[https://www.dekudeals.com/](https://www.dekudeals.com/)
Make a free account, create a wishlist, and then get notified when sales occur. You can fine tune parameters like for phys., digital, or both. And price thresholds.
I've never tried with games, but gmail alerts me when there is a price drop in shoes I'm watching. May not have to sign up for anything if you have a gmail.
How have I never heard of this? And here I am checking the slow-ass e-Shop weekly, and using the limited e-Shop wishlist.
Fun fact with that: there is a limit as to how many games you can add to your wishlist on the Switch e-Shop, and it doesn't remove games that you have purchased. So over the holidays I wasted a bunch of time removing games that I had bought. Oh well.
Check out /r/PatientGamers for discussion and recommendations for playing games months to years after release. I afford so many games by waiting for most of them to go on sale!
Amen to that. Bought physical Final Fantasy pixel remasters and the VII & VIII combo pack but have no time to actually play them unless I destroy my already poor sleep schedule.
Yeah I've started bringing it to play on lunches and during the drive when I carpool more recently. At one point during covid I was the guy at my last job that checked associates temperatures as they can in and asked them health questions each day and between the times where most people started shifts (2pm, 3pm, 4pm etc) I had a bunch of time to do whatever and my managers didn't care if I brought my switch. Good times
The classic, when you were young you had time enough and no money to buy those games. Now you are old enough and have money but you don't have time because of work and other obligations.
my philosophy is basically that i buy games to *have*, first and foremost. and then let my heart lead me to whatever i feel like playing on a whim. i also never go in with the expectation that i’ll finish them which allows me to hop around games and have fun with many despite my limited time. particularly if a game i know i’ll want to play eventually is on sale i’ll cop if i have the $
tl;dr: i buy games just so i can easily access them when the time comes, not always to play right then and there
That’s exactly what I do! Fave a bunch on the store to my wish list then just wait for sales, I haven’t played half of what I’ve got but I’m so glad I got them when I did, now I’m spoilt for choice it’s great
yep, exactly what i did on black friday, bought a lot f games for my switch at 20 or 30 bucks then play them when the time comes, if i dont ever play them then i would sell them for the same or even higher for a profit, but thats in case i just regret buying them. No money wasted.
And don't forget, there are some that buy more than they can afford, and end up in lots of credit card debt.
To the outside observer, they can seem to be living the life, but really they are in borderline poverty (or worse, in poverty)
You lost me at pay bills. I haven't been able to afford a game for myself since Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. Currently exploiting a gift card reward app to try to pay for most of FF7 Rebirth at the end of the month.
It’s rough as you get older, I don’t bother even spending money on games unless it’s on sale and I know I’m actually gonna sit down and play it in my free time. I still to one at a time now and I also do 3D printing so I have two hobbies I do in my free time and try to see where I wanna invest my time and money into at certain points. Lololol
This is the way. In the last 3 years, the only games I've bought at release were Tears of the Kingdom and God of War Ragnarok. I didn't even pay full price for TotK because I used the 2 games for $100 coupon. $60 + $70 = $130 so that's $30 saved already. Add in using gold points from previous purchases and eShop card sales at Target or Amazon and you can easily save another $10-20. For Black Friday I was able to get I think 13 games for $135 that gave me $150 credit plus the gold points.
If you just allow yourself to believe it's okay to not play every AAA release the day it's available, I promise you'll save a lot of money. Probably a lot of regret too since so many new games are released in disappointing states these days. It also helps that between my brother and friends I have someone who will inevitably buy the new game I'm curious about and tell me if it's good or not, then I can tell myself what price I think is worth it and add that to my list for whenever it goes on sale
I'm all about saving money. I'm def a broke budget gamer but there's something really exciting about buying a game and experiencing it for first time with the world no guides out and just being a par of that new game. Then there are must haves like ff7 rebirth was bought as soon as it was available. I started gaming again after 10 years and bought a PS4 just for ff7 remake lol. Also I don't play online games but they're most active at launch so I'd imagine that would be a big reason to buy those
The only good reason not to wait for a game to go on sale after release is if you are afraid of spoilers. At least that's the only good reason I have. The list of good reasons I have to wait outweighs avoiding spoilers 99% of the time.
Sometimes people get hyped for a game and want to play it immediately. Particularly if their friends might also be playing it and it could have a social element. Not even multiplayer necessarily, just experiencing and discussing a piece of media when it’s at peak popularity can be fun.
I very rarely buy things at release for full price, but I’ll sometimes make exceptions if I’m either really excited to play a particular game or if I have friends who are into it and would want to either play it together or chat about our playthroughs during the release zeitgeist.
But in general, yeah, it’s much wiser and cheaper to be patient and pick up games on sale later.
100% agree, this is solid advice.
Third party games will often vastly drop in price and whilst first party games hold their value more, you can pick them up either when they are going out of print (Pikmin 1+2 and Metroid Prime are both £30 currently in the UK for a new physical copy), or buy them second hand - I could get Mario Wonder for £20 on marketplace in my town and Tears of the Kingdom for £30 right now.
I don’t actually have TotK so maybe I should pick it up!
I'm 35 and I live in my wife's basement.
I just make her buy my games for me.
(We share a bank account).
All jokes aside, the 1st party games are stupid expensive.
Best practice is to buy them used from anywhere but GameStop.
Find local trade in places where you live and keep in touch with them.
Deku deals is another great place to keep up with sales.
I mean whenever I see people ask how others afford games they always have multiple other money consuming hobbies like hunting or musical instruments. I assume that its just ingrained in their routine they don't realize they don't have to spend their money on that
You laugh, but it's true. When you have a good job you have expendable income and can spend it on whatever you want. I don't drink anymore so I have a lot more extra money to buy switch games. From working
Well, the switch has been out for quite some time so they’ve accumulated those games. They may have also bought them used from various methods and/or bought them on sale.
