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 sites are built around offering as much information as possible on each title. Screenshots, early pre-release previews, cheats and walk-throughs surround each game's page, allowing readers to familiarize themselves with games in all stages of production. Reviews generally ascribe a numerical grade out of ten, and will list grievances and commendations where applicable. If more diplomatic reviews based solely on merit and demerit observations are more appealing, without a grade, gaming blog Kotaku.com offers sporadic but insightful articles on new releases.
Without doubt, the best gaming website available for the discerning buyer is MetaCritic.com. More of a portal than a site in itself, MetaCritic links to the scores and reviews of dozens of websites for every game released and offers an average score. This is a much more helpful first-stop resource, as you are granted easy access to many opinions at once and will then have all the information needed to make an educated choice as to which game to buy.
Knowing precisely what you are looking for, and whether or not the game is worth your time and money, is the very first method of buying smart. The absolute last thing any gamer wants to do is drop sixty dollars on a broken and glitched game that is universally panned by gaming journalists.
Rentals:
Brick and mortar video rental establishments like Blockbuster have been offering videogames for several years now. The price for a rental is not astronomical, usually around the five dollar mark, and games can be kept for several days. While still popular, use of stores such as these is based mainly on convenience and location.
Alternately, several internet based businesses have begun to follow the model laid out by the movie rental company Netflix. By far the most recognizable is GameFly, who advertize heavily on popular television channels and in print magazines. For a monthly subscription price, users are sent games through the mail and can be kept and played for as long as the gamer sees fit. Since the subscription fee is taken monthly by an automatic credit card charge, there are no late charges or minimum and maximum rental periods.
Using the GameFly website, subscribers create an online queue of games they wish to rent. Not every title is immediately available, but the likelihood of availability is illustrated with a percentage point, such as a 75% chance of this title shipping today. Account holders may queue up to fifty titles at any given time, and may alter the order as frequently as they desire. GameFly offer several different subscription plans, based on the number of games the user wishes to have at any one time. Further, there are first-month discount deals and a rewards plan that offers discounts and coupons for purchasing used games.
Renting games is a very economical way to play massive catalogs of titles for a relatively low price. Shipping times for the disks themselves can sometimes run a little long, with a wait of up to a week from the day one game is returned to the receipt of the next title. However, this method allows gamers to experience a game without any commitment, and it is certainly cheaper than purchasing each title. For some, it removes the need to buy games entirely; for others, it is more of a try-before-you-buy philosophy.
Used Games:
Most videogames have a very limited appeal after they have been completed by a player. There are a good number of games that have a remarkably long life thanks to different endings and choices that the player can make but, unfortunately, this is the exception and not the rule. After defeating that final boss on the last level, many titles are literally finished with. And this is where the trend of buying used games comes in. In GameStop, the leading seller of used titles, new copies of games will bear a white price sticker, while used copies have yellow tags. A used game is always cheaper than its fresh counterpart, and the discount will vary depending on how recently the game was released, and sometimes how popular it is. The minimum saving is about five dollars, and the maximum can occasionally be quite surprising.
Games that have been traded in at any store (see the section below for trade information) will be sold as used within an hour or so, after the disk has been checked and the box labeled. Buying used games is one of the best ways to save money and still get a quality product. At the sales counter, always ask to see the condition of the disk before handing over your hard earned cash, since not all people take care of their games. Some may have light surface scratches, which will only very rarely affect the gameplay. Others may have seen darker times and be in a very poor condition. In such cases, ask for a different copy.
Of particular note in this regard are Xbox 360 games. You should absolutely and starkly refuse any used copy of a game that has a circular scratch that runs around the underside of the disk. These are games that were spinning in the drive of the console, and the console itself (for whatever reason) was moved or shifted. The disk dislodges slightly when this happens, it hits some of the internal mechanisms and the scratch is deceptively deep. That circular impression is loving referred to as a game-killer: the game is now as useful as a coaster for your coffee table. Finding these copies is rare, since the Xbox 360 literature warns strongly against moving the console, but it still happens. Just keep an eye out for it.
