Hearthpwn

For me, a comparison of HS to other CGs is moot, because I don't enjoy the others like I do Hearthstone.  I would never argue that HS is cheap, but compared to what other video games [of varying genre and type] offer, Hearthstone is worth considering.

And, as was mentioned by a couple others, AAA titles are finite, so I have to consider not only their initial cost but also the quantity of them I would need to fill the same timeslot as HS.  That brings the overall price of HS more in line with what I already have been spending on other games and entertainment.

Quote from futhead_HarassedGiraffe >>

I have no idea why you're comparing hearth to other genres. Compare it to other tcgs, Hearthstone is extremely expensive...

TLDR:  At what I call the "moderately high end" of Hearthstone, it still only costs $1 per day for essentially unlimited playtime.  I spend more than that on Mountain Dew and coffee.

While explaining economics to my son and why I'm willing to buy for him premium currency and items in some games but not others, I managed to change my mind a lot on how expensive Hearthstone is.

I'll start quickly with a little perspective, since I reached my new conclusion by comparison with other games.

In games like Castle Crush or Clash of Clans, unlocking things with premium currency doesn't ultimately help with the reward system -- they just allow the player to more quickly get to the next paywall.  The game is literally pay to play ... you'll either continually pay with $IRL or with a LOT of time (typically in the form of waiting while unable to even play the game).

In titles like Forza, Fallout, Witcher, Civilization, Mass Effect, DragonAge, etc, purchasing the game allows you to play as much or as little as you want.  There is no paywall.  Granted, there's typically a point where you beat, finish, or just lose interest in the game, but you can still pay once and play ad nauseam.

I don't spend money on games with persistent unavoidable paywalls.

So onto Hearthstone now ...

Prior to each expansion, Blizzard offers a 50-pack pre-order for $50 USD.  During the ~120 days between expansions, players can easily earn 7200g [at 60g per day for wins + daily quests] -- or 72 more packs.  So for $50 every ~3 months, a player can open 122 packs per expansion.  (This is generally enough cards to amass a decent, competitive collection.)

To really feel like you're getting the most out of Hearthstone, I think 180 packs per expansion is a great goal.  That means another $70 USD for 60 more packs.  At a grand total of $120 per ~120, that comes out to $1 per day.  I spend more than that on Mountain Dew and coffee.

Unlike many popular mobile games, Hearthstone has no hard paywall.  The more you win at the game, the more you earn, which makes it easier still to win more games, which makes it easier to -- you get the picture.  If anything, Hearthstone's paywall is very soft, because the alternative to $IRL is to play the game more -- not wait for some arbitrary timer to count down.

Like for-purchase titles, Hearthstone also permits unlimited play.  For me, most of these titles are played out after about 2 months.  At $60 a pop for a AAA title every ~2 months, that comes out to $1 per day -- the same as Hearthstone near its high end.

It's worth noting, I think, that if your entire gaming budget is $1 per day, Hearthstone can monopolize that budget -- whereas spending the budget on for-purchase titles means an entirely new game/experience every couple months.  But if your budget is more than that, Hearthstone may not hurt as much as it initially seems.