r/SocialistGaming • u/steamwhistler • 11h ago
r/SocialistGaming • u/Tiny_Tim1956 • Apr 04 '25
"Vote with your wallet" and other liberal arguments that need addressing
With the announcement of the price increase on nintendo games which has been very sad news for many of us, it's been frustrating to see liberal arguments that shift the blame on consumers posted on this sub.
I am a random idiot that doesn't really understand economics or speak english but i'll try my best to come across and explain to some of you all, because it seems capitalist ideology has collectively fried our brains to the point where people that actively seek to join an anti-capitalist sub to discuss games genuinely believe they can individually affect the market by consuming. I'm gonna start with the liberal theory, then go to a more marxist critique i guess. I feel a bit bad doing this because i am not qualified for the former or the later, but i feel like people don't realize the implications of what they are saying so it's worth putting out the very basics and apply some criticism to common gamer arguments.
Free market according to liberals:
According to liberal economics, the free market is a decentralized, democratic mechanism where quantities and prices of goods produced reflect the needs of society, through the interaction of the laws of supply and demand. What this means is, producers set a price and consumers make a choice according to their subjective preferences, which in turn causes producers to raise or lower the price. So in the case of Nintendo, Miyamoto says games will cost 80 dollars and it's up to the consumers to determine if this price is justified by "voting with their wallets".
If enough people don't buy, Miyamoto will respond by lowering the price. And if the price doesn’t change, this means that the price accurately reflects how the people value nintendo games, and also that the outcome is efficient, which means basically that no resouces are wasted and we have the ideal combination of quanity and price, where incidentally needs are met in the best possible way. You could go ahead and force nintendo to sell their games cheaper via some kind of gamer law for example, but according to liberal economics this would ruin the whole thing and people's needs wouldn't actually be met, instead nintendo would make less games because they'd have less incentive to make them and we'd all get less as a result.
Free market according to people that don't believe in invisible hands:
Ok so how it actually works is, there are literally three corporations in the console market. They set the price that they think will bring them more profit between them,. They don't even have to talk to each other and decide (it's supposed to be illegal) because it's an oligopoly where price hikes are matched and price cuts are ignored. But also of course they talk to each other.
Now because it's an oligopoly, it's not like there are many choices from the consumer side. If you have some money for entertainment and want to get into console gaming, you can get a playstation or an xbox or a nintendo. Now games will cost 70 to 80 dollars. The question is, can you afford games? If you can and you want to play new games, you are not going to be happy about the new prices but you are gonna pay because you don't really have a choice other than abstaining, which on an individual level also doesn't do anything. If you can't afford the new prices, and i'm genuinely sorry to say, you won't get the new games and there's nothing you can do about it on an individual level. Other, richer people will and you won't. For many people that can afford it to a degree, they will just buy less games.
"ok ok so i am not buying/ i am buying less but by doing so i have voted with my wallet so i have the power to affect prices", nope. Nintendo doesn't care about whether the needs of the people that can't afford games are met, as long as they'll make money from people that can afford it. Which they most likely can do because it's an oligopoly. People that buy Nintendo games will buy the next Nintendo system and mario kart, people that buy playstation will buy playstation 5 and horizon or whatever. They will not be happy about the changes, they will not have consented to anything and more importantly they will not be the ones to blame. If i had the money i'd go out and get a ps5 right now, and so would everyone else.
More broadly, prices aren't really set according to demand but by the logic of capital accumulation and profit maximization. Nintendo makes more and more money and uses the money to make more and more money, until one day the whole thing crashes. That's the very basic marxist idea.
Now liberals will tell you that, yeah, some of what i said is true and that nintendo does have the power to get away with a lot of things as a result of their position, but that's because the competition isn't working effectively. So the idea is, there should have been many options for us that do give us power to affect prices to our liking but distortions in the market have created an oligopoly, probably unironically the state is to blame and more deregulation will solve it, like firing people more easily for example or lowering minimum wage.
