Many years ago video games were viewed as nothing more than a childish pastime. Fast forward to today and we live in a world in which gaming is more socially accepted, attractive in some circles and more accessible than ever through a variety of technology: tablets, gaming consoles, smart phones, computers etc. Many of the early adopters, those of us who are 30+ now with wives/husbands and kids perhaps, remember holding that Nintendo controller in their hand for the first time and are still going strong in their love of this hobby. However, as we all move out of adolescence and into adulthood a few things can potentially get in the way of gaming, the biggest two most likely being time and money. Especially money!
I don’t know about you, but I sure didn’t stare at budget excel spreadsheets before I met my lovely wife or worry about back to school supplies for the kids, new clothes, rent/mortgage payments, putting food on the table etc. Every disposable cent I had for the most part went into the “entertainment” category of the spreadsheet that so rarely gets funds allocated to it these days. I’ve had to become smarter about my gaming, and I’ve found some common sense tricks that have helped me and can help you to keep gaming in your life and stay on budget.
1 – E3 Sales
This should be your first stop shop for up and coming games. You spend five great days watching the coverage on your console while frothing at the mouth for all the amazing games on display for the next year. Very often retailers will capitalize on this and offer some fantastic deals during this time. If you can wait for the titles (some get delayed and may not be released until the next year) you can often get your games in bundles or at discounts of 20%, 30% or even 40% off. If you do this each year, you will have a steady stream of titles coming out, of which you never had to pay full price.
2 – Dive the Bargain Bins
Most retailers that sell video games will have discount or clearance sections. Though these might not hold the newest titles, you can definitely get a bargain for an oldie but a goody that you haven’t had time to get around to yet. This doesn’t necessarily mean crap games either so don’t be too proud to ‘dumpster dive’! There have been many times I’ve found great games at really, really ridiculously low prices!
3 – Keep Your Ear to the Ground
What I mean by this is never stop researching, digging and looking around with the World Wide Web as your tool! Join a community or a message board, use Facebook or the Twitters, or even periodically use a search engine to get leads on deals. There is a vast amount of knowledge out there. Just this past week there was a Canadian retailer slashing prices on games and gamers out there shared the deals online. There is sure to be a great group of gamers out there for you to connect to. You could even consider joining our community at GameCanadian (shameless, shameless plug, we know) which is a fantastic resource of fellow gamers and information. For PC gamers especially, like they didn’t already know, Steams sales, Steam sales, Steam sales!
4 – Make Friends (Real Ones… Go Outside and Meet People!)
With community still in mind, make some gamer friends in your neighborhood and share your games. You can do this at work, you might already have a group of friends that game or you might be lucky enough as I have been to make some great friends through the online communities I belong to. Sharing games means you don’t all have to buy the same title, you can test them out to see if you like them and you can help your fellow pals out when they are a little strapped for cash. Just remember to give them back to your buddies in a timely manner or they might not lend you titles again in the future. NOT THAT I WOULD KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT…
5 – Get Clippy
Ok, now I don’t recommend you go dumpster diving like you see some highly dedicated coupon hunters do on the television but most cities have a coupon book that gets distributed in the mail or can be picked up at a community retailer. Our coupon books often have coupons for a video game shops in town that can definitely help you save a buck. Just like hitting up the bargain bin, don’t be too proud to make like a savvy housewife and get clipping… it could work in your favour.
6 – You’re Never Too Old for a Birthday List
What better to give a gamer than a highly anticipated new game that they have been waiting for, for ages! Drop loud hints around the people you love, leave flyers with the games circled on them with messages like “it would be nice to have this”, whatever you need to do to get the message across for the highest probability of success. This is no time to play shy people. Let everyone you know in on the games you want!
7 – Learn to Write
We all know that playing video games can help you learn to read, but did you also know that you can use your penmanship to score games? You just have to be willing to dedicate your spare time to playing a game and then writing a quality review of the game to let the world know what you thought of it. It’s not easy becoming a reviewer, and you don’t always get the games you want to play but there are opportunities out there (local paper, websites). Explore your options! Now more than ever there are opportunities and outlets to write about video games and even if everyone and their dog wants to do it you’ll be noticed if you stand out from the crowd.
8 – Buy Used and Trade Games
Some people hold on to games like they’ll be worth something years down the line but odds are that in 5 years from now your $60 discs will be $5 discs. Take advantage when they’re at their peak if you’ve already finished it and trade it in! Does your kid want the hottest new game release? Do you have nostalgia for a game of time gone by? Buying used games can help you save some money and as long as the disc is in good condition does it really matter that the game was already opened? When you are finished your game, trade it back and get some extra funds to get another game and so on and so on. Stores that offer trading sometimes also offer deals for trading more than one game so keep your eyes opened for promotions online or in the store. Not everyone loves this idea but if you’re gaming on a tight budget this is one of the best ways to save cash.
9 – Look for Online Subscription Deals
We are starting to see more of these options online with companies selling subscriptions to their game catalogue allowing you to play some of your favourite titles unlimited for the duration of your subscription. These deals can offer significant savings over the long term. They might not work for everyone but services like PS Plus, Games with Gold and now EA Access (jury is still out on this one but let’s keep our fingers crossed) all provide free games to go alongside their relatively low subscription costs. Not only that they come with plenty of other perks too.
10 – Get a Job Ya Bum!
Yeah that’s right… go to work! If you’re out hunting for one of your first places of employment why not try to get a job at a retailer that offers discounts on merchandise such as video games (Gamestop/EB would be the obvious first I suppose). Granted this option isn’t for everyone but if you’re young and need a bit of spare cash this is great on two fronts: you get extra money in your pocket to pay for the games you want and you get a discount. Win, Win!
Now after all this is said and done, if you still find yourself without any disposable income, just remember there are also loads of free demos online to play and now what can be better than free?
Happy Gaming!