How do you afford your games?

[StriderShinryu]

I work and am generally smart with my money, not just when it comes to game purchasing but also in terms of everything else I spend money on. I simply don't buy many games anywhere near when they are released because I don't think they offer enough value. There's so much information out there these days from screenshots to previews to full on Lets Plays that there's really no excuse for not knowing whether something is worth buying before you buy it.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

One word, one syllable, five letters, millions of sales:

Steam.

 

[J-dog42]

I generally sell trade in my old ones. Which means I'm left with about one game at a time. It sucks but that's the only way I can. Especially with about 7 games I want coming out in the next few months. I will probably go for a combination of buy, rent and wait for them to hit the bargain bin.

 

[ChickenZombie]

I normally wait for sales on old games. I got BFBC2 for 6 bucks. I keep money away in case i REAALLLY want to get a game on release (rarley ever).

Just jump on oppertunities. Like i am spending my game money on BF3, but i got an alpha-tester deal and got Dead Space 2 for free with it. I was planning to buy the game anyway, so i got a 60$game with a free $30 game with it. Mainly just oppertunistic purchasing.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

I'm at home, so rent isn't too bad. I also have no habits, don't eat out and don't really go drinking either...I also don't have a car, though that might change soon.

I also have a couple of nice guitars that I love to come home too. They were a bit of a ***** of an investment to start with, but they've probably saved me money in the long run.

 

[Mittens The Kitten]

I loot money from the dead people I find on my way to work.

Yeah... dead people you "find"

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

I alway wait till the price goes down in retail or there's an insane discount on steam. I also tend to trade the games I've finished for other, albeit used ones.

 

[RollForInitiative]

I work for a living, so it's not hard to buy a couple of new games each month. I love dissecting and absorbing content, so I tend to buy more than I even have time to play, but...one day, I shall. Oh yes, I shall.

 

[Girl With One Eye]

I have a job and I don't buy games when they're brand new unless it's something I've really been waiting for. I shop around to find where I can get the game cheapest, play.com is normally a good place especially when they have sales on, which is quite often.

 

[Denamic]

I never buy things on credit, never take loans, and live within my means.
Have plenty of cash to play with, despite having a shitty job.

People waste too damn much money.
The amount of money I've seen/heard people spend on just one night out, I could live off of for at LEAST a month.
I always get pissed when they complain about not having any money.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

Investing in used games with money made from babysitting, gardening and general handiwork. Finding work is impossible here so odd jobs will have to do.

 

[Realitycrash]

I don't. I haven't played a single PS2/PS3/Xbox360 game, ever. Because I can't afford the console. Coughing up a solid amount of doe (several hundred dollars) for a console is something I just can't do. Saving money is hard for me, and when I manage, it usually goes towards tattoos.

 

[esperandote]

Work and buy used. The only game in the future I'm willing to pay full price is The King of fighters XIII.

 

[mental_looney]

I work full time, don't have a car and walk to work, not many expenses other than food, rent,internet and electricity.

I buy a mix of new and preowned and I trade in lots, games here aren't horrendously expensive if you shop around or buy online

 

[floobie]

Well, I don't buy a lot of games. There are a few titles that I just MUST have instantly. But, those really don't cost much. This year, those titles have been Portal 2, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution (in a few days). Next year, there will be Mass Effect 3, and maybe Diablo 3 (if it's released). Whenever the next Half Life game is released, I'll buy it instantly. Those, to me, are sunk costs. And it's pretty reasonable, because there aren't a lot of them.

I buy other games too, but I can wait quite a while for them to get cheap. When I played more PC games, I'd generally rely on Steam sales. They usually have awesome deals on something desirable. I remember getting Tomb Raider anniversary for 2 bucks. Easily the most fun per dollar I've ever experienced. Now that I'm shifting more towards the PS3, I'm relying quite heavily on older games (stuff I haven't gotten around to), or used games. I've paid full price for exactly one PS3 game I own right now (Gran Turismo 5... another one of those sunk cost games). I've gotten the rest for maybe 20 bucks each, on average.

It's really just about prioritizing. Realize that there are a few games you'll want right away. So buy them. Then get the rest later, once they've gotten cheaper, or you can find them used.

Oh, it's also really handy when your console's online service has a big security problem and they give you two free games, even though you personally weren't remotely inconvenienced.

 

[TingaWinga]

I sell my kidneys each time a new game comes out

 

[Iggy Rufflebar]

How do I afford them?

By getting a job and sacrificing a huge chunk of gaming time in the act of getting enough money to buy more games

MY BACKLOG IS HUGE!

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

1. I don't buy them too often. I really only buy games I know I want, and that I know are good, which isn't very many.
2. (and slightly more importantly) I had a rich great uncle who helped create the atomic bomb, and inheritance my dad got pretty much pays for everything. Seriously, this guy got me, my brother, my sister, and my 5 cousins through college.

 

[kc_lax]

i wait till i've completed a load of games n take them in to trade them in, the more games i hand in the more money off, n buy from the preowned section. i get extra money for games by donating my mind for psychology research at my univeristy (its only about 15 on average per research but every little helps).

 

[Cowabungaa]

Well for the past 2 years I had a decent part-time job and barely any expenses, so I could pretty much by every game I wanted. Had plenty of time to play them all too, sometimes too much which resulted in frequent gaming burn-outs.

Starting this fall though, things will change quite a bit. My income will go down and my expenses will rise just as much. That means I'll have to budget and plan my game purchases carefully. One new release a month or every 2 months, I think I'll manage that. It helps that I barely spend my expendable income on anything else, except for books. All it takes is some clever saving and careful spending. I don't have as much time either to play those new games, so I can savor every purchase properly.

I also try to buy PC titles most of the time, as they're often 25% or even a third cheaper than PS3 titles, and ?20 can matter a lot. Other than that; Steam sales are a gift from the gods for budget-conscious gamers.

People waste too damn much money.
The amount of money I've seen/heard people spend on just one night out, I could live off of for at LEAST a month.
I always get pissed when they complain about not having any money.

They complain, and moments later you see them spend a tenner on an overpriced sandwich and coffee...

Or whining about how poor they are while talking on a damned Blackberry or something. People living above their standards is the reason the world's economy is in a mess right now.