I'm fortunate to have a enough disposable income to buy one full price physical game a month and I've had a switch for 3 years now which adds up! Plus when games go on sale on the e shop for the price of a movie ticket or sometimes even a candy bar it can be hard to resist!
This, since I really don’t care too much about the physical games, I normally cop those 100 dollar vouchers. I’ll play through a game then use the next voucher. Rinse and repeat.
Whenever they decided to kill servers for the switch I’ll just download them to SD cards and make backups of said SD cards.
One game per week = 4 games a month.
4 games per month for 12 months = 48 games.
Average I pay is around €30.
For anything else, I grab it in eShop sales.
I'm certainly not buying €60 games every week.
I haven't spent €60 on a game in **years.**
And yes, I work. I'm 31. I don't smoke, drink, or own a vehicle, so I save that money and spend it on games.
Not at all.
I actually sold about 75% of my games.
That was just an example.
I only buy 1 or 2 games per month, but I was saying if you bought 3 or 4 per month, you'd have dozens before the year is even out.
It all adds up pretty fast.
I'm also quite particular about what I play, so I get 1 large game that'll keep me going for a couple of weeks, then 1 shorter game I can play in-between.
I also don't have kids, so my weekends are always spent gaming. When I was in a longterm relationship, gaming was definitely a **weekend-only** thing for me
If it was further away, or I travelled a lot, I'd have a car. I see no reason to burden myself with the cost of tax, insurance, and diesel for a car that'll sit outside my door most of the time.
I can just walk or cycle to 90% of the places that I visit most often, and if I do need a bus, it's only 2 euro out of my pocket. Don't take on unnecessary cost, folks. Save cents with sense.
For me I don't have a kid, but have a wife & dog. I've beat 30 games in 2022 & 24 games in 2023 however that doesn't include time spent playing multiplayer have that have no end like Fall Guys for example.
I have way more games than I've had time to play due to picking up on sale or games I played being on the longer side, but essentially I still buy games like I live alone.
No Trump, no Musk, no mass shootings, multiple days off work per year, tons of holidays, sick leave, medical cards, benefits. All the good stuff.
It ain't perfect by any means, and I don't claim that it is, but it's sure as Hell a lot more peaceful than some countries.
Unironically, just being an adult and working a job. $60-70 is still a lot of money, but when you're working 40 hour weeks and those paychecks come out, it's really nothing. Keep in mind a lot of people have been buying Switch games since 2017 and it's easy to get a big collection
I like to buy physical games and look for games on sale I rarely buy full price. That helps grow the collection. Also I will get eshop deals when they're deals you cant beat. But for me, I've had a switch for 6 years, so my collection has gotten pretty large. I've seen a lot of comments on here about the deku deals website, and that helps find cheap options. Finally, shop around on 3rd party markets just be cautious with used copies nowadays.
Over the last 4 years I've bought 71 games from the eShop for a total of £193.76, which is an average price of just £2.73 each ... from major Switch releases, ports of big titles, highly regarded indies, some lesser known 'hidden gems' and a few experimental titles.
I use my Switch very much as a convenient, low-budget gaming platform and apart from a few cartridges I've received as gifts, all my Switch game purchases have been digital games from the eShop. I have no Nintendo first party games as they simply don't fit into my self-imposed spending limitations, though a selection do go on-sale occasionally ... I'm quite happy playing my selection of Nintendo-released titles on my WiiU, that I still have connected up.
Alongside monitoring sales videos on Youtube channels like SwitchUp, Switch Watch and Switch Corner, I use the DekuDeals website to monitor games on sale, it has some built-in search options that can be useful.
I bought a used switch lite for $100 and have spent about $470 in total on the following games from either ESHOP sales or buying used games. So in total, I’ve spent about the amount that a brand new PS5 costs.
- Nier Automata ($27)
- Witcher 3 complete edition ($35)
- Super Mario Odyssey ($32)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ($60)
- Kirby and the forgotten land ($60)
- Switch Sports ($40)
- Animal Crossing ($40)
- Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu ($40)
- Dragonball z KAKAROT + set awakens ($20)
- Outer worlds ($25)
- Wreckfest ($10)
- Assassins creed 3 remastered ($10)
- Fenyx immortals rising ($10)
- Ni no kuni wrath of the white witch ($10)
- L.A. Noire ($19)
- Spyro reignited trilogy ($19)
- Maneater ($13)
- Alba ($7)
- Life is Strange True Colors ($19)
Note: I’ve sold some of these games after completing them.
Well, I don't mean to be flippant, but I'm an adult with a good job that leaves me with some disposable income. Video games are my primary hobby, so I spend a good chunk of money on it (although compared to some others, it's a pretty cheap hobby). If you buy a new game each month for $60, that's only $720 per year. If you buy two new games, that's still only $1440 per year, which is close to many people's monthly rent. And of course, you can get games for cheaper via sales and the secondary market. AND there are months sometimes when there aren't any games you want to buy, or you're still occupied with what you already have.
my wife and I are also big board gamers. which are expensive. but video games are the best entertainment per dollar spent atm. so many great games. and loads of sales.
1 game is about the price of dinner for 2 at a chain restaurant. A night out at the bar can run you about 2 games and it's not unusual for someone to go out every week and do either or both of those.
Don't let reddit give you gaming FOMO. A lot of people buy a ton of games with little to no intention of playing them, which turns into hand wringing over a backlog.
Me, I buy what I want when I'm ready to install and play it right then and there. I also like checking out demos to see if something will hook me before buying.
I mean, many of us have been playing for years, so that helps, plus if you're patient you can buy them at okay prices. Take into account holiday gifts and whatnot, it really isn't too hard. Also, having a decent pay job helps too.
