Reader Ozzie points us to video game developer Ashley Cheng’s blog post about budget gaming. The tips are basic, but it’s good advice nonetheless.
Here’s a quick summary of the tips:
- Be patient. If you must have the thing on the day it comes out, you will pay more.
- Wait for a sale. “Retailers will put the title on sale (like toysrus’ annual 2 for 1 game sale) or you can wait a year for the reissued compilation edition of the game that is usually cheaper and has extra bonus content, as well. See Oblivion’s Game of the Year edition that comes with extra content that came out a year after it first shipped.”
- Buy used. Got a friend who beats everything and then sells it back? Buy it from him! Or check out places that sell used games, perhaps on the internet.
- Rent. Video stores rent games, and there is also GameFly, which is similar to Netflix.
- Employee Discount. Get a seasonal job in retail and use your discount to buy games.
How do you save money on games? Share your frugal gaming tips in the comments.
Gaming on a Budget [Ash the Blog] (Thanks, Ozzie !)
(Photo: C. Barr )
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Troll Goodwills and Mckays bookstores(regional TN used book,movie,game chain) for used games.
GameTap. For a pretty low monthly or yearly subscription, you can download and play more current big titles than you’ll know what to do with.
Classic and slightly aging games. I look for cheap titles on the discount racks at Target and the like, for great games that are three or four years old. There is also a wealth of older used games sold by various sellers on Amazon. If you’re not hung up on pretty boxes and manuals, you can get some incredible prices on used disks in jewel cases.
Free online games. Jay is Games and Lazylaces are my favorite sources for online adventure and casual games. There are also a lot of good downloadable titles, from amateur-made games with engines like AGS, to online troves of abandonware.
2 words: Mod Chip
Retro all the way! Goldeneye and Mario Kart 64 are just as fun as the day they came out. PS1 is cheaper now too, and there are some outstanding games for it.
I just blew through last Sunday by digging out a friend’s copy of Starcraft and playing some 2v2 games with him. Way fun. So what if the graphics suck more than you’re used to? You’ll get used to it in like ten minutes, that’s what your brain does. My next project is to play through the Fallout trilogy, since I never got to in high school. (Who wants to sell me their copy?)
Also free stuff exists. If you swing that way, try any number of free online RPGs – MUDs, facebook apps, turn-based strategy. Classic stuff like chess, too. It’s prob. better for your brain too.
Let’s not forget tabletop gaming! You can get a lot of people involved including those who don’t generally play video games. Settlers of Catan is a personal recommendation. Various forms of poker are fun, and if everyone chips in a dollar or two to the pot it still gets your blood pounding – and averages out in the end.
I feel bad pirating games, but I am really cheap so I have recently been getting into Open Source games. Games like Alien Arena, Urban Terror, Open Arena, and Frets on Fire are pretty fun and they are literally free. Not a free demo or trial period, but free to use, distribute and even modify. Also, I have an older computer so I stick with buying classics for big discounts rather than getting the newest game that will probably not run at 100% on my system. Screw Call of Duty 4, its all about CoD 1 and 2.
I definitely agree patience is the key in regards to price and picking good titles. I haven’t bought a new game above $30 in years. Right now I would love to have Infinite Undiscovery & Tales of Vespiria, but I know by the time I really get around to playing them they’ll be cheaper anyway. So I bought Viking for $20 and I’m enjoying it. I also believe in waiting for some reviews. Yeah, I know some people don’t trust reviews, but I do think they are a good gauge of what is wrong with a game. For example if alot of reviews say a game is really short I refuse to pay a lot for it. I use reviews to set my price, i.e. “this sounds like a $25 game”.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned this yet.
Watch for clearance games at regular brick and mortar stores. Often times, they’ll also clearance games that aren’t that old if they’re unpopular or a newer version is about to come out.
I scored NiGHTS (Wii version) for $7 new from Target, Zack & Wiki for $10 from KMart, and Supreme Commander Gold (Includes expansion) for $10 from Target — all pretty recently. Games go cheap all the time, if you watch the clearance end-caps stuck in store corners.
Gamefly gamefly gamefly. It’s the BEST thing a gamer could ever do. If you get a game and it sucks, return it the next day. It usually only takes 3-4 days to get a new game. I’ve had the service for over a year. The cost of 1 year of service amounts to buying 4 full price games a year. It will save you hundreds. Yeah you don’t get to play that popular game the day it comes out but who cares, you pay a lot less in the long run. Plus you get coupons for buying used games from them if you do want to keep a game.
Personally, I custom-built a cheap gaming rig. I literally went as cheap as possible, but it performs decently. Not to mention I don’t have the time or resources to purchase an XBOX 360 and/or a PS3. The newest console I have is an original XBOX…
I currently work at Gamestop and I have to say that I absolutely take advantage of their used game policy. When you buy ANY game used, you have 7 (seven) days to return it for your full money back as long as you have your receipt. It’s almost like renting. You do have to pay the full price for the game, but as long as you return it within seven days, you get all of that money back, no questions asked. You don’t need a reason to return the game, simply not liking it is good enough.
As others have said, the discount card actually is worth the $14.99 a year. You get 10% off ALL used games and accessories AND you get 10% more added on to when you trade in games and acessories. You also get a magazine subscription. However, I never trade my games back to Gamestop because they do rip you off. If you do decide to trade in games, make sure there is some kind of deal going on. Gamestop ALWAYS has Power Trades, which is usually three select titles that, when you trade in games and put all that money towards one of those games, you get an extra 15-25%. Never trade in games unless there is a deal going on, or else you’ll get no bang for your buck.
Gamestop does have lots of opportunities for you to get games at a pretty heavily discounted price. I have worked there for about 2 years, on and off, and I don’t buy many games. When I do buy one, it is ALWAYS used because it’s cheaper, especially if you have the discount card, and you can always bring it back. Even if you are the type of person who needs the game immediately, I’d say wait about 2-3 days because generally, by then, someone will have traded in the newest game that has just come out. If you are a regular customer at a certain game store, the employees would more than likely be willing to hold it for you. As far as trading in goes, I’d recommend using one of the sites listed in the comments here.
Happy Gaming!
gamersfirst.com is a good site. They are free games and with decent graphics.
Gaming is my bad habit, about the only thing i do to save any money is read reviews so I don’t get stuck with a crap game. But other than that, the gaming industry might as well have my ATM pin
Libraries:
A few libraries now offer video game rentals. Their selection is usually pretty small and they generally stray from anything rated mature. If your library doesn’t rent games go up to the librarians and ask them to acquire some! There are some classic games that have had more cultural impact than the music and movies your library (probably) already stocks. Many libraries are moving to embrace digital media and if you ask for it they’re pretty likely to look into it and move to acquire some games.
Buying used really is the best. Amazon.com is the way to go. I would seriously recommend against any brick and mortar store. They have terrible prices. For example, a couple of months after Halo 3 was out, Game Stop was still charging $55 for used copies, even thought it was available on Amazon for $40. And if there’s any older games missed out on, you’re in luck! I’m still surprised by variety of games (even current gen) that I can get for under $20-30.