Gaming Cheap Ideas

Currently playing:
inFamous (PS3), Hakuna Matata (PS3)
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Gaming is an expensive hobby, especially if you are a serious, or "core" gamer. Think about it. Games cost $60. If you want to play with a friend, you're going to need another controller (which will run you about $50-$60 depending on the system). Just to gain the ability to play the games, a person has to plunk down anywhere from $250 to $450 (again, depending on the system). This part gets especially pricey if you plan on getting multiple consoles.

As far as the games go, you'll definitely be interested in purchasing the exclusives "must-have" titles for whichever system you chose. If you're a Microsofty, Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect, Fable II, and Left 4 Dead are the ones you'll gun for. Sony fan boys will eye Metal Gear Solid 4, Resistance, LittleBigPlanet, Killzone 2, and inFamous; Wii-fers will gun for Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Wii Fit, and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. That doesn't even touch major third-party, mulit-platform titles such as Call of Duty 4, COD: World at War, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Dead Space, and either the Rock Band/Guitar Hero series (keep in mind the vast majority of the aforementioned games will typically run anywhere from $50-$60, depending on the system and where you purchase them).

Have I even mentioned portable systems, and their completely seperate games?

I think you see my point.

This isn't a drop in the bucket. Like most other hobbies, if you're going to do it, you need to do it right, and that requires something of a financial committment. In that case, it's important to be financially responsible. Hobbies are good and provide another aspect of life to round us out as individuals, but they should not dominate our time and finances.

What are we to do, then, with this money-gulping activity? What if you're in a tight place money-wise because of the recession? What if you don't have a job? What if you're dependent on others (such as a parent/guardian) for income (read: allownacee). I've come up with some ideas to help out the cash-strapped gamer in these tough economic times, and I hope they are of some use to you, whatever way that may be. Enjoy.

"Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes"
Didn't catch that reference? RENT your games! If you're not one of those gamers who get a perverse pleasure from securing all the gamerscore points/trophies a game has to offer, you are, in all likelihood, going to play through the game once, maybe twice. After that, you probably won't touch it again for 6 months to a year, if at all. Why not rent the game, play through it, then return it? If you rent it from your local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, it will run you about $8.50 for five days and nights. If you keep it a total of two weeks, which is enough time to finish any given game, you'll spend $17.00. That's almost a quarter of what you would spend if you bought it.

Pull a Costanza
You might ask me then, "What if I like the game? Then I've paid the rental fee AND the purchase price!" Not if you go with a used copy of the game. Find your local GameStop/EB Games, and purchase that bad boy for about $6 to as much as $25 off. Stores like these assure you that the copy is playable and in good shape, and some even offer a year of insurance in case something goes wrong for only two or three dollars. You can also seek out your local used game store that isn't a member of the giant GS/EB conglomerate. Two I know of here in Middle Tennessee are The Great Escape in Nashville and Geeks, Etc. in Tullahoma.

"You're My Boy, Blue!!!"
Yes, just like Old Man Blue in Old School, the oldies CAN be goodies. Break out that old-school system you have, such as a Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, or even a Sega Genesis. Did you miss any games for the last console generation? I did. I haven't played ICO, Shadows of the Colossus, Okami, or Metal Gear Solid 2 or 3 for the PS2. I also never played any of the Mega Man X games, so I purchased the collection of all seven for the PS2. You can buy any of these for as little $19.99, which is a steal in terms of gaming. What if you don't have any of the old systems? Well, you could probably find the most recent ones such as the PS2 or the original Xbox at a Gamestop, but anything older than that will be a struggle, especially if you don't have a local used game store other than GS/EB. If that's the case...

"Say Hello To My [New] Little Friend!"
Let me introduce you to eBay. I have found so many great deals on eBay, it's not even funny; two brand new copies of Killzone 2: $40.99; a Sega Genesis system with controller and all hookups: $30.00; a Dreamcast with all hookups and two controllers: $60.00; Playstation 3 DualShock 3 controller: $43.00. My advice would be to (1) always purchase from sellers who have a positive feedback rating of at least 150-200. It's even better if they have the Power Seller stamp. (2) Always, ALWAYS ask questions. Ask them if it's still in the factory wrap, even if it's listed as "new." Ask if it's from a smoke-free household. Ask them how much time you have to pay for the item if you win it (you don't want to win it while you're unavailable, not be able to pay for it, and then find out you had to immediately pay for it). Ask if it's NTSC format, which is the format for North America; PAL format won't work in a Region 1/NTSC console.

Now, all of that might seem like a good amount of money, but think about it. You can probably get three N64 games or two Dreamcast games for the price of one current-gen game. That's double or triple the time return on your investment, and that's what we're going for here.

Flash Games
Okay, I couldn't think of a creative comment for this one. Nevertheless, there are all KINDS of free games you can play online. Why do you think of I've posted reviews/little snippets about flash games the lasat few weeks? There are some great, creative, innovative, out-of-the-box IPs waiting for you to discover (go check out Today I Die, or Don't Look Back and you'll see what I mean). Don't think these games have much credibility? Think again. Meat Boy, a title I mentioned in a previous post, started as a free flash game, but is actually coming to WiiWare later in the year.


Whatever your particular case may be, there are tons of ways to game on the cheap. If you have other tips/suggestions, please share them in the comments section below.