How many hours of enjoyment should $50 bring?

[Tman]

I was thinking of how much enjoyment I get out of playing games and most of the games I get I'm probably at less than $1hr b/c of the online play and some games like BF1942, BF2 or will be w/Orange Box & COD4 where I probably hovered at around $0.10/hr or even less.

So this got me to thinking, what other things do we do and how long can we make $50 last?

$25 dinner for 2 = 2 dinners = ~3 hours
$7.50 movie = 7 movies = ~14 hours
$3.00 latte = 17 lattes = ~9hrs
$15 Netflix monthly subscription = 3 months*15movies = 45 movies = ~90 hours
$8/book = 6 books * 5hrs = 30 hours
$50 round golf = 4hours

How many hours of enjoyment should we expect for $50??

[Raife]

16.5±4

[Cronox]

You measure enjoyment in hours?

[MikeSofaer]

In my previous work on the subject, I came up with a value slightly under 9,000 hours as the target (Actual value was 525,600 min)

[Cronox]

Based on this theory everybody should talk to their boss about working around the clock as clearly that has the best money per hour return and as such is the most enjoyable thing we could be doing.

[Mordrak]

That's a ridiculous way to measure it. Different experiences have varying costs depending on the type of experience. How much does it cost to sky dive and yet how long are you in the air? Also, your personal dollar/hr expectations will depend on your particular income level as well. Someone that makes 30 dollars per hour will be less affected by cost because 30 dollars doesn't seem as much to someone that only makes 10 dollars per hour. Edit: Plus, different people have different tolerances for repeating the same experience for enjoyment. This can affect the overall cost as well. One may replay a game or rewatch a movie for instance.

[Talisker]

$25 dinner for 2 = 2 dinners = ~3 hours
If you were wondering why your dates never go well, this might be a clue.

[tromik]

I hate work, but I fucking make money doing that shit. So work is GOTY, right?

Also, one book equals five hours?

[Guido Jones]

That's pretty low on prices. Where a I live, dinner for two at a half decent restraunt is $40-50. Movie tickets are $9.50 - $10.00. Latte's are $4+. You only play $50 a round at public crappy courses for golf. Etc etc.

[Rimbo]

This thread isn't going to be another one about Sting, is it?

[Tman]

If you were wondering why your dates never go well, this might be a clue.

LOL.

I don't put down what I spend, I'm trying to be nice. For Morton's, $50 would be about 10-15 minutes.

Seriously though, for some reason, the average gamer appears to believe they should be getting shit for almost free. They pay $50 and bitch and whine on forums about how the game should be nerfed/patched/new maps/etc when they don't even think about the latte they have every day, spend $50 a week on lunchs and don't even flinch at $100 nikes.

ffs

So far, the responses here reaffirm that no one appears to really think about it in these terms and it's their god-given right to bitch & moan for what is probably < $1/hr enjoyment.

[RichVR]

Depends upon the price of crack in your neighborhood and how much "the girls" are taking in trade.

I figure at least three days if you don't count the cost of a cheap motel room. And if you also need booze and/or food.

Or so I have been told...

Shut up.

[Tankero]

An intricate Lego Technics set, for that price? Years of enjoyment.

[Raife]

Seriously though, for some reason, the average gamer appears to believe they should be getting shit for almost free. They pay $50 and bitch and whine on forums about how the game should be nerfed/patched/new maps/etc when they don't even think about the latte they have every day, spend $50 a week on lunchs and don't even flinch at $100 nikes.

ffs

So far, the responses here reaffirm that no one appears to really think about it in these terms and it's their god-given right to bitch & moan for what is probably < $1/hr enjoyment.

Careful, you're getting flecks of spittle on the monitor.

[jellyfish]

I notice you didn't list 'giving it to charity' up there.

[Mordrak]

So far, the responses here reaffirm that no one appears to really think about it in these terms and it's their god-given right to bitch & moan for what is probably < $1/hr enjoyment.
Some of us don't buy 4 dollar lattes every day and 100 dollar sneakers.

Patches should be standard. If the game is broken, they should fix it. You don't buy a brand new car and expect it to have problems do you (or just about any other new product)?