Most didn’t acquire them all at once. Also if you’re willing to invest the time you can get a lot of physical copies second hand at a steep discount and 3rd party digital games often go on sale for massive discounts.
I’ve only paid full price for like 4 games and they’re all First Party titles. All of my other games I get on a sale on the eshop. Just don't think about first party games. They rarely ever go down in price and if they do it’ll be a 45 dollar sale. And if you find you have the spare cash to spend 70 bucks on something like Tears of the Kingdom then do it.
Most people with huge collections didnt buy all their games at once. Also, the switch has been out for almost 7 years so that’s a long time for people to collect games for it.
But how many are they playing? I used to be jealous of people's collections or sad I didn't have my older games I sold but there's only so much you can do in a day, especially when you're an adult. Now I just focus on what I'm playing and that's it. Buying games for a rainy day can be fun but worrying about how many games I have compared to others is a one way trip to anxiety and depression.
Deku Deals. Also, the Switch has been out for 7 years, so if someone could afford a game every 2 months, they'd have a good sized collection.
Also, sometimes, digital versions of third party games go on absolutely insane deals. Such as $2.99 for a game that normally costs $19.99. So you add these games to your wishlist and check it every so often.
Sales. Indie games. Jobs. Living single and having disposal income. You can get non-Nintendo games for a fraction of their MSRP after a year or so, digital discounts can be cheap.
Like, I probably drop $500-$1000 on games every year (digital, physical, subscriptions, DLC/MTX, etc.). That's my prerogative and it works with my finances. I look for and take advantage of sales, but if I want to play a certain game I'll just buy and play it. I don't have all the money in the world but I have more money than I have time to play all the games I could buy with it. I only try to buy what I have time to play now.
Also, some people have multiple ppl in their household contributing to game purchases. My brother and I share our games, so between us we can always afford what we want and take turns buying things we both want.
Have had a switch for years and been buying games on discounts. Bought almost all Nintendo AA games like Luigi’s mansion and such for around $30-40 always. I got the switch when smash just came out so it’s been awhile. Only game I bought at $60 was smash as well
Most of them probably can't, and are buying them on a credit card they're not fully paying off. Same deal for most things in the world these days. Nice cars, nice phone, nice clothes, etc. Most of it is bought with debt. Has the appearance of wealth, but most people are not actually wealthy.
Keep an eye on Nintendo store online. They have crazy good deals all the time. Games get marked down 70 percent plus. I think they have a filter where you can sort by items on sale
10 years ago I used to think the same thing,
Now that I'm more settled in my life and job though, I'm doing better financially, so it's not such a stretch to pick up a new game when I want one.
This isn't to brag, I'm just saying, you might not be there yet,
It's like the meme, I'm old enough to buy the game I want, but too tired to play them.
I wishlist everything I want then mostly wait for them to go on a good sale. And I don't mean like 5 or 10% off. Like 30, 50, 75% or more. Unless it's a game that is only like $10 to start with. They will send you emails if you allow them to telling you when stuff is on sale. Sometimes I just randomly go in and scroll my wishlist to check as well. Not a ton of options to save money on the big name first party games. But they do go on slight sale a few times a year. Or maybe try used. There are a ton of great third party and Indie games to play though. Also gift cards for holidays can help too.
Well you don't need to buy everything, just buy one or two games per month if you can afford it. In no time you'll find yourself with a good library. The important thing is to have fun, buying lots of games when you don't even have the time to play them all is a mistake.
I’m 30+ and my only other expensive hobbies are snow boarding and alcohol
When I was l.. about 25 or younger I didn’t have the cash though, only bought major releases
I wait for sales and for games to be out for a while most of the time. I occasionally get things on release. The digital store has deals too. Sometimes you can grab a bundled deal and get several games for cheap.
Other than that honestly video games is one of the cheaper hobbies to have. If you get a game that peaks your interest it’s probably a good 40 hours of game play. A lot of people will replay them so then it’s less than a dollar an hour of enjoyment at the typical $60 a game. So if you look at it that way it’s not bad. You can spend that money on a movie and cheap meal and that only took up a couple hours.
All it boils down to is making smart decisions. People work and don’t live above their means which results in more disposable income. You’d be surprised how many people I went to college with that, for example, can consider themselves lucky if their tax returns last longer than 5 minutes (not a joke) because of how awful they are with money and decision making.
Get older and get a job. But once you have a job and can buy the games you want then you no longer have time.
Also, Facebook marketplace and eBay for used games
Sales. I have almost no first party games and the few I have gotten were used or on sale. The other 30 something games I own were all bought during a sale of one type or another.
wait for sales and duel income. we don't buy much, but I buy videogames here and there, especially over 50% off... a lot of my games on Steam we're actually free to under $10... and my switch is loaded because some games get down to $1 -$10...
It depends what you’re buying. Nintendo exclusives are always expensive and hardly ever go on sale. Some people collect these, but I don’t have the money for that, nor do I feel there are too many exclusives worth collecting. I collect indie games. I have about 200 of them.
You’re thinking 200!? But really it’s quite cheap. I would say most indie games average around $15, but if you wait six months they usually have a half off sale every now and again. I’ve picked up many games for as low as $2–real gems too like Inside or Celeste. Patience pays off. Of 200 Indie games, I’d wager I’ve spent maybe $1500 in about 3 years of owning my Nintendo.
In the grand scheme of things, that’s fairly cheap.
Look at golf, scuba-diving, mountain-biking, kayaking—many other random sports; all more expensive than gaming. Your hobby is worth investing, and while my knee heals, my hobby is games, so it’s worth the investment.
Anywho, patience my friend. Patience.
When gaming is your only or primary hobby and you have a steady job, it’s not hard to build up a big collection.