Very often, retailers will run promotions pertaining to their used game stocks, such as buy-two-get-one-free type deals. These offers rarely involve new copies of games, but can certainly provide a simple way to get even more value for your money. Further, all used games will be guaranteed to work, or will have a refund period associated with it. Always keep your receipt, preferably in the game's box next to the instruction booklet, just in case you experience any issues with your purchase.
Trade In:
Several retail establishments offer trade-in programs, but none more successful than GameStop. Once you are finished with a particular game and are willing to trade it in, your first stop should be the GameStop website. There, you can check for the current retail price of the game in question, which should offer a general idea of how much it is worth as a trade. Rule of thumb is anything between 25% to 50% of the sales price will be the game's value for trade. A newly released copy of a sixty dollar title (one you have bought, played and finished) will likely be worth between eighteen to thirty dollars in store credit.
An important aspect to bear in mind is the difference between store credit and cash trades. When you take store credit for a trade, it is applied to a store card and can be used for anything in stock or on the website. Anything you purchase with the credit will not be charged sales tax. However, cash trades are worth precisely 20% less than store credit. More often than not, it is highly advised to trade only for credit, not cash. But if you are intent on buying games with your spoils, why take cash in the first place?
Further, establishments that take games as trade ins will more often than not have a loyalty program of some description. Store cards and so forth offer extra credit for trades, and occasionally come bundled with subscriptions to various videogame magazines.
Shop Smartly:
CheapAssGamer.com is a website that posts promotions, discounts and offers pertaining to videogames and consoles. Posts on the site will link to various retailers, highlight the best deals in the Sunday advertisements, and any schemes run by Amazon.com and similar places. The site also features a very robust community and forum system, where gamers sell amongst themselves and keep each other abreast of new offers.
Subscribers to GameFly.com have the option to purchase any game they are currently renting. Although the games are shipped for rental in paper and cardboard envelopes similar to Netflix, the site will mail the box and instruction booklet, for free, after purchase. There are also a large number of used games for sale through their online store again, the shipping is free. Customers will also be emailed information of any promotions or discounts, which generally occur once a month.
GameStop.com has a newsletter that can be subscribed to through their website. While the primary function is to alert customers to their weekly advertisement, released each Friday, at the bottom of the email will be a time sensitive coupon valid for that week and exclusive to subscribers. The coupons vary each week, as does their usefulness. One coupon may offer 25% extra trade value for PSP games which, if you do not own a PSP, is completely without worth. The next week, however, may be a buy-one-get-one-free deal on Xbox 360 and PS3 games. Coupons can be combined with the store's discount card, but no other consecutive promotions.
Play Older Games:
The older a game is, the cheaper it is likely to be. Although the graphics might not be up to scratch with the more contemporary titles, some of the greatest games ever made are getting progressively more aged. Further, you do not always need the applicable console to run an older game: the Wii is entirely backwards compatible with GameCube games; some, though not all, models of the PlayStation 3 run PS2 games, and the Xbox 360 supports about two thirds of the games for the original Xbox.
Check MetaCritic.com for the average scores on some old games, then dig through the bargain bins of your local retailers. Games such as God of War (PS2), Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox) and Pikmin (GameCube) can be found for less than ten dollars, and are all truly wonderful gaming experiences.
Peripheral Compatibility:
The last bastion of the price conscious gamer is the newest trend of rhythm games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. These are titles that need more than just a copy of the disk and a console, they need extra accessories as well: namely, drum kit and guitar controllers, and a microphone. When purchased together brand new, the full Rock Band set can run you upwards of $130. The idea of purchasing a whole other set of fake instruments for a Guitar Hero title can, therefore, be incredibly daunting. Aside from the obvious expense, these peripherals take up a lot of space in the home.
If you are in the market for one of these games, be sure to check the publisher's website, or Wikipedia.com beforehand. Each will have information concerning cross-compatibility whether or not the drum kit for Rock Band will work with Guitar Hero World Tour and so forth. Microphones are universal, but the guitars and drums are not. For the most part, you should have no trouble, but research here is key.
In conclusion, it might seem like a lot of work to get the best deals in the gaming industry. However, with a little legwork you might be astounded at how much you can save when shopping for interactive entertainment.