How do you afford your games?

[Hungry Donner]

I don't have much disposable income for games.

About half of my games I get for free as I'm a volunteer moderator for Bethesda's forums - we get copies of all of the games covered there. Most other games I get on sale, although on rare occasions I do purchase them new. Portal 2 was one of these rare occasions, I can't remember the last one before that . . . it was quite some time ago.

 

[Sjakie]

drug dealing and conning the elderly...

nah, that's just a summerjob.

I have no personal life and dont go anywhere so i save a lot of money that way

 

[Soxafloppin]

My job, I also tend to sell games on after a while, and use the money to get new ones.

I don't trade my games into stores like Gamestop, there a rip. I sell online, to other gamers. Not someone wanting to make a profit off me.

 

[NightHawk21]

A combination of prostitution and steam sales. Mostly steam sales.

A combination of prostitution and steam sales. Mostly prostitution.

OT: No, but really, I don't buy too many games only getting a couple new releases a year and I try to limit it to those games I think I'll like the most. This year it will probably be the new AC and Skyrim so far.

 

[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.