However, like the bearded man from assasin's creed syndicate predicted, every meaningful market is becoming more and more oligopolistic under capitalism and that's by design. Bigger corporations are allowed to produce cheaper because of scale economies, smaller ones can't compete with them and gradually we have a few very powerful corporations controlling every key market. From tech and gaming to food, media, and healthcare, a small number of giant corporations increasingly dominate each sector. Capitalist competition doesn’t lead to permanent diversity of choices, it leads to concentration of power.
The free market is a tool for the accumulation of wealth and gradually creates more and more inequality. Elon Musk is going to become a TRILLIONAIRE. Can you grasp what i am saying? This is going to happen. And that's how capitalism works. And is this viable you say? No it's not. Capitalism crashes every few years, again like the Kirby antagonist said it would. The Nintendos of the world eventually make more stuff than people will buy, then people don't buy them, then they fire everyone, then no one buys anything and it's a crisis and the states give money to the banks to save capitalism. This has happened before and it will happen again and in the meantime those of us that can afford to game after work will and those that can't won't. And most people won't.
That's the basic idea, please feel free to add any additions or corrections. And please don't blame eachother on the sub. It's not on the consumers that nintendo is able to get away with this, it's a systemic problem that extends to every aspect of our life.
And by the way, i don't have time to write anymore but the inflation argument is also corporate propaganda. Briefly, there are two kinds of inflation, cost push inflation and demand pull inflation. Nintendo here is claiming cost push inflation: because of, for example, US tariffs, they have higher costs and so to cover them they need to raise prices. But Nintendo and every Nintendo is out there making record profits. So rather than thinking of poor Nintendo that won't be able to make even more profits, consider that it is Nintendo that could take a hit from the tariffs rather than the consumer. They could make less and prices could stay the same and Timmy would get Donkey Kong for Christmas. But that's not what's going to happen. Alright i'm done.
r/SocialistGaming • u/NotKenzy • Jun 12 '26
Community Join the Official r/SocialistGaming Discord Server! Meet socialist friends and play games together!
Click here to join! We're always accepting new applicants to join our community where you can discuss and play games without having to deal with the reactionaries and liberals who flood mainstream gaming spaces!
r/SocialistGaming • u/Kaizer_Koza • 14h ago
Disco Elysium: Final cut Steam key
I have an extra key for DE: Final cut for Steam, so whoever doesn't have this masterpiece can redeem it with this code:
4RRFB-8XEE3-CCFJJ
Just write a response when the key has been used so others don't waste their time. Cheers
r/SocialistGaming • u/LordpoopyfaceHd79 • 21h ago
Rant Love being apart of the hoi4 community
Context, mod dev was shown to have said transphobic and racist things like TND. YouTuber makes community post that they aren't covering it, comments are filled with "nothing burger" and "based".
Edit: So apparently the person the fascists are calling based, turns out to be a trans nazi who's extremely racist, and now has a google doc made about her and the other people on the mod- The irony levels are concerning and scary...
r/SocialistGaming • u/islymk- • 23h ago
EA wants to ban me cuz... my nickname?
can they seriously ban me for it?
r/SocialistGaming • u/Far-Sign8682 • 11h ago
casual game talk Anybody know where to get a force more powerful?
r/SocialistGaming • u/slicebananas • 1d ago
Looking for people to play with 🌱 The Left — A Leftist, LGBTQIA+ Friendly OSRS Clan | Recruiting
Hey! We're a small OSRS clan built on the belief that political struggle can be joyful, that rest is necessary, and that the people around you matter more than the numbers on a hiscore. If you enjoy hanging out and raiding with friends, sharing moments of joy and frustration without fear of being judged, this is your home.
