Okay Geek Farm
Minimalism in t3ch: Simplify your Needs & Value your Gaming Experiences
Ricardo Trejo
Pic by gnackgnackgnack
I'm a huge gamer. It's been my main pastime for years ever since I was a wee lad, but as I have become an adult I've come to realize that those games don't come cheap. Next gen systems, new games, DLC, it all can hit your wallet pretty hard if you aren't mindful of your spending habits. Knowing how to spend, when to spend, and where to spend to satisfy your gaming need are all important things every gamer should thoroughly be versed in.
But before I delve into the ways on how to save your money, why not let's take a look at why you're buying these games in the first place.
Look at these questions and ask yourself them:
How often do you buys games? Do you go out and grab any game that peaks your interest, or do you research before laying down the cash? And what about those games that you've finished and then set on the shelf, never to played with again? Are they still earning their keep or have they long been forgotten? What did you do to earn the money you spent on to buy your games? Was the trade off of the money earned for the game bought an even trade?
People may think this is taking it a little too deep but when you look at it these are all valid points that should be considered. What I'm trying to get at is all encompassed by the word, value. Value is what you want from your games; Whether it's value from the rich experience you receive from playing a 50+ hour adventure, or the value you get from trading a handful of older games for some newer games you've been dying for.
To put this idea into an example, let's talk about my past with the game Bioshock. When the game was first released I went and picked up and paid full retail price for it: $60 plus tax. It took me a couple of days to finish it. I had played it through twice, had gotten nearly every achievement, and there wasn't any multiplayer to further lengthen my time with the game. So after spending $60+ on an experience that lasted me only about 10 hours did I feel satisfied with my purchases? To be honest, yes and no. Yes, because as many other gamers would agree upon, Bioshock was a game that wasn't just another first person shooter, but was something that hadn't really been done before narratively. And as for the no, well I didn't feel I got the value of what I had paid for, not when games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 had recently been released around the same time and had an endless amount of gameplay with online multiplayer, AND they were listed at the same price as Bioshock. What could I do now? What were my options with a game that was in every meaning of the word, awesome, but now could only be compared to a paper weight.
I could've traded it in to Gamestop and gotten a fraction of what I had paid for for in-store credit, sell it online for about half the price on ebay or Craigslist, or just place it on my shelf and let it collect dust - showing it off in a collection that would only matter to me and no one else. My choices were limited. If only had known of other alternatives that I know now I would've gotten more value out of that specific game in that specific occurrence.
So what do I know now that could've saved me $60, or at least gotten me another game for the same value I had paid for? Well, to answer that question let's look at the three ways I've been able to play just about any game I want and at the same time spend conservatively.
1. Renting. When I was a kid I never had my parents buy me games. We used to take a weekly trip to Blockbuster and get a game that all the kids could play together. Times are different now, with Blockbuster and other chains seeing hard times. But why? Online-to-mail distributors are to blame, a.k.a. Netflix and Gamefly, and despite what they've done to rental stores they are a god send to gamers. In a further article I'll speak on Netflix but for the sake of this topic let's focus on Gamefly.
For me personally, I have the Two-Game plan, which allows me to check out 2 games at a time for as long as I like. For this plan I pay about $23 a month, but at one time I had the One-Game plan which was $16 a month. Doing things this way has opened up the gaming world to me, giving me access to a countless number of games I would've never have been able to afford on my own. And if there IS a game that I do deem worthy of a purchase (a rare occasion for me) I can use their Keep It feature and pay a fraction of the retail price and they me the case and manual to keep with my game. The Keep It prices are pretty low, going so far as taking 20 bucks to 30 bucks off a brand new game the day it is shipped to its first renter, which means that if you get a brand new game before anyone else, you could literally buy a game for $20 off MSRP the day it comes out. And that's not even mentioning the $5 GameFly Rewards you receive each month for sticking with them.
I run through about 4 to 6 games a month - I'm pretty hardcore - and I buy only around 2 to 3 games in an entire year, mostly RPGs, Shooters w/multiplayer, or Fighters, since they all offer long lasting amounts of gameplay for hours to come.
