Poll: Is playing video games a poor mans hobby ?

[krazykidd]

So this thread is for people that play and buy video games only ( so pretty much the entire escapist community).

Do you think playing video games is a poor mans hobby? Are most gamers people that don't make a lot of money ?Or is it equally destributed between the rich and the poor ?

My poll is to find out how much money the average gamer makes a year. With your answer of the thread , if you could tell me ( estimate ) how much money do you spend on video games a year, it would help ( steam deals don't count ). And if you wish , how much money you make a year ( Optional, but please answer poll if you prefer to keep that to yourself)

EDIT: Dammit Poll didn't work, and that was the most important part of this thread, FFS . Well if you guys don't mind saying a estimate of how much you make a year it would be appreciated .( I.E 10 000$-20 000$ )

Edit2: well since poll went to hell , and people are reluctante to say how mucb they make a year on a anonymous forum , just answer the question , is playing video games a poor mans hobby , and why or why not.

 

[Furioso]

Wait why don't steam deals count, that cuts a huge chunk out of my potential list, everyone takes advantage of deals in the consumer world, why should it be cut?

 

[krazykidd]

Wait why don't steam deals count, that cuts a huge chunk out of my potential list, everyone takes advantage of deals in the consumer world, why should it be cut?

Because they sell games like alpha protocol for 2 $ . it would mess it the accuracy quite a bit i think.

 

[theheroofaction]

Umm, No, these things are freaking expensive. It can cost you over a thousand bones to keep up to date.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Wait why don't steam deals count, that cuts a huge chunk out of my potential list, everyone takes advantage of deals in the consumer world, why should it be cut?

Because they sell games like alpha protocol for 2 $ . it would mess it the accuracy quite a bit i think.

Wait, so you're trying to figure out how much people spend on games, and you're worried about accuracy, so you're telling people to arbitrarily leave out a major place people spend money on games from their calculations? Doesn't that by definition completely throw accuracy out the window?

 

[loc978]

I'd say video games are absolutely a poor man's hobby, from the perspective of the rich.
If I could afford to take a few months off work every year and travel around the world on my off time, I'd certainly play fewer video games.

...that said, last year I think I spent around $300 on video games.

Too bad about your poll... cursed forum gremlins, anyway...

 

[Nargleblarg]

since the PS1 video games have been aimed at the 18-30s (mostly male) who are the group with the largest disposable income (i cant remember exactly but they are called something like ABs in marketing speak or something) basically its one of the best groups to sell too.

most people in this group (basically before they get into serious relationships and/or commitments) if they are working are gonna have plenty cash to spend and so feel reasonably well off.

Are you sure it's not CB, consumer base?

Also games are pretty expensive, but I've seen both rich and poor participate in the hobby it is not exclusive to either.

 

[cheywoodward]

I'm not sure about either of these things, but I'd say I make $9-10,000 working part time (I'm a junior in highschool), and spend maybe $1-2,000 a year on games since I don't have any living expenses.

However, you won't get a concrete answer to such a general question. Since so many people play video games, often in very different ways, I'd say that it can be anyone's hobby. If I wanted to I could just play flash games and free-to-play MMO's, but I choose to spend a lot of money buying $60 games that, in my opinion, are of a higher quality.

 

[Speakercone]

I'm afraid I simply don't discuss my finances on the internet. If you're conducting research with an accredited organization, then perhaps I would be willing help. This would of course depend on the level of privacy you would be able to afford me.

 

[Furioso]

Wait why don't steam deals count, that cuts a huge chunk out of my potential list, everyone takes advantage of deals in the consumer world, why should it be cut?

Because they sell games like alpha protocol for 2 $ . it would mess it the accuracy quite a bit i think.

Leaving them out cuts the accuracy by a ridiculous amount, if you ask how much we spend, we should tell you how much we spend without cutting out a major contributor, that's like asking how much you spend on groceries, except for the sales, in a lot of cases that completely cuts out peoples entire purchase history

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

I'm afraid I simply don't discuss my finances on the internet. If you're conducting research with an accredited organization, then perhaps I would be willing help. This would of course depend on the level of privacy you would be able to afford me.

This.

But as far as my opinion on the matter: I do think of video game playing as cheaper entertainment than say going to the movies regularly or going out to clubs/bars where it's all too easy to overspend on an evening.

 

[TehCookie]

Depends on how dedicated you are. If you only buy a few games that you find in a bargain bin it can be cheap. If you are one of those who always buys the latest games new I would say it's rather expensive.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I think gaming is a wide-spread hobby. It can be enjoyed by rich assholes with game rooms and full-sized arcade cabinets but it can also be enjoyed by people on the lower end who buy everything second-hand. I don't think people who are actually poor can really get into it though considering food and rent probably take up most of the money they have...

 

[krazykidd]

Wait why don't steam deals count, that cuts a huge chunk out of my potential list, everyone takes advantage of deals in the consumer world, why should it be cut?

Because they sell games like alpha protocol for 2 $ . it would mess it the accuracy quite a bit i think.

Wait, so you're trying to figure out how much people spend on games, and you're worried about accuracy, so you're telling people to arbitrarily leave out a major place people spend money on games from their calculations? Doesn't that by definition completely throw accuracy out the window?

Wait why don't steam deals count, that cuts a huge chunk out of my potential list, everyone takes advantage of deals in the consumer world, why should it be cut?

Because they sell games like alpha protocol for 2 $ . it would mess it the accuracy quite a bit i think.

Leaving them out cuts the accuracy by a ridiculous amount, if you ask how much we spend, we should tell you how much we spend without cutting out a major contributor, that's like asking how much you spend on groceries, except for the sales, in a lot of cases that completely cuts out peoples entire purchase history

Steame DEALS . Not steam as a whole . Buy a game at full price counts , buy a game for 2$ doesn't count , thats what a deal is.

 

[babinro]

Yearly I'd probably say $180 without steam sales. $400.00 with them. I spend more on steam sale gaming than traditional spending I know that.

Though the above expenses are misleading. Buying a gaming PC every 5 years runs about $1500 since I don't know how to build them. Purchasing new consoles and peripherals would also add a hundred to yearly expenditure on average.

Because I'm a PC and Console gamer, I wouldn't be surprised if the above costs put me at $1000 a year on the hobby when averaged over 10 years. Which makes it only slightly more expensive than MTG.