With current-generation games often costing $70, constant criticism of Nintendo releasing ports of older games at $60, a wide variety of prices for DLC and expansions, and other monetary models like battle passes and microtransactions becoming prominent, the price of a video game is a changing and controversial topic. Often, when discussing a game, its content, and a player’s satisfaction, the number of hours played gets touted as part of the cost consideration. However, should the length of a game affect its price?

Prior to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series era, video game prices had remained pretty stable at $60 for new releases for some time. Despite that, other models, and an increase in supplementary content for an additional fee, have also been creeping into the conversation. Indie games have risen in prominence and visibility, and they sell for varying amounts, usually less than $30.

Video games don’t have…