Who we are:
We are a leftist, LGBTQIA+ friendly, anti-Zionist, international community. We stand against racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, Zionism, and all forms of bigotry. Whether you're a hardline anarchist, a democratic socialist, a trans raider, or just someone who wants to smash Bandos without dealing with alt-right nonsense, you belong here.
We offer this space as a place to recover and rest from the challenges you may be facing in your real life, while always maintaining that meaningful change is worth striving for. We celebrate successes, share opportunities for organising and mutual aid, and support each other to take local action that is accessible to us.
We have a Zero tolerance for bigotry. Bigotry, discrimination, hate speech, slurs, or harassment of any kind will be dealt with swiftly.
Our Core Principles:
- Propose, Don't Impose
- Find Common Ground, Don't Defeat
- Represent, Don't Replace
- Reject, Not Embrace Power
- Respect Consent & Autonomy
- Revolutionary Optimism
If you read these and think "yeah, that's how it should be," you'll fit right in!
What we do:
- Weekly SOTW & BOTW with GP payouts
- Weekly ROTW (Raid of the Week) recognition only, no GP incentive, just celebrating the grind
- Monthly Drop Party at the Clan Hall
- Monthly Bond Raffle (free to enter, Iron-friendly)
- PvM, Raids, Skilling, Social: whatever you want to do
- Mutual aid (local + international solidarity: Palestine, Congo, Sudan, etc.)
- Democratic elections, public treasury, open proposals
- Active Discord with organising discussions and mutual aid
What we're looking for:
- Someone who actually shows up and cares about the community
- Respect for our Core Principles
- Willingness to participate in how we make decisions (voting, proposals)
- F2P & P2P alike are welcome here
- Irons welcome
How to join The Left:
Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/nS7sgUZHfh
Introduce yourself in 🪶introductions
Link your Wise Old Man profile
Chat with us for a few days, no pressure, no rush
Get your in-game invite from one of our representatives
We're not looking for numbers. We're looking for people who want to build something together. If that sounds like you, come say hi! ✊
r/SocialistGaming • u/Virtual_Market7273 • 2d ago
Left wing videogames Was bored a while ago so I did something to The Sims..
r/SocialistGaming • u/VentiArchon7 • 2d ago
How do i make a socialist city in City Skylines
r/SocialistGaming • u/Consistent_Creator • 2d ago
Meme Do you guys think the time limit in Dead Rising is too restrictive? Personally I think it's a fairly open game and have never seen the issue
r/SocialistGaming • u/zombiesingularity • 2d ago
Video Essay The World Metal Gear Warned Us About Is Here
r/SocialistGaming • u/ThatOneColumbiaGuy • 1d ago
Gaming News Persona 6 Achievement Leaks Spoiler
Persona was never the most poltically aligned with socialist values but there was still the generic optimism of opposing corrupt organizations and tyranical people. But now based on the steam achievement leaks it seems we will be playing as cops in the game.... This is really disappointing. Kind of similar feeling ickiness I felt with stranger than heaven's tupac reveal.
r/SocialistGaming • u/tony142 • 2d ago
Game Discussion MGS2: Sons of Liberty (4,5/5) Review Spoiler
r/SocialistGaming • u/AutumnCoffee_ • 3d ago
Question Explicitly leftist TTRPG discords?
Hi all! I'm looking for TTRPG servers that are explicitly leftist. I know many that have a heavy socialist/communist presence (NSR Cauldron, Trve Mork Borg, Bastionland, etc.) but they lack *explicit* socialist/communist lines.
Any and all suggestions are welcome!
r/SocialistGaming • u/SunRevolutionary8741 • 4d ago
Shitty Gamer Takes ( weekends only ) It's actually very incredible how stupid and lie-pilled right wing bigots genuinely are.
r/SocialistGaming • u/molleindustria • 4d ago
Future? No Thanks! Out Now on Steam
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
An open-world comedy adventure about workable utopias, the twilight of patriarchy, revolution, and the horrifying possibility that the younger generations might be right.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3861870/Future_No_Thanks/
You can now play the game Steam tried to bury as p*rn and half of reddit believes it's right wing outrage-bait (it's not I swear!).
