It remains so incredibly alarming to me the number of “business leaders” who looked at consumer spending in 2020/2021, looked at the global context of 2020/2021, and then went “things will now be like this forevermore,” even as other “business leaders”, and even, very often, themselves, were doing everything possible to force everyone back into a pre-COVID context.
My own employer was one of these businesses, and every time I’ve brought it up, I’ve been firmly told “everyone else thought the same thing we did, too”.
I didn’t have a whole lot of respect for business people before that, but I at least – naively, it turned out – believed they knew how to operate businesses. I now have no respect for such people whatsoever, as they’ve demonstrated completely and thoroughly, even to the point where my dumb ass can notice, that the only thing that ever “qualified” them to “run a business” was having money.
The fact that tens of thousands of people have lost their jobs because the ownership class chose to believe that they’d stumbled into an infinite growth hack is shameful, and these “leaders” deserve to be stripped of all that they own and tossed into the street.
I agree completely. Over the past 5 years, I’ve noticed so many people have been able to fail upward with their businesses all because they have income that allows them to do so. It’s incredibly frustrating knowing that with the right backing, most people could likely be as successful or better.
I now have no respect for such people whatsoever, as they’ve demonstrated completely and thoroughly, even to the point where my dumb ass can notice, that the only thing that ever “qualified” them to “run a business” was having money.
It’s always heartwarming when people wake up and realize it’s capital ism and not merit ism
And you realize a lot of the books and media you’ve consumed that explicitly stated that weren’t just making a comment on a goofy side effect of that system but the entire enchilada.
Intelligence? Talent? No, the ultra-rich got to where they are through luck and brutality.
https://www.monbiot.com/2011/11/07/the-self-attribution-fallacy/
The thing that is incredibly frustrating for me is the rising cost of games. Nintendo of all companies is starting the big push for raised game prices. Frankly, I can’t afford that. It was a stretch for games prior to this. But now I can’t justify it.
Games are currently $80 CAD. In some rare cases $90CAD. If they were bumped up by inflation from 2019 to today. Games would roughly be $96.Still hurts, but alright, sure, I get it.
But Nintendo wants to jack up games to $115 CAD. That’s a massive jump of $35 or 43% if my math is correct. And somehow, people seem to be able to afford this? It feels like I’m trapped in some kind of bubble where I’m just working poor while everyone else is making their money somehow go much further than I can.
I’m working full time, but I am supporting my family. I don’t have kids. I make well above minimum wage. I just don’t get how people are making this work unless they’re all just taking on extreme levels of debt
The game prices I’m ok with. When I was a kid, video games cost $70 CAD, and that’s almost $200 now. I’m perfectly OK with going back to buying fewer games. I have too many of them I shouldn’t have bought in the first place.
I’m wildly upset with the console price, in no small part because Nintendo and other electronics manufacturers seem to be trying to smooth over the shock of Dorito Don’s tariffs by increasing prices globally.
The Americans made their own bed. I’m not willing to lie in it with them.
Hmm when I look it up with this bank of Canada website it claims a game from 2011 that cost 60CAD would be $83 today. I’m wondering if there’s other tools I can use to cross reference? Just curious how you got to the $200 number. Maybe I’m wrong.
https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/related/inflation-calculator/
The only way I get to roundabout $200 now is if they are talking about 1983/84, but the NES hadn’t even released in NA back then, so that’s somewhat unlikely?
Oh man, 2011… I’m a millennial, and even I was already out of college in 2011. My ‘kid’ games were $80 USD in the 90s. Here’s an article from 2014 that someone made about how insane N64 game prices were.
Star Fox 64 – $79.95 (Source: GamePro #106) - 1997
GoldenEye 007 – $69.95 (Source: GamePro #108) - 1997
Super Mario 64 – $66.99 (Source: GamePro #97) - 1996
According to the CPI Inflation Calculator, $80 USD in 1997 is $160 today.
It’s a different example but Super Street Fighter II for the SNES was CAD$99.99 in the 1994 Sears Wishbook which is CAD$191 in today dollars.
You just need to realize just cause they release new product does not mean you need it right away.
Theres 1000s of amazing, incredible, your favorite games you have not played that are available for like a tenner. And you choose to spend 80-90-100+ dollars on something mediocre that will be 10 bucks in a few years anyway.
Alanah is great - and this isn’t totally surprising. The enshittification will continue until profits improve.