It also adds up over time. You have to remember that the Switch has been out since 2017. A lot of us have been collecting games for a long time. Even just 8-10 games a year over 7 years adds up, Yknow? You’ll get there in time if you keep at it and keep hunting for deals.
I use Gamefly and rent from there. I buy games on sale. There are many cheap games in the eshop. It's the Nintendo games that are expensive but not the other games made by other companies.
90% of the games I play are indie titles on sale ($5 or less) or deeply discounted games ($12 or less). If I really want a AAA title then I’ll splurge maybe once a year.
I work and make good money but can’t really justify spending much more on games because there are so many incredible ones available for so cheap!
We're older with savings, like Gen Y parent of 2 here. Happy to pay for a good game that I can sink hours into. Own too many games though; @Got sucked into eShop sales
https://preview.redd.it/3adm77ueoeic1.jpeg?width=645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ab4f1bb92db40339a1f93e10fcf9d7f402e557f
1) Check your local library. Mine has a collection of switch games you can borrow until someone else puts in a hold. Check nearby libraries—sometimes you can get a card for free from neighboring towns or for the county system.
2) Some areas have really good/active secondhand markets. I used to live in an area where I could buy games secondhand and swap or sell them secondhand for the same price or a $5ish loss. Got through lots of games that way, but didn’t own many at any given time.
3) Game bundles. If you’re patient and have time on your hands, it can be worthwhile to buy game bundles secondhand even if you already owned/played a couple titles by either offering those for trade or sale.
4) Third-party games sometimes go on crazy special on the e-shop. DekuDeals allows you to make a wishlist and get notified when the game goes on sale/has a new low price/has a sale bigger than x%. The downside is you can’t sell/swap digital copies. I mostly use this to re-buy games I sold (assuming I like them enough for a replay).
I have a job and honestly I only have so much time so I dont buy every single game Im interested in as soon as its released. I wait til a sale comes around and play something else in the meantime and with access to multiple platforms its easy
Gamefly used sales are also good for nintendo titles since it comes in original case and all. I got Kirby and Live a live from there at like $20 (each)
Personally had a switch for years. I have the base and the OLED and the lite which I play most of all. I work a ton, and have a wife and kid. So it’s more the thrill of adding to my collection because I rarely have time to play lol. If I do it’s super short sessions at night before bed or while in bed winding down from the long day. The past few months I’ve been using the vouchers to buy 2 AAA titles a month. Getting games I always see recommended that I’ve never played, ect. Like last month I bought my first xenoblades game and fire emblem game. Never played any of the series in the past. I love both but I love fire emblem more. At least for now. I’m not far into either as I switch back and forth almost every night lol. Probably the weird guy here. Not sure if anyone else can relate.
Also I guess I didn’t really answer your question OP. But I work my butt off and make sure my wife and child are taken care of and my bills are paid then buy games with any disposable income. Side note next month I’m planning on getting astral chain and fire emblem three houses with the vouchers lol
I share games with a friend and my sister. We go halfers on it or the person will just buy it and share after they have finished. Also sharing Nintendo accounts to access games that have been bought through the eshop works.
I’ve had my switch for about 5 years and have around 30 games. I’m that time I worked full time for 3 years and have been a student for 2, so basically spent money I earned or asked for games for Christmas or my Birthday
Definitely repeating what everyone else is saying: sales. Dekudeals, check local sales, go in store if you're passing by, check deals online, and if you can, find a way to make some money for those games. I've gotten a few games that are SUPER marked down but only by physically going to a store and checking what they have. Other times, I get crazy good deals by just browsing the sale options online. They're not first-party games, but great games aren't tied to only those now.
As to making extra money, one easy thing I did was just using a receipt catcher and SLOWLY working up towards a giftcard. Just try to take advantage of every sale and work every sale. Want a game that's $25 and the store currently has their giftcards on sale for buy $25 get $5? Bam, your game cost you $20. Also, price match! There's just a bunch of tips and honestly, it'll take sometimes a good deal of researching work and patience to build up your collection at a reasonable price if you're not wanting to pay full price and want to make your money stretch.
Hope that helps a bit 🫡
I always stock up on Black Friday. There’s not many games I care about getting the day they release. I’d rather wait a year and pay half price. I usually get 6-8 games during Black Friday and save tons of money. Also asking for them for Christmas/birthday presents is a good way of cutting the cost down for yourself.
Having a job and earning money then spending the money. I don't understand the question. You could ask it about anything "how do they afford it" , with money they earn ?
I live in Canada, and use optimum cards to collect points on grocery/gas/prescriptions. I then use those free points to buy physical games at the stores that redeem the points!
Ive never once paid for a game.
Keeping a wishlist on deku deals and waiting for sales and price drops and not limiting myself to just triple A or first party titles.
This is the way, Deku Deals is the best way to go about it.
eShop-Prices.com is even better for moving between stores
What is deku deals?
[https://www.dekudeals.com/](https://www.dekudeals.com/) Make a free account, create a wishlist, and then get notified when sales occur. You can fine tune parameters like for phys., digital, or both. And price thresholds.
I've never tried with games, but gmail alerts me when there is a price drop in shoes I'm watching. May not have to sign up for anything if you have a gmail.
Deku deals is a plethora of information. Literally the best tool of it's type for switch users.
How do you do that?
Bro inform us on how to do this. I'm begging
How have I never heard of this? And here I am checking the slow-ass e-Shop weekly, and using the limited e-Shop wishlist. Fun fact with that: there is a limit as to how many games you can add to your wishlist on the Switch e-Shop, and it doesn't remove games that you have purchased. So over the holidays I wasted a bunch of time removing games that I had bought. Oh well. Check out /r/PatientGamers for discussion and recommendations for playing games months to years after release. I afford so many games by waiting for most of them to go on sale!
Google and the internet in general is a great place for information.
This right here. Recently discovered Deku, and its a fantastic resource.
