For millions of us, gaming is our escape.

We’re workers, students, parents, and everyday people who come home tired and just want to relax and enjoy the games we love. But the gaming industry has reached a point where the average person can’t fully experience these games without spending far more than the price on the box.

Today, most games cost about $70, but players are immediately pushed toward in-game currency bundles costing up to $149.99 — which disappear after a few upgrades or items. These purchases are labeled “optional,” but any real gamer knows that playing with default gear or no upgrades puts you at a huge disadvantage. It makes you feel left out of the game you already paid for.

On top of that, the grind required for non-paying players is unrealistic. Working adults don’t have hundreds of hours to unlock basic features. Annual releases erase progress, hardware is expensive and fails quickly, storage costs are high, and lag or broken launches rarely come with refunds. It feels like the industry is taking advantage of the very people who support it. 

We are asking for fairness. We want in-game pricing to make sense, grind rates that respect our time, transparency about what we’re paying for, and basic consumer protections when games or hardware don’t work as advertised.

Gaming should be affordable and enjoyable—not a financial burden or a second job. We respectfully urge federal and state consumer-protection agencies to investigate these practices and put reasonable safeguards in place for all gamers.