We haven't even gotten over the sting of $70 games and now Nintendo's asking people to pay $80 for Mario Kart

In late 2022, Activision pulled PC gaming into the $70-for-triple-A-games era that the consoles were already living in, becoming the first major publisher on Steam to abandon the old $60 standard for its launch of Modern Warfare 2. Two and a half years later, I'm only now starting to accept the reality of being expected to exchange 70 United States dollars for the privilege of pretending I'm a guy who hits lizards with swords.

It's good that I haven't gotten too comfortable, because a champion...