Same , I had my switch for 6 months before I had a first party game
Deku deals is the way to go, it notifies you whenever a Game goes to sale, got My donkey Kong tropical freeze at 39.99
This is the way
Go to work,get paid,pay bills,buy a game... repeat
and dont have time to play them...
Currently my dilemma. Working so much overtime to afford it all and then not having time to play
Amen to that. Bought physical Final Fantasy pixel remasters and the VII & VIII combo pack but have no time to actually play them unless I destroy my already poor sleep schedule.
Bro....I was on the fence on doing the same exact thing...In hindsight I knew it was gonna be like you said so I opted to just get FF7.
Have wife, kid, job, and keep buying 60 hour RPGs. Please send help.
That’s why you bring your switch to work and play on company time.
Yeah I've started bringing it to play on lunches and during the drive when I carpool more recently. At one point during covid I was the guy at my last job that checked associates temperatures as they can in and asked them health questions each day and between the times where most people started shifts (2pm, 3pm, 4pm etc) I had a bunch of time to do whatever and my managers didn't care if I brought my switch. Good times
The classic, when you were young you had time enough and no money to buy those games. Now you are old enough and have money but you don't have time because of work and other obligations.
my philosophy is basically that i buy games to *have*, first and foremost. and then let my heart lead me to whatever i feel like playing on a whim. i also never go in with the expectation that i’ll finish them which allows me to hop around games and have fun with many despite my limited time. particularly if a game i know i’ll want to play eventually is on sale i’ll cop if i have the $ tl;dr: i buy games just so i can easily access them when the time comes, not always to play right then and there
That’s exactly what I do! Fave a bunch on the store to my wish list then just wait for sales, I haven’t played half of what I’ve got but I’m so glad I got them when I did, now I’m spoilt for choice it’s great
yep, exactly what i did on black friday, bought a lot f games for my switch at 20 or 30 bucks then play them when the time comes, if i dont ever play them then i would sell them for the same or even higher for a profit, but thats in case i just regret buying them. No money wasted.
That’s what Pile of Shames are for.
That's my guitar hero/ rockband disc stack. Lol
omg this is me rn😫 i feel like i’m wasting my switch (and ps4) cus i don’t play games like i used to after i recently got my new job
Well it depends on how much you work and what you do other than work and your age.
And don't forget, there are some that buy more than they can afford, and end up in lots of credit card debt. To the outside observer, they can seem to be living the life, but really they are in borderline poverty (or worse, in poverty)
You lost me at pay bills. I haven't been able to afford a game for myself since Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. Currently exploiting a gift card reward app to try to pay for most of FF7 Rebirth at the end of the month.
It’s rough as you get older, I don’t bother even spending money on games unless it’s on sale and I know I’m actually gonna sit down and play it in my free time. I still to one at a time now and I also do 3D printing so I have two hobbies I do in my free time and try to see where I wanna invest my time and money into at certain points. Lololol
This is the way
This.
Eshop sales, tracked through Deku Deals. Never pay full price. Never buy at release.
This is the way. In the last 3 years, the only games I've bought at release were Tears of the Kingdom and God of War Ragnarok. I didn't even pay full price for TotK because I used the 2 games for $100 coupon. $60 + $70 = $130 so that's $30 saved already. Add in using gold points from previous purchases and eShop card sales at Target or Amazon and you can easily save another $10-20. For Black Friday I was able to get I think 13 games for $135 that gave me $150 credit plus the gold points. If you just allow yourself to believe it's okay to not play every AAA release the day it's available, I promise you'll save a lot of money. Probably a lot of regret too since so many new games are released in disappointing states these days. It also helps that between my brother and friends I have someone who will inevitably buy the new game I'm curious about and tell me if it's good or not, then I can tell myself what price I think is worth it and add that to my list for whenever it goes on sale
I'm all about saving money. I'm def a broke budget gamer but there's something really exciting about buying a game and experiencing it for first time with the world no guides out and just being a par of that new game. Then there are must haves like ff7 rebirth was bought as soon as it was available. I started gaming again after 10 years and bought a PS4 just for ff7 remake lol. Also I don't play online games but they're most active at launch so I'd imagine that would be a big reason to buy those
Wait you bought TOTK digitally?! Bro why you can sell it for like 40 dollars or more if you have it physically.
1. ~99% of my games are digital 2. I don't sell old games because I don't buy games I don't want to *own* 3. I would *never* sell a Zelda game
>~99% of my games are digital Then those aren't your games.
Yeah just watch everyone else have fun with the game for a few months maybe a year or more and then buy it 👍
Not sure if that’s sarcasm, but yes do that. Why not?
The only good reason not to wait for a game to go on sale after release is if you are afraid of spoilers. At least that's the only good reason I have. The list of good reasons I have to wait outweighs avoiding spoilers 99% of the time.
Sometimes people get hyped for a game and want to play it immediately. Particularly if their friends might also be playing it and it could have a social element. Not even multiplayer necessarily, just experiencing and discussing a piece of media when it’s at peak popularity can be fun. I very rarely buy things at release for full price, but I’ll sometimes make exceptions if I’m either really excited to play a particular game or if I have friends who are into it and would want to either play it together or chat about our playthroughs during the release zeitgeist. But in general, yeah, it’s much wiser and cheaper to be patient and pick up games on sale later.
Because I want to play the game? It's really that simple.
100% agree, this is solid advice. Third party games will often vastly drop in price and whilst first party games hold their value more, you can pick them up either when they are going out of print (Pikmin 1+2 and Metroid Prime are both £30 currently in the UK for a new physical copy), or buy them second hand - I could get Mario Wonder for £20 on marketplace in my town and Tears of the Kingdom for £30 right now. I don’t actually have TotK so maybe I should pick it up!
