Gaming isn’t exactly cheap. You’re finding that keeping up with this hobby is more expensive than you assumed, and you’re a little worried that it’s emptying your wallet. Find out how you can trim down your gaming expenses and stop yourself from blowing your budget.
How Does Gaming Empty Your Wallet?
Equipment
Unless you’re playing mobile games, you have to purchase equipment for your gaming hobby. You need a powerful desktop PC — a cheap laptop can’t perform the same way. Or you need a console that connects to your TV. Consoles usually cost between $300-$500 each. You’ll want to have accessories like headphones, speakers, keyboards and extra controllers. If you’re hoping to get a VR headset, you can expect to spend at least $300 on it. Some VR headsets will run you closer to $1000.
Games
The standard price for AAA games was $60 for a long time, but now that price has moved up. It seems that more studios are setting the prices for their AAA games at $70 each. While not all available games will sport this high price tag, you can expect that the biggest and most anticipated games of the year will likely have it, especially when they are brand-new.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions are small, in-game purchases. These are so small that you might not realize how much you’re spending while you’re playing — at least, not until you look at your credit card statement later. For instance, you might spend a lot of money on loot boxes in your games in hopes that you’ll get that one special item you’ve been waiting for.
How Can You Get Your Gaming Spending Under Control?
You don’t want to give up on gaming. So, you’ll have to find ways to spend less on the hobby.
Play What You Have
Stop trying to grow your game collection. Preordering every exciting game that’s on the horizon isn’t a good financial decision, especially when your gaming library isn’t exactly empty. Focus on what you currently have, and when you run out of games to play, order one new game that’s currently available.
The same rule applies to your equipment. Don’t buy new equipment if you’re current equipment is perfectly fine. Focus on what you have sitting right in front of you.
You can also stick to games that you can play repeatedly with friends or family members. These games will still be enjoyable no matter how many times you play it because of their simple gameplay mechanics and how they can change your gameplay experience every time you play with your loved ones.
The games that you play repeatedly can be video games like Civilization and Sims, or physical games like UNO and Monopoly. UNO is arguably one of the least expensive games that you can play, and to know more about it, you can read The Interesting Origins of the UNO Card Game.
Do Trade-Ins
When you’re done with a game, you could trade it in for another one. This is possible at many retailers that sell games (for example, Best Buy) and through online marketplaces.
Go Indie
New AAA games will be much more expensive than small indie games. To save money, give those small games a chance.
Quit the Microtransactions
Any game that encourages you to make constant microtransactions should be put away for a bit. The temptation to spend while playing will be too strong and you need to get used to enjoying your hobby without spending impulsively.
Follow a Budget
Follow a budget and give yourself a reasonable spending limit for your hobby every single month. Having this limit should help you keep up with your hobby without going overboard.
Why Is This So Important?
Without a budget to keep you on track, you might not be too careful with your hobby spending and make some big financial mistakes. You might spend money that’s reserved for essentials like groceries or rent. You might put your checking account into overdraft. At the very least, you might drain your emergency savings for this non-emergency and leave yourself in a bad position when an urgent expense crops up.
What should you do if that urgent expense crops up? You could look into personal loans online. These are quick and easy options that people can turn to when they’re facing emergency expenses. As long as you meet all of the requirements for a personal loan, you can submit an application. You just might get approved for it.
Personal loans are only for emergencies. Do not apply for a loan to cover expenses that aren’t urgent or important, like a new console.
Your gaming hobby shouldn’t be emptying your wallet. Follow these tips to keep gaming without going broke!