As the belt tightens with everyone's expenditure, there is a really big question as to what kind of games people would even bother to get as prices increases and in Australia, we are still being ripped off royally. So what do people do in times of these economical hardships?
Well, here's the dumbvious choice... Sell everything and leaving gaming to its foundations, eg. back to the world of Dungeons and Dragons and Monopoly since they are the cheapest and non costly method of having fun, but then again, the adult way of having fun seems to involve a bit of so called "mingling". But other than calling on for the pocket saving gaming solutions, here at Gamer Grunt, we care enough to actually bother to explain the more resourceful way to create a balance between gaming and keeping enough money in your pockets.
As everyone is getting weary about the whole thing, people look for the road with less cost and that involves a big costly investment and then a supply of correct formatted mediums and files, or in other words, modding their system, be that 360 or Wii (would you honestly be bothered to actually download a 50Gb file only find out that it is corrupt?), then download their game onto DVD+R DL, and then make a free copy of their game (or pirated if you like going ahrg everytime you stumble upon success). PCs are very similar, less the need to modify the system. Of course, this drains the coffers of the publisher and developer, but then again, everyone is going through rough and tough hardships. Though, I did mention something that is illegal, it is still a very popular choice for so many gamers, that it does make developers want to cover all losses and create a very costly consequence for taking that road, though, it doesn't always work in their favour, such as using Starforce or SecuRom, which actually does break the system eventually... (idiots...)
But don't despair! There are legal venues of having fun without the use of illegal ideas but there are those which doesn't seems about right.
One involves the use of a subscription service to playing games, be that World of Warcraft or some other MMORPG. Sure it is very dynamic in terms of playing ingame environment, along with a good social gathering and following for those in love with the game, but to pay about $10 a month or whatever it is (CBF following that sorta thing), the cost does add up in the long run and the emotional bond created when playing it does make it a major problem when you stop playing it. So... what do you do if you can't continue to pay to play? Well... in some really really off cases, some resort to self harm of some other drastic measure to minimise the loss. Think of playing this sorta this way. Per month you spend say... $10 on the game (not including outside costs) per month, along with new expansion packs every year, costing about $40, that's already $160! Enough to buy two games for keeps.
There's always going classic and purchasing those really popular titles from Xbox marketpalce etc. That costs about $2 per game and those games can take up anywhere from a week to finish to a month, depending on the title. So, if take the extreme approach and buy a new title every week, that's already $104, which is less than maintaining your MMORPG account, which costs $120 if you discount the expansion packs. Though, if you do choose to play those titles online using services like Xbox live, this does set you back a lot, but does allow you to play online with other people, which could either be boring or really frustrating.
Don't despair if you would like to avoid paying subscription charges because there are games such as Counter Strike and Team Fortress 2, which does not have any subscription charges with the exception of purchasing just the title. Though games does vary in price, it does allow a cost effective way to avoid those costly long term subscription services and having to worry about your emotional attachment to your account. Though, if you do cheat in that service, you do have something to fear about, though, it ain't so big if you aren't a cheater, don't fret, nothing for you to worry about. The game does always reset making the playing field even so it really isn't much of a bond, but a test of skill and abilities.
Those that aren't a fan of those series, don't cry yourselves to sleep, because k'Nighthawk is here to give you all the options which are on the table for everyone to make a more informed gaming choice under these hardships.
If you dislike all those online games but still want to have fun online without paying too much, here's something for you. There are games online which are free of cost and isn't as high adrenaline paced as the tweek trigger happy players and/or slower paced subscribers of emotional attachments, such as word based online games or skill games. These are usually very basic java or flash games. Places includes Newgrounds, Jippi. Newgrounds is more famous for their flash movies by many authors, but does contain a lot of interesting game, but does high a tendacy rate for the authors to create explicit titles, but hey, at least they're free right? But places such as Jippi does have a high tendency for sex addicts to stalk, creating a sort of secluded place for proper free roaming gamers to just have a bit of fun without worrying about sex and age, but at least there's a place like Yahoo Games which is open and less secluded, but does not have a high problem for sex stalkers so it is a more friendlier environment, though, there is a slight problem with some of the game and response to some systems and the explorer, but otherwise a better source of fun than being stalked by sex addicts.
I know that there's a lot of online cheap sources of fun, but now... here's a few for the offliners. Though there is still a high problem with the cost of game unless you go online, there are still some sources of fun out there which isn't too costly that it becomes a burden. Besides having to collect things like Magic or Yugioh cards and play against other people and some matches lasting over an hour due to rules or what not... cost is honestly one of the major issue with offliners. Main choices for offliners includes the handheld systems and accessories for systems. Handhelds and old consoles have been highly regarded as more of an offline source of fun and have been that way for years and years and have been dominant way of having fun with others. Not too long ago, there was a gaming bash but there weren't any systems that could go online and it was a full on Mario Kart 64 competition with tonnes of players and a really high range of skill levels from new to pro. Even though that sort of prospect sounds very daunting, it is still a fun gathering for many people to participate in, so all in all, a really good day and one that's highly recommended to actually host. Organise something, even a handheld gathering or bash just to have fun a bit of fun outside of your actual rich craving norm.
Accessories isn't really seen as the popular choice due to their high cost and how long they remain to be enjoyable, which are actually the two major downsides to this area of exploration. Things such as the Guncon3, Xbox 360 steering wheel, Guitar Hero guitars, etc, are very popular and high in demand, but how long they last in terms of having fun is highly questionable and even though I am myself an explorational gamer, I have been low on funds to even make a proper judgement. But haven been given the chance to go anywhere near it thanks to the charity of GameTraders Robina, I was able to go somewhere close to it, though, I can make this really clear judgement that it honestly comes down the title and what genre you are really into. If it comes down to the racing genre, then the Steering wheel accessory may improve the experience as a whole and can even be compared with the controller and see which one is best. The rail shooter genre is quite repetitive and even though you are a really good sharpshooting and do hit the intended target, you are still taken to the ride even though you attempt to hop out of the rail cart and into another, it just doesn't allow for the player to choose their own path, just a one way journey, from start to end. Musical instruments are fun to play, especially in games, but they are a test of wits and ability to your arms and hands as fast and precise as possible, which, is thoroughly defeated by those who have no sense whatsoever. Though it is fun to play against other people, even in battle mode, it does leave a sour taste in your mouth in terms of being able to play it ongoingly since some people will be interested in 5-star blood raping all songs in all brackets and unlocking all unlockables.
Now that I've laid all the possible ideas for anyone to take up, hopefully, no one has dumped their old systems which have been gathering up dust because there are some gems in the old confusing world of gaming which needs to be rediscovered again.
Happy gaming!
Something being referred to as "Too good to be true," is like a cheap coffee, looks really good until you taste the fruits....or nuts....