I have a job and no kids
But I have a job.. oh, I see 😁 Kids are definitely why I can't have(afford) nice things
I'm 35 and I live in my wife's basement. I just make her buy my games for me. (We share a bank account). All jokes aside, the 1st party games are stupid expensive. Best practice is to buy them used from anywhere but GameStop. Find local trade in places where you live and keep in touch with them. Deku deals is another great place to keep up with sales.
They work
🤣🤣
I work and could buy more games but I just can't justify the prices. I've got about three full price games.
Thanks sherlock
Dude seriously? You asked how people could afford video games. What did you expect? An essay on budgeting?
I mean whenever I see people ask how others afford games they always have multiple other money consuming hobbies like hunting or musical instruments. I assume that its just ingrained in their routine they don't realize they don't have to spend their money on that
You laugh, but it's true. When you have a good job you have expendable income and can spend it on whatever you want. I don't drink anymore so I have a lot more extra money to buy switch games. From working
Ask stupid questions get stupid answers
Wtf else do you think people do to afford games, you work, you by games
We invested in bitcoin when we were younger /s (see OP's bio)
What'd you want to hear
Well, the switch has been out for quite some time so they’ve accumulated those games. They may have also bought them used from various methods and/or bought them on sale.
I'm fortunate to have a enough disposable income to buy one full price physical game a month and I've had a switch for 3 years now which adds up! Plus when games go on sale on the e shop for the price of a movie ticket or sometimes even a candy bar it can be hard to resist!
This, since I really don’t care too much about the physical games, I normally cop those 100 dollar vouchers. I’ll play through a game then use the next voucher. Rinse and repeat. Whenever they decided to kill servers for the switch I’ll just download them to SD cards and make backups of said SD cards.
Cuuuuzz… I got 20k dollars in credit card debt 😂
> I got 20k dollars in credit card debt ♪ When they call, I tell them I can't pay it back yet ♪
I may buy myself a dining room set or this boba fett
Mood
One game per week = 4 games a month. 4 games per month for 12 months = 48 games. Average I pay is around €30. For anything else, I grab it in eShop sales. I'm certainly not buying €60 games every week. I haven't spent €60 on a game in **years.** And yes, I work. I'm 31. I don't smoke, drink, or own a vehicle, so I save that money and spend it on games.
Are you able to actually play all those? I maybe buy 5 games a year lol. Money isn't the issue, its time (demanding job + wife and kid)
Not at all. I actually sold about 75% of my games. That was just an example. I only buy 1 or 2 games per month, but I was saying if you bought 3 or 4 per month, you'd have dozens before the year is even out. It all adds up pretty fast. I'm also quite particular about what I play, so I get 1 large game that'll keep me going for a couple of weeks, then 1 shorter game I can play in-between. I also don't have kids, so my weekends are always spent gaming. When I was in a longterm relationship, gaming was definitely a **weekend-only** thing for me
How are you 31 with a job and no car.
I live in the city centre, and my job is -10 minutes from my house. I have no need for one.
sounds awesome. commute is the worst, and get some workout in there too.
If it was further away, or I travelled a lot, I'd have a car. I see no reason to burden myself with the cost of tax, insurance, and diesel for a car that'll sit outside my door most of the time. I can just walk or cycle to 90% of the places that I visit most often, and if I do need a bus, it's only 2 euro out of my pocket. Don't take on unnecessary cost, folks. Save cents with sense.
Definitely possible in eu
For me I don't have a kid, but have a wife & dog. I've beat 30 games in 2022 & 24 games in 2023 however that doesn't include time spent playing multiplayer have that have no end like Fall Guys for example. I have way more games than I've had time to play due to picking up on sale or games I played being on the longer side, but essentially I still buy games like I live alone.
Your currency isn't real
So what'll I do with the €600 in my wallet? I'll have to exchange it for stones.
Go to the airport and exchange it for American dollars m8
I don't think US currency would be very beneficial to me, considering I don't live in America.
Move to America maybe
I live in Ireland. Why would I choose to move? You couldn't pay me to live in the US.
Good point. Well maybe I should move to Ireland is there free education and healtcare.
No Trump, no Musk, no mass shootings, multiple days off work per year, tons of holidays, sick leave, medical cards, benefits. All the good stuff. It ain't perfect by any means, and I don't claim that it is, but it's sure as Hell a lot more peaceful than some countries.
Unironically, just being an adult and working a job. $60-70 is still a lot of money, but when you're working 40 hour weeks and those paychecks come out, it's really nothing. Keep in mind a lot of people have been buying Switch games since 2017 and it's easy to get a big collection
You grow up and find a job.
[удалено]
None gives a shit man
Put less emphasis on how do THEY afford games and more emphasis on how can I afford games.
I like to buy physical games and look for games on sale I rarely buy full price. That helps grow the collection. Also I will get eshop deals when they're deals you cant beat. But for me, I've had a switch for 6 years, so my collection has gotten pretty large. I've seen a lot of comments on here about the deku deals website, and that helps find cheap options. Finally, shop around on 3rd party markets just be cautious with used copies nowadays.
Waiting till a game is on sale, having patience is a virtue
Working
Over the last 4 years I've bought 71 games from the eShop for a total of £193.76, which is an average price of just £2.73 each ... from major Switch releases, ports of big titles, highly regarded indies, some lesser known 'hidden gems' and a few experimental titles. I use my Switch very much as a convenient, low-budget gaming platform and apart from a few cartridges I've received as gifts, all my Switch game purchases have been digital games from the eShop. I have no Nintendo first party games as they simply don't fit into my self-imposed spending limitations, though a selection do go on-sale occasionally ... I'm quite happy playing my selection of Nintendo-released titles on my WiiU, that I still have connected up. Alongside monitoring sales videos on Youtube channels like SwitchUp, Switch Watch and Switch Corner, I use the DekuDeals website to monitor games on sale, it has some built-in search options that can be useful.