[Morkilus]

This thread disturbs me.

[Guido Jones]

So far, the responses here reaffirm that no one appears to really think about it in these terms and it's their god-given right to bitch & moan for what is probably < $1/hr enjoyment.

Actually, we've had this discussion about 500 times in the last few years. The consensus has been that the rate of return on gaming was much lower of a $/hour then say, going to a movie.

Your amazing insight is neither new, nor interesting. I suggest suicide.

[Cronox]

LOL.

I don't put down what I spend, I'm trying to be nice. For Morton's, $50 would be about 10-15 minutes.

Seriously though, for some reason, the average gamer appears to believe they should be getting shit for almost free. They pay $50 and bitch and whine on forums about how the game should be nerfed/patched/new maps/etc when they don't even think about the latte they have every day, spend $50 a week on lunchs and don't even flinch at $100 nikes.

ffs

So far, the responses here reaffirm that no one appears to really think about it in these terms and it's their god-given right to bitch & moan for what is probably < $1/hr enjoyment.

Should people never complain about or comment on the weather because it is free?

What did you expect to find on a gaming message board? Discussions about over priced/crappy coffee? I’m sure if you looked you could find more than enough places with people debating food/restaurants, movies, coffee, books, shoes, golf courses etc. People here comment on games (be it positively or negatively) because it’s their hobby not because games cost them $50.

[Hanzii]

An intricate Lego Technics set, for that price? Years of enjoyment.

I just got the Mindstorm NXT and a badass huge bulldozer - for me christmas is now!


Apart from that there's been long $50 games I didn't felt were worth their price and I'd gladly paid full price for portal, so the question has no definite answer for me.

[MyNameIsWill]

A game that delivers an amazing 7-8 hours is well worth $60.

[Gunmetal]

Sometimes your $8 buys you a ticket to Empire Strikes Back. And sometimes your $8 buys you a ticket to The Medallion

[Arioch]

For games, I tend to think of it in this way: If I have fun longer than I have to work to earn it, then it's okay. And since I don't earn really much, a 8 should approximately have 8 hours of fun, full price.

[Kunikos]

How many hours of enjoyment should we expect for $50??

In Thailand: 10 (Note: not necessarily consecutive)

[SlyFrog]

The problem with the thread is that there is no variable associated with enjoyment. As has been pointed out in many ways (including the skydiving analogy), the level of "enjoyment" may be viewed as a multiplier to the number of hours spent at the activity.

If the activity is particularly pleasurable, one of a kind, etc., then 10 minutes at that activity may be worth three hours of another.

Insert sex joke here.

[Kool Moe Dee]

Some of us don't buy 4 dollar lattes every day and 100 dollar sneakers.

Patches should be standard. If the game is broken, they should fix it. You don't buy a brand new car and expect it to have problems do you (or just about any other new product)?

Nice straw man there.

Car purchases are in a different magnitude of cost -- furthermore, problems with them can seriously jeopardize the health of the owner and others. Comparing game patches (which may not always be solely for fixing bugs) to car recalls is total bullshit.

[Charles]

A $50 game should bring enjoyment.

That's the only requirement I have for games.

[Bullhajj]

In my previous work on the subject, I came up with a value slightly under 9,000 hours as the target (Actual value was 525,600 min)

18 nubile sex workers (or 693 blow jobs, 1 of which is extremely messy)

[Tankero]

Milliwhores and Kilowhores?

How many Milliwhores was Bioshock, then?

[Robert Sharp]

Nice straw man there.

Car purchases are in a different magnitude of cost -- furthermore, problems with them can seriously jeopardize the health of the owner and others. Comparing game patches (which may not always be solely for fixing bugs) to car recalls is total bullshit.


I agree that it's bullshit, but it's not a straw man. It's just a bad analogy.

As for the original topic, just specify that you mean games. Comparing types of entertainment makes no sense. When people complain about game lengths, they are saying Game X cost me the same as Game Y. However, Game Y gave me 50 hours of enjoyment, while Game X only gave me 10 hours of enjoyment. The amount of enjoyment per hour was roughly the same, so I feel ripped off by paying the extra money.