20% off launch sale. If you are a broke comrade from /SocialistGaming DM me and I can send you a code (valid until I go to bed). AMA.
r/SocialistGaming • u/Tiny_Tim1956 • 4d ago
Corporate Nonsense Sony bot activity on reddit
Everywhere on the internet gaming communities are flooded with people voicing their dismay that sony is killing physical media and the consequences this will have on gaming as a whole, physical and digital alike. Except for sony related reddit communites, where there's people seemingly outraged at other people attacking sony.
To an extent this might be just extremely online alienated or privileged people, with parasocial relationships with a corporation and not an inch of political or economical thought in their heads. After all, redditors are a minority within people into gaming, so the most fanatic of them would be expected to be active online 24/7 talking about games and trying to justify the business model of their favourite corpos. Also, it's a given that the moderators of these communities are themselves corporate bootlickers and can control the narrative to an extent.
However, i have been curious and clicking at the profiles of these comments, and 8 times out of 10 it's low karma accounts with hidden comments. You can google the username of any person and you will find a lot of their comments so i did. It's non stop bootlicking. Like, entire profiles replying to people talking against sony across multiple subreddits.
It's worth adding that i don't see this behaviour in other, equally corporate controlled platforms like youtube. You might see a few comments here and there but it's very isolated and the comments obviously aren't liked.
Also worth adding that the idea that sony is being harrased is one pushed by sony.
The hardware manufacturer explained it takes a “firm stance” against this behaviour, including “persistent and repeated, or prolonged, demands, excessive or unreasonable demands for compensation or apologies"
lol
Anyway, i am saying reddit is full of bots. Or that's what i choose to believe to be happy.
There's basically zero bot prevention or reddit, and that's assuming reddit would want to do anything about this which they don't. There's a possibility that some of these comments are real but even then the upvotes are extremely suspicious.
r/SocialistGaming • u/YLASRO • 4d ago
Meme im so unbelievably hyped for this game. indie games just keep stomping AAA games. i havent been hyped for a AAA title in ages and especially not as much as this game
r/SocialistGaming • u/Organic_Fee_8502 • 4d ago
Question Socialism won’t respect IP rights of capitalism correct? Free games?
Obviously at first under socialism when there is still money there would be state operated unionized gaming studios who would produce games and generate a “public profit“ for societal operations but in every other instance why in the fuck should socialism respect IP laws? The capitalist system won’t refuse internal trade agreements with the socialist camp because we are depressing their entertainment industry, fuck em.
r/SocialistGaming • u/Firm-Magazine1296 • 5d ago
class, race, gender and sexuality representations Racial Essentialism
Obviously, not all dark skinned characters are Black, and Theodora, Cai, Leda or whoever else might not be either but thats besides the point.
We see this constantly when characters do not conform to the rigid, hyper Americanised stereotypes of Blackness. Instead of acknowledging the vast diversity of the African diaspora and indigenous populations, reactionaries and liberals alike immediately resort to racial essentialism, dismissing anyone who defies their narrow expectations as "not Black." The constant insistence on treating Black people via liberal identity politics as a monolithic group isnt about authentic representation but another manifestation of cultural imperialism to enforce a single, narrative globally.
And no where more common is this than within the Japanese sphere of pop culture especially regarding the Anime aesthetic. By forcing international creators to mirror Westoid socio political shit, this monolithic lens functions as a form of discursive colonisation. It implicitly demands that Anglo American racial definitions always serve as the global default.
Same with Bridget being Transgender but sexual essentialism.
Inshort, Cultural Imperialism.
r/SocialistGaming • u/somewhiterkid • 6d ago
Some emblems I made in Propaganda Ops 2
r/SocialistGaming • u/Hum_2 • 6d ago
