Do It On The Day: A Video Game Podcast by Jess McDonell · Jessica McDonell

$110 Video Games Are A Disturbing New Normal

·59 min·3 clips

Resident Evil Requiem costs $107.95 in Australia for the base edition.

1. Do It On The Day by Jess McDonell centers on video game pricing, with Jess saying games are "too expensive" and focusing on Australian release costs. 2. Jess hosts the episode alone and matters because she frames the pricing discussion from the perspective of a player, critic, and streamer who actually buys games. 3. The episode asks whether current game prices still make sense for players who want to keep up with new releases. 4. Jess begins by reacting to recent news like the PlayStation State of Play, Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Volume 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Saber Interactive's busy slate. 5. She then shifts to Jason Schreier's Bloomberg editorial about games needing to be cheaper to buy. 6. Jess cites Player Obscure at $50, Mario Kart World at $80, and The Outer Worlds 2 dropping from an alleged $80 to $70. 7. She also points to Hollow Knight: Silksong at $20 and Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 as examples of lower-priced releases with strong consumer response. 8. Jess argues that built-in fandom matters, since Hollow Knight, Kingdom Come Deliverance, and other established series already have audiences before launch. 9. She brings the discussion to Australia, where Resident Evil Requiem is priced at $107.95 for the base edition and over $130 for the deluxe edition. 10. Jess says Silent Hill f was over $110 in Australia before a later promotion reduced it to $70. 11. She repeatedly returns to Game Pass, saying she played Claire Obscure and The Outer Worlds 2 through the service rather than buying them outright. 12. Jess notes that Game Pass made her more likely to try South of Midnight, even though she says she would not have paid $70 for it. 13. She describes her own buying habits, including paying about $64 for Split Fiction on sale and hesitating over ERIKSHOLM: The Stolen Dream at $55. 14. Jess says the subscription model and steep launch prices push her toward waiting for sales or choosing whatever is already included in a service. 15. She compares the situation to streaming platforms that list a title but still charge extra, like Prime Video rentals and Apple purchases. 16. Jess connects the pricing problem to layoffs, rising development costs, and the reality that publishers need revenue from expensive projects. 17. The tone is conversational, opinionated, and improvised, with Jess pausing to check facts and prices mid-rant. 18. The format is a solo monologue that mixes store-page numbers, personal spending examples, and listener-facing questions. 19. Viewers who track game prices, Game Pass, and Australian releases will get the most from this episode. 20. People who want tight news coverage without personal digressions may skip this one.

As heard by us

A plain case for why new releases are often hard to justify.

The episode settles on the cost of choosing something new when entertainment already carries a price tag. It moves from movie rentals at six dollars on Prime to game buys that add up fast, with Split Fiction at 64 on sale, Seance at Blake Manor at 30, Dispatch at 50, and Can at…

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Why you'd press play

When a $70 new release starts feeling like a maybe instead of an easy yes.

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