Now that we know the argument, we can get down to a real discussion if you want.

[RepoMan]

sometimes your $8 buys you a ticket to The Medallion
Thankfully no $8 of mine has bought or will ever buy a ticket to The Medallion.

All I know is that gaming is a motherfucking cheap hobby compared to many, and I'm glad to have spent only $220 on my hobby in the last several months yet gotten more entertainment than I've even had time to enjoy.

[jpinard]

At least 20 hours.

[wisefool]

Actually, I always measured "entertainment" around Blockbuster's tapes. On those terms, computer games are a bargain. If I like them. The boring ones just get shelved with a shrug and eventually chucked in a bin. The ones that DISAPPOINT my expectations are the ones I complain loudly about: Moo3 and anything Molyneux post-Bullfrog.

If one must generalize, some people are more self-entitled than others. For people who live in the first world it is difficult not to feel self-conscious when remembering the suffering of others.

Maybe computer gaming forums will have more because kids tend to be whinny, and many people who play games tend to be younger, even if at heart.

[Robert Sharp]

Maybe computer gaming forums will have more because kids tend to be whinny, and many people who play games tend to be younger, even if at heart.

I don't find computer gamers to be any more horselike than any other gamers. They do have monkey-breath though.

[Kunikos]

I don't find computer gamers to be any more horselike than any other gamers. They do have monkey-breath though.

Is that better or worse than dog-breath?

[Mordrak]

Nice straw man there.

Car purchases are in a different magnitude of cost -- furthermore, problems with them can seriously jeopardize the health of the owner and others. Comparing game patches (which may not always be solely for fixing bugs) to car recalls is total bullshit.

There could be things wrong with the car that do not jeopardize the health of the driver or other drivers on the road. Are you telling me that if you buy a new car and the cd player stops working a week into owning, you won't take it in to get fixed by the dealership?

But the car was just one example off the top of my head and I wasn't even thinking safety. If you buy a film on dvd and one of the chapters skips consistently, don't you expect to be able to return it and get one that works or your money back?

If you don't, you're pretty much out of touch with consumers (at least in the US).

[Dean]

$50 doesn't exactly bring me enjoyment, but it does bring me piece of mind.

And the number of hours is variable, but it's always until the next time my wife says, "Honey, do you have any money on you?"

[Hanacker]

I thought happiness was measured in utils and not hours.

[Raife]

$50 doesn't exactly bring me enjoyment, but it does bring me piece of mind.

Piece, huh?

[Ryan A]

I thought happiness was measured in utils and not hours.

No, it's measured in daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

[MikeSofaer]

Damn it Ryan, where were you after post #4?

[Anaxagoras]

The problem with the thread is that there is no variable associated with enjoyment.

There's way more problems with this thread than just that.

[Ryan A]

Damn it Ryan, where were you after post #4?

Waiting to see if anybody was fruity enough to get it. To everyone: NO BERET FOR YOU!

[MikeSofaer]

Waiting to see if anybody was fruity enough to get it. To everyone: NO BERET FOR YOU!
Seriously. I hope there are bannings.

[Dean]

Piece, huh?

Piece out.

[GyRo567]

I don't think I can find anything that beats my Counter-Strike cost. I leeched off my friend's LAN for the first several years, and then I got my own copy for free over the past many years. I have probably about 1000 hours invested in complete total. I don't know for sure, but I doubt it can be much higher than that. It's not any less than 900.

The closest I can come is viewing a VHS copy of Star Wars until it fell completely apart. It was recorded from TV with commercials edited out so that was also free. At this point I've seen it about 300 times. Back then, probably only 200.

How do we divide things by hours used when they're free? They're not really the same value, even if they are the same ratio.

To avoid repitition of media types, the 3rd place winner would be any Calvin & Hobbes book I own. I can pretty much read them off to you right now without breaking out the books, and I have a terrible memory. Say $10/book average and probably another 1000 hours invested.

[wildpokerman]

Give a teenager a $5 porn shop bundle of 3 Hustler magazines and then ask this $50 question again.