How do you afford your games?
- Thread starter Azaez
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I don't? So I sacrifice my food allowance on games >_> I've been a very bad girl this year but I blame Steam. Steam and its shiny sales... >_o
If you are a console gamer with a small amount of patience live within driving distance of a Gamestop (multiple Gamestops work best) and have 50 or so dollars you don't mind letting Gamestop hold on to for a while then there is no reason you should pay for console games at all.
Ya see kids, Gamestop has a 7 (might be 14 in some stores) day no questions asked return policy on used games. That's right you can "buy" *wink wink* a used game off the shelf and seven days later you simply return it and either get your money should you need it, or another game. In the event you aren't done with your game you either wait to "buy" it again in a few weeks or get your money and mosey on down to another local Gamestop to purchase said title. While technically there is fuck all stopping you from rebuying the same title you just returned I find cashiers look at that somewhat poorly and if you plan on using Gamestop as a gaming library with a hefty deposit it's best to make nice with the employees.
Outside of a few dated sports titles I paid less than 5 dollars a piece for I haven't paid for a console game in a long time and I've played most of the bigger titles to completion. Sure Gamestop holds onto my 50 dollars and I do have to remember to go back each week but even if you look at your 50 dollars as lost it's still a far better value than a service like Gamefly. Sure some people might think it's kinda crumby but I love the idea that I more or less game for free when it comes to my Xbox and PS3.
Ya see kids, Gamestop has a 7 (might be 14 in some stores) day no questions asked return policy on used games. That's right you can "buy" *wink wink* a used game off the shelf and seven days later you simply return it and either get your money should you need it, or another game. In the event you aren't done with your game you either wait to "buy" it again in a few weeks or get your money and mosey on down to another local Gamestop to purchase said title. While technically there is fuck all stopping you from rebuying the same title you just returned I find cashiers look at that somewhat poorly and if you plan on using Gamestop as a gaming library with a hefty deposit it's best to make nice with the employees.
Outside of a few dated sports titles I paid less than 5 dollars a piece for I haven't paid for a console game in a long time and I've played most of the bigger titles to completion. Sure Gamestop holds onto my 50 dollars and I do have to remember to go back each week but even if you look at your 50 dollars as lost it's still a far better value than a service like Gamefly. Sure some people might think it's kinda crumby but I love the idea that I more or less game for free when it comes to my Xbox and PS3.
Being an unemployed student in England. My game allowance doubles up as my food allowance. Looks like 7p noodles are on the menu again for the next few days.
You might not like buying used games, but if you don't have the 50-60 bucks to buy them, then it is really the only way to get games cheap, other than waiting a year or so for the price to drop.Azaez said:
I do it by waiting until I have money from my birthday or Christmas. Also, I have been know to ration food so I didn't have to buy as much food so I could save the money for games.
Example:
Last year around my birthday, I pre-ordered got four new games. Halo Reach, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, Fable 3, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, and all of them I got collector's editions of, except Halo Reach. So of courses I was paying 80 dollars for them instead of 60.
The reason I was able to do it, is that first I used a small bit of college loan money marked use in buying food(I ate around half of what I normally eat, which with how I eat is a good thing for me to do), plus during my birthday I got a little over 100 dollars from family members, and finally, I used the 20 dollar game credit bonus I got from Amazon for pre-ordering Halo Reach on the Castlevania: LoS collector's edition, and I also got a 20 dollar credit from pre-ordering the collector's edition of Star Wars: TFU2 on my pre-order of Fable 3's collector's edition.
Now, when Christmas rolled around, I got a little over 350 dollars from family, plus just before Christmas, I graduated from college, and got around 450 dollars in congratulations checks from family.
Most of that 800 dollars went towards gas money and fixing my car. But there was enough leftover, and I had a third 20 dollar game credit from Amazon from that round of four pre-ordered games earlier, that I ended up in a four month span:
Pre-ordering Dragon Age 2, used the game credit on getting the Dragon Age: Origins: Ultimate Edition for 30 bucks instead of 50, I also got both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 for 20 dollars each on Amazon, and I pre-ordered and got Pokemon White.
Oh, and I still had some money saved up that when my friends all decided to come together and all get Borderlands and play together, I used the saved money to get the Borderlands Game of the Year Edition.
So, you wanted to know how people like me afford games, that is one way we afford games.
I highly recommend saving up for new games you want and pre-ordering them. I probably would have only got a half to maybe three-fourths as many games as I did get if I hadn't had those 20 dollar pre-order bonus game credits from Amazon.
Steam sales. I haven't bought any games for full price in a long time, and because I'm saving up for a new computer, I got to skip out on both Deus Ex 3 and Skyrim. It's not going to be fun.
I'm still a minor so I live in my parent's house. I get $10 a week for doing chores. I don't really have much of a life so most of my money goes to video games. But I do need to save up for a car so I will have to majorly cut back on game spending until I actually get a job.
After-Christmas sales, birthday money, gift cards that were actually gifts, and (rarely) used games even though I feel a bit guilty about them. I can't really remember spending a full 60 of my dollars on one game for the past few years. Always go for the deals or take advantage of family love when they give it.
I have a job, sure it only nets me 50 bucks in spending money but still. If i dont get enough or if winter rolls around theres a more ummmmmm....exotic thing i do....at night....away from cops....for consenting ppl.
I don't have a car or job and I live with my dad, so I don't have to worry about expenses, but I don't have money for games either. My dad gets me a game every now and then, and when I'm with my mom I hunt for cheap stuff. I have quite a large collection and most of the games I want this year come out around Christmas so I can just ask for those from people. Once, I actually have to pay for important stuff, my backlog should suffice.
Did well in school, went to uni and got a degree then got a decent paying job 
.
Even still, gaming can be a very expensive hobby and I have a mortgage, so I do a few things to reduce cost.
1) I only get a select few titles at launch. Even fewer warrant collectors editions that cost extra. The rest I buy during sales much later for a fraction of the cost.
2) Any game I KNOW I want to keep I buy online for much cheaper.
3) Games I may or may not keep I buy locally from EB Games. If I'm not certain I want it within the 7 day return policy I take it back.
4) I play more console games - it's cheaper then keeping a bleeding edge gaming PC, even for someone who works in IT.
5) Steam sales are awesome.
6) XBLA games are awesome - things like Bastian or From Dust or Braid... 15 bucks for seriously awesome games.
Theres tons more you can do if you really want.
.Even still, gaming can be a very expensive hobby and I have a mortgage, so I do a few things to reduce cost.
1) I only get a select few titles at launch. Even fewer warrant collectors editions that cost extra. The rest I buy during sales much later for a fraction of the cost.
2) Any game I KNOW I want to keep I buy online for much cheaper.
3) Games I may or may not keep I buy locally from EB Games. If I'm not certain I want it within the 7 day return policy I take it back.
4) I play more console games - it's cheaper then keeping a bleeding edge gaming PC, even for someone who works in IT.
5) Steam sales are awesome.
6) XBLA games are awesome - things like Bastian or From Dust or Braid... 15 bucks for seriously awesome games.
Theres tons more you can do if you really want.
I stand by the games and look pitiful until some rich person feels sorry for me and buys them for me.
(Tell me you didn't think this was a good idea as a kid.)
(Tell me you didn't think this was a good idea as a kid.)
I only buy the games I really want at full price. Most other games I only found out about once their price had gone down to a more reasonable amount.