How do you budget for video games?

[StaceyPowers]

In this thread, I cannot help but be astounded by the sheer number of unplayed games @killamch89 and @Alyxx happen to have. Yet this seems very common.

I won’t ask “how the heck do you afford all these games?” as that might be rude, so instead I’ll ask, “how do you budget for your video games?”

Like, do you set rules for your spending? Is there a certain amount or percentage of your budget monthly you let yourself use to buy games?

In my case, I usually only purchase a game if I decide I Must Have It. And if that is the case, I try to do overtime and then shop only out of that budget. Though if I see a good deal or if I am reaching the end of a previous game in a series, I will often make an exception. As a result, I do not have many games.

 

 

[The Blackangel]

I'm similar to you in game spending. I don't buy games unless I come across one that I just have to have. And as a classic gamer, it's not the easiest to find the games you want. There's games I remember that I wanted as a child, that at the time were $50. Now they're $500. I'm screwed. I can't afford that much for the game. And I don't do emulators. It's the real thing or nothing. I'm content with the library I have, but on occasion I come across a game that, after a bit of checking it out, I want it. And unless it's an exorbitant amount of money, I'll pick it up.

But otherwise, I just don't buy a lot of games anymore. I have all my favorites, so I'm good.

[Alyxx]

Most of my games I bought for like less than a dollar in various bundles or they were just gifted to me. Also keep in mind I have had my account since 2007 so that's a lot of time to buy games, especially on sales.

[The Blackangel]

I pick up game bundles on CL a lot, and resell stuff at a profit, so once in a while I find a game that I end up liking and keep it for myself. But more often I end up with a game that I already have multiple copies of. Right now I'm sitting on, I think, 6 copies of Super Mario Bros 3. It may only be 5, but I'm pretty sure it's 6 copies.

Edited September 29, 2019 by The Blackangel

[StaceyPowers]

23 hours ago, The Blackangel said:

I'm similar to you in game spending. I don't buy games unless I come across one that I just have to have. And as a classic gamer, it's not the easiest to find the games you want. There's games I remember that I wanted as a child, that at the time were $50. Now they're $500. I'm screwed. I can't afford that much for the game. And I don't do emulators. It's the real thing or nothing. I'm content with the library I have, but on occasion I come across a game that, after a bit of checking it out, I want it. And unless it's an exorbitant amount of money, I'll pick it up.

But otherwise, I just don't buy a lot of games anymore. I have all my favorites, so I'm good.

Oh man, $500. That's awful. What's the most you've ever spent to get a rare game?

[The Blackangel]

Probably around $150-$200. I honestly don’t remember. Some of my games are semirare and some are ultrarare. But that’s mostly because the ones in question never saw any real success when released. So no one kept them or even bought them to begin with. One game title I have is supposedly cursed, but I have yet to encounter the curse. I would say it’s one of my rarer games, but I think I got it for only around $20. I know I have a game or two that virtually everyone I’ve ever gotten into a conversation with has never heard of. What can I say? I’m a weird girl, and I’m into weird shit.

[killamch89]

I wait for sales a few months later unless I wanted the game at launch. I normally put aside a certain amount of money for gaming per month and I never go over it unless i earn some extra money from somewhere.

[skyfire]

I think we are closing in on month where most of us are going to buy games that we are going to play for rest of the year. I am going to renew some subscriptions too. So yeah I think my budget is usually for last month of this year. 

[kingpotato]

I'm broke 😆, well not really but my limit is a 20-25 dollar game every 2 months, sometimes my girlfriend will purchase a game for me as a gift. I usually buy my games at gamestop because sometimes I can get deals for two games for 20-25 dollars or something like that and other times 4 games for 10 bucks. Even if there is a game that I really want like Red Dead redemption 2 for example I will need to wait for a sale.

[skyfire]

I have pretty much around same budget these days but even low considering the christmas is coming and I don't want to spend on other things. I want to spend on things which I can buy in context of something I can use long term so microtransactions are last priority. 

[killamch89]

On 10/2/2019 at 1:56 AM, skyfire said:

I have pretty much around same budget these days but even low considering the christmas is coming and I don't want to spend on other things. I want to spend on things which I can buy in context of something I can use long term so microtransactions are last priority. 

I don't really spend on microtransactions, I spend my money strictly on games.

[skyfire]

I have few mobile games that I review and also keep in updated like MOBA games and we have new COD on android. So microtransactions on android is inevitable for me.