by Chris Fletcher

Created on: October 31, 2008

The videogame industry has never been more popular, with record numbers of games and consoles flying off the shelves of retailers. With more innovative technology, such as the Nintendo Wii and its motion sensing controllers; and powerhouse consoles that rival high-end PCs, namely Microsoft's Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3, the profit margins of the business are ramping up with each quarterly report.

A lot of these profits, however, are gleaned through the higher prices of the games themselves. As the medium became more complicated, production costs for each title went up considerably, and some of that cost was passed down to the consumer. The last generation of consoles (Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube) had a generally recognized maximum price of fifty dollars per title. Now, games usually run for sixty dollars, with some exceptions. Games for the Wii max out at fifty, but with a discernable downgrade in graphics and several other areas. Titles published in-house by Microsoft Game Studios are priced at fifty more often than not, again, with some exceptions both cheaper and more expensive.

As a hobby, gaming is a genuine cash-sink. While the consoles themselves may be relatively inexpensive a few hundred dollars for some pretty advanced hardware is easy to reconcile the flood of newly released games each month can mean the amount you spend on software will ramp higher and higher. However, saving money on games is neither a skill nor an art reserved for hardcore players. With a little forethought and observation, you may be surprised how much you can save on even the most popular and expensive games.

Reviews:

Almost every gamer has their website of choice when it comes to reviews. There is a positive slew of sites out there, each offering a different take on almost every game released. The trick to finding which one appeals to you most is no more difficult than looking through some of the older reviews for games you have already played. Do you agree with the observations they make about titles you know? Are their complaints the same as yours? While titles are reviewed by different journalists on each site, it will not take long to find voices that echo your own, and a sort of trust will be formed. It is unlikely you, as a gamer, will agree with everything written, but a good average is not particularly elusive.

The main players for console and PC reviews are IGN.com and GameSpot.com. These places serve as more than simple lists of reviews, since much of their

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