]

1. Never buy a console until there are 10 games released that you actually want to play. Not some listicle that tells you 10 games you must play if you own the console.

2.

Always worked for me.

 

[Dacvak]

Usually by how much “concentrated enjoyment” is in a game. I’d value a short game that has excellent pacing with wall-to-wall fun that’s 6-8 hours long much higher than a AAA game with amazing set pieces, but half of it is padding at 40 hours.

To put it in more tangibly, I’d value Super Mario Galaxy at “$100” and Final Fantasy 7 Remake at like “$30”.

 

[Raven117]

For me, it’s did I enjoy the experience. Nowadays, most games are longer than a 5-7 hour campaign (and even then… if it’s that good it can be worth it), so the “time per hour” isn’t as big of an issue.

nowadays, I’m much more guarded with my time. I’m older. I have other things to do.

 

[IAmRei]

never count value, if i like it, as long as had bucks for it, will buy it, even if i'm not play it straight away.

 

[hemo memo]

To me respecting my time is the most valuable. I’m playing FF7 on Switch and I honestly wouldn’t not play it without the 3x speed feature.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I just bought High on Life with DLC High on Knife for 20 bucks. That seemed to be a good value.
I screwed up and never finished it while it was on Game Pass. Other Games got in the way.

 

[Garibaldi]

I don't if I'm honest. Money largely has no value to me beyond being a means to acquire the things/experiences I need to help me or my family enjoy life more.

This includes using money to acquire more money to acquire things/experiences.

Once the thing/experience has been acquired, I basically no longer think about the money required to acquire it.

I've made a plan for that money, once it's spent, it's gone.

 

[Hudo]

I just did some napkin math on the cost of my gaming hobby on PC to date to determine what kind of value i’m getting from it:

~$2,500 CAD / 687 hours (per Steam)
= $3.64/hour on the PC hardware side

(AMD Reference 7900xt day 1, Ryzen 7600x, 32GB DDR5 6000mhz cl30)

$596.10 CAD / 687 hours= $0.87/hour on the software side.

Total cost per hour (ignoring electricity)= $4.51/hour.

Obviously, value is not just the cost per hour as enjoyment etc are all part of the equation. I do have to say that its not that expensive in relation to other hobbies that are out there and this is with a modern system and the price tag to go with it at the time of building.

It had me wondering what others determine as “value” to them, so i’m pushing the question out to GAF to hear what “value” means to you.

I don't approach hobbies that way.

 

[Fess]

Built a PC for $5k 2 years ago.
Built another one for $3.5k this year.
Worth the money? Nope.
But I already earned it all back through stocks, mostly Nvidia, so I don’t really care. As long as I use the stuff I’m spending money on and can still put food on my table and enjoy my time I don’t think about cost or value.

It’s more annoying that I fell for the hype and bought Baldur’s Gate 3, twice, and then didn’t like it and missed the time slot to do a refund, twice. Could’ve used that money for something I actually enjoy instead. Like pizza.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Without any math involved. If something makes me smile & happy it's good value.

Of course there are some extremes... like I wouldn't spend astronomical money on a gaming PC to have the same game run better.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

Hours of enjoyment = value

 

[Pegasus Actual]

I occasionally buy a new game, but then ignore it and sink my time into Destiny and Rocket League... and maybe if I'm feeling extra frosty PUBG and R6:Siege... so the hardware gets used. Software largely ends up being a waste.

Series X and Switch (if that even still counts seeing as it's pretty old) are also of almost no value to me.

But it is what it is, for the money I put into the hobby, even with the wasted purchases I'm getting good value.

 

[Knightime_X]

Finally beat ff7 rebirth, took me 135 hours.
Since i'm probably not ever going to play from scratch ever again, its worth a solid $50 for a one and done.
$70 easily if it was about 60 hours long.
Because i'll probably play it again. replay value is far more important than game length.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

As long as you enjoy it and can afford doing it, that's a a general non-mathematical way of determining if something is good value, since everyone's pocketbooks are different. But the cheaper it is and the more bang for your buck the better too all other things considered equal.

 

[baphomet]

No kids and I can't take my money with me when I die.

If I'll enjoy it, then it's enough value for me.