Now let's compare the raw numbers and review if I truly am saving. For a Gamefly subscription at $23 a month I spend $276 through out the entire year. And as I just mentioned before I get to play 4 - 6 games a month, translating to 48 to 60 games year round. Now let's put those same numbers into $60 games. If I were only to buy newly released games at the time of their launch I could only afford 4 and 1/2 games for the entire year.
Though this lifestyle decision may not be for everyone since collectors may want to show off every new purchase to the myriads of friends that come over to gawk over how much plastic boxes they own in a row. But the results I've experienced are obvious and speak for themselves: Gamefly is for the gamer who doesn't care much for collecting games, but is more focused on being on top of everything that comes out, and saving as much money as they can while doing it.; keeping in check the value of money to the value spent on video games.
2. Trading & Selling. If you're a gamer then like most of us you have at least one or two games that you currently don't play, or ever will play for that matter. But why not just throw them out, they're just taking up space. Y'know why you don't? I know why - it's because you understand and appreciate the value of video games, even those which aren't up to par with triple AAA tier games. So why not get something back in return for those boxes that just sit and collect dust? There are two different ways you can go about this; first let's talk about trading.
Trading sites like goozex.com and gametz.com are perfect starting points. Each place works off of a system based on a trader's reputation; relying on how many honest trades you've participated in to factor if you're someone others would like to send their stuff to. It's all about honesty. As with other sites that play the role of messenger there's no real middleman, so communication is key to giving out all the facts about your game's condition, as well as getting all the information you need when thinking of exchanging items with someone.
I haven't used Goozex before, so I'm going to rant about how much I love GameTZ (TZ = Trading Zone, in case you were wondering) in this wall of text. You first sign up and create a list of your own personal items you're willing to trade. Once you've done that you'll make another list, but this time of the games you are specifically looking for. These lists are then cross referenced to make up a results page made up of users who want your stuff and currently have items you want. GameTZ then offers you options on how to make offers either through trading one item, multiple items, or just directly selling the item to a prospective trader. And since this is all done on good faith between the traders, the person with the least reputation sends first, notifying the other when they've sent out the aforementioned items. The two will then communicate to each frequently as they each send and receive their items, then leave feedback on how well the experience went. The attitude to keep in my with GameTZ is to be smart, be polite, and above all else, be honest.
Using GameTZ I've sent away numerous games that were either good for one play through or just not enjoyable in the long run, and in return I've received games, that in my opinion, had higher values, even some that I had been seeking for quite some time on older consoles.
As for selling those unwanted games, good ol' eBay is still a viable option. The same goes with craigslist.com which can work as your own personal yard sale ad. With regards to craigslist you can even mention that you're also open to trades, killing two birds with one stone.
3. Buying. Try to keep buying games at a minimum. As I said earlier keeping up with every single release, and trying to buy every one of them can do a number on your wallet. If you are thinking of purchasing a new game then make sure you have a REAL reason for why you want to lay down some hefty cash for it. Which to m translates to this game that is in mind has to offer you the same value as what you're putting in to get it. Ask yourself these questions:
Have you researched if this is the game for you? What are reviews saying and what do you think about them? How long have gamers said their experiences lasted? Does it offer any sort of replayability - i.e. multiplayer, unlockables, new game plus features? How often will you play this game once you've finished it? Is it worth enough to other gamers that you could trade it for something you also would like to try out? How long would you want to keep it before trading/selling it as time devalues your item(s)?
And as I close today's "Living with Happiness on the Brain" tip, I'll leave you with one last nibblet. The "value" I've been talking about through out this entire philosophy is not in the money spent, or even the amount of gameplay a title holds. No. The value is in the experience you personally have with the game itself. Take for instance my generation's view point on the first Super Mario Bros. It's seen as a legendary title, the first stepping stone, the game that changed it all. Yet, give that same game to a kid today and they may have a completely different attitude toward it, since their experience wouldn't be the same yours. So as someone who loves Super Mario, you may think that its value is quite high, but for someone who hates it, well... they just might have the completely opposite view of the same game. Value is truly the essence of video games as a whole to all gamers, which is probably why we've come to know words like "fanboy" associated with certain franchises and consoles. It's about a pure love and connection one person has to the experience they went through in which the game provided. To each person, that experience is valued at different measurements, which can be used to your advantage to help you gain more rich experiences, raising the overall value of your gaming hobby.
