Prices for physical console games has exceeded any historic cycle. I've been shopping at the same local used store for 30 years and stopped in a few days ago. I saw a copy of Aerobiz Supersonic for $200. Authentic carts for Earthbound are listed at $400.
A great game, but it's being sold at a borderline criminal price during a massive market bubble.
If a game isn't legally available for purchase (digital or physical) from the original company or subsidiary, it's absolutely the correct decision to pirate a game. Subscription services like Nintendo Switch Online don't count in my book.
Even with inflation, the game should only cost around $100 based on original price. And even if I buy a used game, the original creators don't see a dime. We should support the developers/publishers and reward those who create good rereleases like the Castlevania Collection.
I'd also grab a ROM or ISO of a game that I've bought on Steam so that I can play it on original hardware. But that's just me.
Sprinkle some smug self-satisifaction on top of this and it's a real good portrait of the Christian right. Religion is a narotic for these folks who spend their days judging others. They believe in the correct God™ and His prosperity gospel. Anyone who is poor or those who "sin" deserve their lot in life. And how are kids to learn self-reliance when they're coddled with free food? We're so weak to let our kids live in such decadent times! What's next, they won't have to pay for healthcare after they made the bad decision to get hurt or sick?
They ask how we can be so wasteful as a society while they clutch their imitation pearl necklace. Meanwhile the public's share of wealth shrinks and everyone is left to fight for the scraps. When the situation is so dire, it's easy to fight with each other than to question big business, Wall Street or the financial sector.