Why Pay to Play?

Our first EsportScholar Game Data analysis looks at recent data from STEAM and correlating Metacritic scores to gain some insights on the relationship between the cost of a game and its score to answer the question: is it worth it?

STEAM and Metacritic reviews have become the currency of credibility, they serve as excellent indicators of whether a game is really worth playing. This Dataset contains only games with at least one Metacritic review. In total it looks at 2,508 games and over a million total reviews.

Here is a brief summary table. To view the entire codebase - here's the link.

Key Findings

Good Games Don't (Necessarily) Cost More

There is a weak, but statistically significant relationship between price and Metacritic scores.

(Pearson correlation coefficient: 0.2766 / P-value: 2.6 e-45)

One would imagine that higher priced games would be some kind of indicator of its quality. But, the data shows otherwise. While a majority of the games that cost more than $60 score above 70% on Metacritic, this simply may not be good enough to be persuasive.

Noticeable Outliers:

• No Man's Sky - $59.99, Metacritic Score: 61%
• Disaster Report 4 - $59.99, Metacritic Score: 58%
• Metaphor: ReFantazio  - $69.99, Metacritic Score: 92%
• Baldur's Gate 3 - $59.99, Metacritic Score: 96%
• Disco Elysium - $39.99, Metacritic Score: 97%
• GTA V - $0, Metacritic Score: 96%

There are many "trash" cheap games... as you'd expect.

Free games are often made as experimental endeavors or made with very low production values. They're often made by smaller creators who don't always have the means to fix bugs or build out substantial games. It therefore makes sense that the Free - $5 price range has an average score of only 67%.

There are key takeaways for both gamers and developers from this chart:

‍Gamers: If you want high-quality, well-reviewed games, spending more (above $20) increases the likelihood of getting a highly rated experience.

‍Developers: If you’re pricing a game below $10, ensuring strong quality and marketing visibility is crucial to standing out.

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Best Value

Here are some of the best games less than $10 with at least 1,500 total reviews:

Of these GTA V and Undertale truly stand out. GTA V is a classic franchise and this game proved how ahead of the times it was considering it was initially released in September 2013 and is still so relevant today. Undertale is an indie game with a nostalgic 8-bit retro aesthetic and its popularity comes from its charming storyline and its affordability.

‍Quake is easily the most relevant "old" game. Originally released in 1998 (almost 30 years ago!) the first person shooter has been hailed as one of the greatest of all time. It pioneered real-time 3D rendering and online multiplayer deathmatches.

‍Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell might fall under the hidden gem category due to its very high Metacritic score despite having relatively fewer total reviews. It is a stealth series with releases from 2002 - 2013. A key reason why it is still played today is the fact that it is affordable and so well reviewed.

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Worst Value

The worst games over $30 with at least 1,500 total reviews:

Finally, the time has come to talk about No Man's Sky. This Sci-Fi adventure game provides players with the experience of exploring an expanse of different planets, engaging with different lifeforms and uncovering their own adventures. Despite having many positive reviews, the game has been called "as wide as an ocean, and as shallow as a puddle". While having thousands of different planets to visit, the thrill wears off - too quickly for many, it seems.

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Considerations

This project is by no means a complete picture and there are many limitations to consider. The most notable being:

‍Demographics: Since there is no demographic data tied to either the STEAM or Metacritic data, the data could be skewed or further extrapolations may be missed. For example, knowing whether retro games are among those scoring higher because an older demographic comprise a significant share of the reviewers.

‍Price and Discount Fluctuations: This set only uses the initial price on STEAM and does not account for the sales and discounts that are often on STEAM. Also, free games may contain in-game microtransactions that are not measured.

‍Bias in Reviews: Review bombing (positive or negative) can skew ratings and is not accounted for in this set.

‍Lack of Playtime Data: There is no measure of actual playtime or retention rates - a game with high sales but low retention would not be distinguishable from a truly successful game.