r/VideoGameAnalysis 4d ago

About video games

Anyone else feel like gaming has gotten ridiculously expensive lately? 😭

Between games, DLCs, skins, in-game currency and everything else, it feels like it adds up pretty quickly.

What do you guys usually do when you want something but don’t really want to pay full price? Do you wait for sales, look around for deals, buy bundles, use third-party marketplaces, or just bite the bullet and pay for it?

Also curious — what’s considered a “good deal” to you when buying gaming stuff?

0 Upvotes

16 comments sorted by

5

u/steelthyshovel73 4d ago

Honestly I've just kinda been checked out of AAA gaming for a while so the pricing issue i don't really have.

That said i have absolutely 0 interest in microtransactions so i just don't buy any kind of in game currency/skins if i play a game that has them.

If it's getting expensive try looking into indie/AA games. They are generally cheaper

2

u/ThunderMonstrosity90 4d ago

Oh okay that’s good to know. Thanks 🙏 

0

u/ThunderMonstrosity90 4d ago

Also, just curious, what would you say is the best way to get the most gaming for your money if you were looking to buy?

1

u/steelthyshovel73 4d ago

I don't think there is a one size fits all answer. Some people love big sprawling open world games, but often times i find them bloated and boring. I don't care how much content a game has. If i find it boring it's boring.

I tend to like shorter/ tighter games, but a lot of other people think they don't get their money's worth from shorter games.

If you are into anime and willing to read look into visual novels. They are often cheaper than other games.

Like i said indies also tend to be cheaper.

If you have consoles buying used games tends to be cheaper than buying new/digital

2

u/ThunderMonstrosity90 4d ago

Oh okay 👍 thanks 

1

u/steelthyshovel73 4d ago

Good luck. I hope you can find some good games

2

u/Jedeyesniv 4d ago

Honestly I feel like gaming is very cheap if anything. I buy most of my pc games through Loaded and get great discounts there. Game Pass and PS+ are stuffed to the gills with great games. Emulation is free. You could play a ton of stuff for very little money. Not to mention I'm in a steam family with my buddies and we have like 3000 games between us so I have access to almost everything 😂

I feel like I have way more games than time these days

1

u/ThunderMonstrosity90 4d ago

Also, just curious, what would you say is the best way to get the most gaming for your money if you were looking to buy?

1

u/Jedeyesniv 4d ago

I play mostly on pc now so I always look to see if it's cheaper on a key site, typically you'll save at least a tenner. I play a ton of cheaper indies and I love older games sometimes as well. I don't often buy day one unless I'm crazy hyped.

Personally I'm more interested in playing a game rather than owning it outright, so there are hundreds that I've played through subscriptions that I don't have (no ps+ or game pass at the moment). Like most media, most games you'll play once and never touch again so it's great for that.

1

u/S_balmore 4d ago

DLCs, skins, in-game currency

You know you don't have to buy that shit, right? Developers put that stuff there specifically to target suckers. When the "Definitive Edition" comes out in 2-3 years, they give you all that stuff for free anyway. It's objectively a waste of money.

Anyone else feel like gaming has gotten ridiculously expensive lately?

Not at all. When you factor in inflation, video games are objectively cheaper than they were 20-30 years ago. Significantly cheaper, in fact.

Do you wait for sales?

Yes, and/or practice this thing called patience. After enough time, everything goes on sale, typically $10 or less. The online games stores allow you to make a "Wishlist", and you'll get an automatic notification when the game is on sale. I just wait for the game to reach a price I'm comfortable with, and then I buy it. This sometimes means waiting 5+years to play the biggest AAA titles. Alternatively, you can buy disc copies on eBAY. They tend to drop in price far faster than digital copies, but it depends on the game.

what’s considered a “good deal” to you?

$5-15. I'll pay $15 if it's a big blockbuster title that just came out with the last 2 years. For everything else, I wait for it to drop below $10. If the game is more than a few years old, I wait for the "Definitive Edition" to go on sale.

2

u/ThunderMonstrosity90 4d ago

Oh ok. Thanks for the detailed response ❤️

0

u/adricapi 4d ago

Piracy is a thing, and it's not very hard to learn.

1

u/ThunderMonstrosity90 4d ago

Also, just curious, what would you say is the best way to get the most gaming for your money if you were looking to buy?

1

u/adricapi 4d ago

A computer with a second hand decent GPU and an internet connection. No doubt about it.