Gaming is massively expensive if you obsessively chase the latest AAA experiences. If you stick to older games and lower end or older hardware then it's one of the best value hobbies around.

Minimum wage has long fallen into the poverty zone in the US. As the saying goes, everything is expensive when you're poor. And sales tax doesn't help one bit. It's a 'flat' tax meaning it doesn't scale with income; a poor person and a billionaire pay the same sales tax for an identical purchase.

In Pennsylvania the sales tax is 6%. A PlayStation 5 disc version off amazon new is $559.99, after tax it would cost $593.59. Minimum wage is $7.25/hour. A person making minimum wage would need to work 81.8 hours to pay for a PS5(disc). Forgot to include a game example Wolverine is listed on Amazon for $69.99 after tax it would cost $74.19. At minimum wage it’d take 10.23 hours to pay for it.

I'm sorry, but I really don't understand your second paragraph. I think you're saying that the PS5 list price in Japan (which includes tax) is about $50 lower than the US (not including tax). But I'm not sure how that translates to US defaultism or being "telling" of...something?

Sales tax is a regressive tax that disproportionately feels more expensive if you have lower income. Its the same as a speeding ticket or a fine being 'the cost of doing buisness' if you've got enough money to throw around.

Here in South California, the poverty line is $100,000 USD. If you make less than that per year, you are considered poor. Cost of living is horrendous here, so you can imagine that makes everything feel expensive. And its only going to keep getting worse. I wouldn't be surprised to hear in 10 yeas that its $175k.

If I have to choose between one game and a meal for my family, the game loses every time.

Minimum wage has nothing to do with either.

Game consoles and games are expensive even pre-tax..

Now the quality of a particular game could mean a great ROI on both.

FIY US minimum wage is $7.25 for non government contract employees and $2.13 for tipped workers.

Some States have higher minimums, but many do not.

I just play mostly classic games and have a great time