Final answer:
The cost of the video game system is $125 and the cost of the games is $375.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let's denote the cost of the video game system as x and the cost of the games as y. We are given that the total cost of the system and games is $500. It is also given that the cost of the games is 3 times the cost of the system.
Therefore, we can write the following equation:
x + y = 500
Since the cost of the games is 3 times the cost of the system, we have:
y = 3x
Solving these two equations simultaneously, we substitute y in the first equation:
x + 3x = 500
4x = 500
x = 125
Now substituting the value of x back into the equation y = 3x, we can find the cost of the games:
y = 3(125)
y = 375
Therefore, the cost of the video game system is $125 and the cost of the games is $375.