Being a gamer in the United States, I take a lot of things for granted; for example, I can purchase a Playstation Portable when it s available, play most games when they first come out and pay less than $100 for a title. That s right, $100.

How the hell do Australians afford video games? The prices here are outrageous. Most mainstream A-titles seem to be selling for $99 (that s about $75 U.S.), and don t even get me started on the cost of imports. I went to one little shop in Sydney s China Town only to find a copy of Super Mario 64 DS (yes, the game most of us bought when the DS hit stores last year) selling for $150. At these prices video games will lead to crime, gamers will have to steal to support their habit.

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