Cost to MAKE games rises too, but no one wants to pay a $200 one-time cost of a game.  Those rosy complete games that used to ship with PS1, N64, etc?   They cost about $50-$60 in the 90's.  Fast forward to the most modern games selling now?  About $50-$60, with massively more artwork, 3D work, voice acting, motion capture, etc.  Hate to break it to you, but economies are like ecosystems - both sides of the natural selection equation effect the other, so we have gotten the payment model we forced them into.  If people would keep game developers in business with a stable up-front cost the companies would flock to it as a stable income.