Digital gaming is more popular than ever, with more than $30 billion spent in 2016 on video games and 67 percent of U.S. households owning a device used to play those games, according to a 2017 report from Entertainment Software Association.
As with any hobby that involves acquiring things, a digital gaming passion left unchecked can quickly turn into an expensive pastime. Many players have extensive collections of games and buy them in large numbers. For example, the average Steam account, a popular online service for purchasing computer games, has 11 games associated with it, with many having even more. Millions of users subscribe to pay-to-play online games such as World of Warcraft, and millions more participate in games that have popular microtransaction schemes, such as League of Legends and Clash Royale.
This can add up to a lot of money spent on digital gaming each year, and for some gamers, their habit can have a seriously negative financial impact.
As with any spending habit, there are many steps you can take to cut that spending without leaving behind the hobby. Here are five simple strategies for saving money on your digital gaming.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
Buy games to play, not to collect. It can be tempting, especially during sales, to buy several digital games at once with the intent to play some at a later date, but it is also incredibly common for gamers to wind up with enormous backlogs of games left unplayed.
The solution here is simple: Only buy games if you immediately intend to play them. If you’re buying a game that you might play someday, leave it in the cart instead. You can always add it to your collection at a later time, even if it’s on sale, as it will likely be on sale again in the future.
At the same time, take advantage of online sales. If you do have a desire to play a particular game, wait until it goes on sale. Many online game providers have a “wishlist” service, such as Steam’s Wishlist feature, which will watch for sale prices. There are other sites that run regular features outlining hot game sales.
Not only does waiting on a sale save you money, it also gives you time to evaluate whether the game is something you’ll really dig into playing. Is this a game into which you want to invest a lot of hours? Or is this just a game that happened to look cool in the moment? Waiting for a sale gives you time to figure out which group the game is in, and you’ll often find that if you wait, the desire to own the game at all will fade away.
[See: 10 Money-Saving Websites to Check Before Shopping.]
Set clear gaming goals for yourself. Once you do have a game, set a goal regarding playing it. Perhaps you will aim to simply beat the main quest line in a story-based game. Maybe you’ll aim to finish all of the levels in a puzzle game or achieve 90 percent of the achievements in an adventure game.
Whatever you decide to do, choose a goal that will encourage you to explore the game in depth and give you something to work toward over time, so you keep coming back to that same game. A good personal goal will drastically extend the amount of time a person spends playing a game and decrease the cost-per-hour of entertainment time devoted to that particular title. That’s called savings.
Wait for the dust to settle. When a new game comes out, digital gaming media is often loaded with breathless reviews and play-through videos, which are extremely effective at increasing excitement and presenting the game in the best light. Often, those initial reviews and play-throughs don’t give any indication as to the true quality or staying power of the game. Does it provide more than a few hours of fun? Will it stick around and have players after the first month?
Give the dust some time to settle and let the cream rise to the top. You may find that the game you’re excited to buy isn’t as great as it initially seemed. Plus, if you wait a bit, you’ll likely be able to get on board with a sale and save money on a good game rather than spending a lot on a mediocre new game.
[See: 12 Shopping Tricks to Keep You Under Budget.]
Have a strong plan regarding microtransactions. Many games involve microtransactions — small purchases that enable new gameplay features. Many games encourage a steady purchase of microtransactions in order to maximize enjoyment of the game, and that can end up being a steady drain on your wallet.
Be careful when considering a game that features these kinds of microtransactions. If a game constantly wants you to fork over small payments in order to earn minor in-game rewards, it’s probably not worth your time or money, not when there are so many other good games out there. Consider looking elsewhere for your digital entertainment.
Digital gaming can be a wonderful hobby, but it can be a pricey one, too. Approach it with smart principles, and you’ll find that you can have a lot of fun without breaking the bank.
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5 Ways to Cut the Cost of a Digital Gaming Hobby originally appeared on usnews.com