Amy Nelson, Associate Writer

The Thrifty Gamer: Affording That Hot New Release

Published February 22, 2010

Times are tough for everyone right now, and with more people choosing to stay home for entertainment, video games are more popular than ever. Few people would disagree that you get many more hours of entertainment out of 50 dollars spent on a video game than those same dollars spent on an evening out. However, what if you don't have 50 dollars to spare, but still want to get that hot new release you've been drooling over for months? You can do it, and I'll tell you how.

Conventional wisdom has always said that if you want to get a game for less, you need to wait until it has been out for a while. This is sound advice, as game prices do drop drastically over time, especially when the next title in a series is released. So, the first question a thrifty gamer needs to ask themselves is, "How badly do I want this game?" If you know that new release is going to be a game you will play many times over, but you are busy with other games right now, it is best to wait until you have the time to play it before investing your dollars. After all, the game is not likely to increase in price, you really have nothing to lose by waiting. However, if you know that hot new game is going to occupy every second from the time you open it till the final credits, that is a good sign you are ready to move on to the next question: "How am I going to afford it?" Many of you probably do have enough sitting in the bank to just go buy the game outright, but saving money is always a good thing. So whether you can afford it or not, there are a few good ways that you can get around paying full price on that game.

If you are truly broke, then the best way to get enough dough for the game you want is to get rid of some that you don't. There are a couple of ways to do this. One is to sell them outright. You need to do a little price checking first, though, to see where you will get the most out of your older games. You can sell them online, on auction sites like eBay or classifieds like craiglist. You can also sell them to resale stores like Gamestop or Blockbuster, but they tend to pay pennies on the dollar, so these places really should not be your first choice. The other way to turn your old games into new ones is to trade them online. There are quite a few trading places online, and they are great resources for saving money on games. In this case, because you want to turn several of your old games into one new one rather than making several game-for-game trades, I recommend using a points-based site like Goozex. Once you know the date your new release is coming out, start listing your old games and racking up the points. This way, when the game is released, you will already have enough points to buy it. And don't be surprised if some of the older games that you thought no one would want actually get you the most—games for older systems are getting harder to come by—and people are willing to pay a bit more for that beloved game from their childhood.

The one drawback to trading outright is that you are not likely to get that new game on release day, although many times you can get it in the first month or so. If that's good enough for you, then read no more. If you gotta have it as soon as you can get it, then let's talk about flipping. You want that new game, and you've got a little cash laying around, but don't want to blow it all on one game. The best way to do that is to take the money you have, invest it in some awesome deals on popular games, and sell them for a profit. (This also works great for amassing points on Goozex. Find a great sale on a requested game, and you can even have it shipped right to the buyer.) There are quite a few deal sites out there that will even notify you of great sales by email, rss, or even twitter. Find a site you like—Slickdeals is a personal favorite—but there are many others such as Fatwallet and Ben's Bargains; and sign up to be alerted when video game deals are found. In the last month or two, I have picked up the God of War Collection for $20, Singstar for $10, Club Penguin Collector's Edition for $10, and Tekken 6 for $20. All of these were then flipped to make cash/points for the games I really wanted. Now you've got the cash, so get the game.

The final and most important step to being a truly thrifty gamer is to play the game as soon as you get it. Play it, enjoy it, solve it, and then send it out to some other thrifty gamer to earn money or points towards that next great game. If you sell/trade a new release within the first month or so that it comes out, you are often able to make back nearly your purchase price on the game. Goozex even offers bonus points for those trading new releases. Got Dante's Inferno? Send it out within 30 days of release and you get 1000 points (equivalent to $50) from the buyer, and additional bonus points from Goozex. You can't beat that return at the bank, and you'll be all set to order that next gotta-have game from your list. Happy gaming!