Shopping

It is reported that many gamers enjoy purchasing games just as much as playing them. I have purchased hundreds of games over the years, many I have yet to play! It may be because I enjoy collecting them as much as playing them, but I also look into the economics for reasons of purchase. Here are some of my guidelines to being an economically effective buyer. Please note that I cannot comment on the Playstation 3 or Wii because I do not own them.

New Hard Copy Games (games that come with a disc)

I rarely pay full price for new games; if you wait 5-6 months, game prices usually drop by half.

    I will only pay full price for a game if:
  • I already love the game series - I loved Call of Duty 2 and 3, so I had no problem buying CoD4 at full price to support the series.
  • The game is online multiplayer - If a game contains online multiplayer, the online population will be strong at first but die off over time. I will buy the game early if I don't want to risk missing online play.
  • If the game is rare - Sometimes you can tell when a good or unique game doesn't have many copies available (or many people won't buy it, therefore used copies will be hard to find). Instead of struggling to find the right game in the future, I will purchase it early to guarantee my copy.
  • Preordering provides good, rare content - If pre-ordering a game will give rare content that I will probably enjoy, then I will take the pre-order if I am fine with already paying full-price. Don't be fooled by gimmicks such as 'unlock the weapons faster or get a cool avatar'.

Used Hard Copies

Some hard-copy games are available for download. I find PC's Steam to have excellent prices and sales, but XBox's digital download collection to be more expensive than going to the store and buying a used copy. Steam downloads are usually the way to go if your computer can handle the games.

    Game Store Tips
  • Look for local video rental stores, many will sell their used games very cheap.
  • If you know a friend who is going to trade in a game, call the game store to learn the trade in value, then offer your friend $1 more.
  • You can do the same with strangers at the store, if you see them walk in with games tell them you will give them $1 more than the store will. Make sure to carry a lot of cash and dollar bills. (hopefully the employees won't get mad at you)
  • Look for 'going out of business' sales, I was able to purchase 100 good newish games for $2 each when my local game stores went under.

Downloadable Titles

Many games are available for download only, games include those found in XBox Live's Arcade as well as Steam. Multiplayer usually dies off much faster with these smaller games.

    PC Players
  • Steam has major sales on almost all titles around December-January and July, along with weekly individual sales. Keep an eye on Steam and wait for the games to go on sale.
  • Steam is the cheapest for multi-platform games. (I got Mass Effect PC for $10 when my brother had to pay $40 for a used XBox version one year later)
  • For hard-copy games, eBay and Amazon have been good to me. Make sure to check seller ratings and avoid used copies because their CD Keys may not work.
    XBox 360
  • XBox has 'Deal of the Week' which will put arcade games and DLC on sale for $5-$10 off.
  • Indie games are available and only cost a few dollars, most suck but some are well-worth the price.
    Playstation 3
  • Supposedly an arcade game's price will be removed for a short while.

Selling Your Games

I recommend never selling your games, I have only sold/traded 3 games throughout my lifetime. For some reason now everybody thinks you must buy games to play them. If you aren't into collecting and keeping your games forever, don't buy and sell everything that comes your way (that can be at least a $30 loss for each new game). Instead look into renting, compare GameFly to your local video rental stores and find a system that will work for you.

If you are going to sell your games, don't go to a video game store. They will give you a small percentage of what the game is actually worth. Instead, sell your stuff on eBay or another online service to get the most out of it. You can always advertise in the ATFO Advertising Forum about your sales too.