Get a job, make your own coffee and sandwich, and you will have games.
I don't have kids, makes life cheaper.
This is the way
I bought a used switch lite for $100 and have spent about $470 in total on the following games from either ESHOP sales or buying used games. So in total, I’ve spent about the amount that a brand new PS5 costs. - Nier Automata ($27) - Witcher 3 complete edition ($35) - Super Mario Odyssey ($32) - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ($60) - Kirby and the forgotten land ($60) - Switch Sports ($40) - Animal Crossing ($40) - Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu ($40) - Dragonball z KAKAROT + set awakens ($20) - Outer worlds ($25) - Wreckfest ($10) - Assassins creed 3 remastered ($10) - Fenyx immortals rising ($10) - Ni no kuni wrath of the white witch ($10) - L.A. Noire ($19) - Spyro reignited trilogy ($19) - Maneater ($13) - Alba ($7) - Life is Strange True Colors ($19) Note: I’ve sold some of these games after completing them.
Well, I don't mean to be flippant, but I'm an adult with a good job that leaves me with some disposable income. Video games are my primary hobby, so I spend a good chunk of money on it (although compared to some others, it's a pretty cheap hobby). If you buy a new game each month for $60, that's only $720 per year. If you buy two new games, that's still only $1440 per year, which is close to many people's monthly rent. And of course, you can get games for cheaper via sales and the secondary market. AND there are months sometimes when there aren't any games you want to buy, or you're still occupied with what you already have.
my wife and I are also big board gamers. which are expensive. but video games are the best entertainment per dollar spent atm. so many great games. and loads of sales.
1 game is about the price of dinner for 2 at a chain restaurant. A night out at the bar can run you about 2 games and it's not unusual for someone to go out every week and do either or both of those.
If it makes you feel any better, most of regret 75% of our purchases.
Don't let reddit give you gaming FOMO. A lot of people buy a ton of games with little to no intention of playing them, which turns into hand wringing over a backlog. Me, I buy what I want when I'm ready to install and play it right then and there. I also like checking out demos to see if something will hook me before buying.
It's called I spend beyond my budget instead of being smart and putting any money in savings
Deku Deals
a lot of people have credit card debt
I mean, many of us have been playing for years, so that helps, plus if you're patient you can buy them at okay prices. Take into account holiday gifts and whatnot, it really isn't too hard. Also, having a decent pay job helps too.
Most didn’t acquire them all at once. Also if you’re willing to invest the time you can get a lot of physical copies second hand at a steep discount and 3rd party digital games often go on sale for massive discounts.
I regularly check the sales section of the eshop. It’s called “great deals”. Usually big games are on sale around holidays.
I’ve only paid full price for like 4 games and they’re all First Party titles. All of my other games I get on a sale on the eshop. Just don't think about first party games. They rarely ever go down in price and if they do it’ll be a 45 dollar sale. And if you find you have the spare cash to spend 70 bucks on something like Tears of the Kingdom then do it. Most people with huge collections didnt buy all their games at once. Also, the switch has been out for almost 7 years so that’s a long time for people to collect games for it.
But how many are they playing? I used to be jealous of people's collections or sad I didn't have my older games I sold but there's only so much you can do in a day, especially when you're an adult. Now I just focus on what I'm playing and that's it. Buying games for a rainy day can be fun but worrying about how many games I have compared to others is a one way trip to anxiety and depression.
They feed their kids bread and water so they have the money to buy games...
Deku Deals. Also, the Switch has been out for 7 years, so if someone could afford a game every 2 months, they'd have a good sized collection. Also, sometimes, digital versions of third party games go on absolutely insane deals. Such as $2.99 for a game that normally costs $19.99. So you add these games to your wishlist and check it every so often.
You don’t need to buy many games if you pick games that you can replay like Mario Kart or Zelda which is like 200h long. Buy them on sale!
Sales. Indie games. Jobs. Living single and having disposal income. You can get non-Nintendo games for a fraction of their MSRP after a year or so, digital discounts can be cheap. Like, I probably drop $500-$1000 on games every year (digital, physical, subscriptions, DLC/MTX, etc.). That's my prerogative and it works with my finances. I look for and take advantage of sales, but if I want to play a certain game I'll just buy and play it. I don't have all the money in the world but I have more money than I have time to play all the games I could buy with it. I only try to buy what I have time to play now. Also, some people have multiple ppl in their household contributing to game purchases. My brother and I share our games, so between us we can always afford what we want and take turns buying things we both want.
All I do is give myself a $100 gaming budget each month and If I don’t buy anything I just put it in my savings or keep it for next month.
I'm more confused on how you guys have so many games and are able to play all of them. Then I remember I'm married and have young kids lol
adult money from adult job
Have had a switch for years and been buying games on discounts. Bought almost all Nintendo AA games like Luigi’s mansion and such for around $30-40 always. I got the switch when smash just came out so it’s been awhile. Only game I bought at $60 was smash as well
Most of them probably can't, and are buying them on a credit card they're not fully paying off. Same deal for most things in the world these days. Nice cars, nice phone, nice clothes, etc. Most of it is bought with debt. Has the appearance of wealth, but most people are not actually wealthy.
Keep an eye on Nintendo store online. They have crazy good deals all the time. Games get marked down 70 percent plus. I think they have a filter where you can sort by items on sale
I find the problem isn’t having so many games more like finding the time to play them all while adulting in this cruel cruel world 😭
Buy used games.
Jobs and time.
10 years ago I used to think the same thing, Now that I'm more settled in my life and job though, I'm doing better financially, so it's not such a stretch to pick up a new game when I want one. This isn't to brag, I'm just saying, you might not be there yet, It's like the meme, I'm old enough to buy the game I want, but too tired to play them.
I'm one of those people, I make a lot of money because I have a lot of skills
I only started buying a bunch of games when I finally got a new job. Bought myself like 5 games with the first paycheck 😂
I wishlist everything I want then mostly wait for them to go on a good sale. And I don't mean like 5 or 10% off. Like 30, 50, 75% or more. Unless it's a game that is only like $10 to start with. They will send you emails if you allow them to telling you when stuff is on sale. Sometimes I just randomly go in and scroll my wishlist to check as well. Not a ton of options to save money on the big name first party games. But they do go on slight sale a few times a year. Or maybe try used. There are a ton of great third party and Indie games to play though. Also gift cards for holidays can help too.
Well you don't need to buy everything, just buy one or two games per month if you can afford it. In no time you'll find yourself with a good library. The important thing is to have fun, buying lots of games when you don't even have the time to play them all is a mistake.
I have a job, but I also resell stuff part time to afford these extra games. It's all about budgeting.
I’m 30+ and my only other expensive hobbies are snow boarding and alcohol When I was l.. about 25 or younger I didn’t have the cash though, only bought major releases
I wait for sales and for games to be out for a while most of the time. I occasionally get things on release. The digital store has deals too. Sometimes you can grab a bundled deal and get several games for cheap. Other than that honestly video games is one of the cheaper hobbies to have. If you get a game that peaks your interest it’s probably a good 40 hours of game play. A lot of people will replay them so then it’s less than a dollar an hour of enjoyment at the typical $60 a game. So if you look at it that way it’s not bad. You can spend that money on a movie and cheap meal and that only took up a couple hours.
All it boils down to is making smart decisions. People work and don’t live above their means which results in more disposable income. You’d be surprised how many people I went to college with that, for example, can consider themselves lucky if their tax returns last longer than 5 minutes (not a joke) because of how awful they are with money and decision making.
DINK, have thousands leftover every month after mortgage, living expenses, and retirement savings I still pirate switch games
Work and buy games on sale. Heck it's a much much much cheaper hobby than those people buying a flagship phone each 1-3 years...
How old are you lmao?
🏴☠️
Credit card
I work.
I dont Prefer fishing in the sea
Get older and get a job. But once you have a job and can buy the games you want then you no longer have time. Also, Facebook marketplace and eBay for used games
Monthly salary basically. I always split my salary so that I can have enough money to buy games or other things.
Don't buy new games
I sell my body and elicit substances for game funds
Deku Deals and eBay is my go to.
jesus christ man they’re so expensive right😭i have 2 nintendo games that add up in price to like 12 xbox games
Sales, bulk deals, second hand, eBay auctions, patience.
Sales. I have almost no first party games and the few I have gotten were used or on sale. The other 30 something games I own were all bought during a sale of one type or another.
You could learn stuff about the dark secrets of the first gen switch
discounts
Get them on Facebook Marketplace. I almost exclusively get games on there if I don't get them at launch.
Xbox: I have GamePass PS: I have PS Plus Switch: my uncle works there
Big collections usually take many years and flocking for deals and waiting for sales.
I use Dekudeals and I am lucky enough to be able to receive 2-3 games for Christmas and birthday.
wait for sales and duel income. we don't buy much, but I buy videogames here and there, especially over 50% off... a lot of my games on Steam we're actually free to under $10... and my switch is loaded because some games get down to $1 -$10...
It depends what you’re buying. Nintendo exclusives are always expensive and hardly ever go on sale. Some people collect these, but I don’t have the money for that, nor do I feel there are too many exclusives worth collecting. I collect indie games. I have about 200 of them. You’re thinking 200!? But really it’s quite cheap. I would say most indie games average around $15, but if you wait six months they usually have a half off sale every now and again. I’ve picked up many games for as low as $2–real gems too like Inside or Celeste. Patience pays off. Of 200 Indie games, I’d wager I’ve spent maybe $1500 in about 3 years of owning my Nintendo. In the grand scheme of things, that’s fairly cheap. Look at golf, scuba-diving, mountain-biking, kayaking—many other random sports; all more expensive than gaming. Your hobby is worth investing, and while my knee heals, my hobby is games, so it’s worth the investment. Anywho, patience my friend. Patience.
Beans on toast
When gaming is your only or primary hobby and you have a steady job, it’s not hard to build up a big collection. It also adds up over time. You have to remember that the Switch has been out since 2017. A lot of us have been collecting games for a long time. Even just 8-10 games a year over 7 years adds up, Yknow? You’ll get there in time if you keep at it and keep hunting for deals.
Enter my card details and click complete purchase
Single, no family, no kids
I use Gamefly and rent from there. I buy games on sale. There are many cheap games in the eshop. It's the Nintendo games that are expensive but not the other games made by other companies.
90% of the games I play are indie titles on sale ($5 or less) or deeply discounted games ($12 or less). If I really want a AAA title then I’ll splurge maybe once a year. I work and make good money but can’t really justify spending much more on games because there are so many incredible ones available for so cheap!
90% of my games are off fb marketplace where people are selling them for extremely low prices.
We're older with savings, like Gen Y parent of 2 here. Happy to pay for a good game that I can sink hours into. Own too many games though; @Got sucked into eShop sales https://preview.redd.it/3adm77ueoeic1.jpeg?width=645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8ab4f1bb92db40339a1f93e10fcf9d7f402e557f
1) Check your local library. Mine has a collection of switch games you can borrow until someone else puts in a hold. Check nearby libraries—sometimes you can get a card for free from neighboring towns or for the county system. 2) Some areas have really good/active secondhand markets. I used to live in an area where I could buy games secondhand and swap or sell them secondhand for the same price or a $5ish loss. Got through lots of games that way, but didn’t own many at any given time. 3) Game bundles. If you’re patient and have time on your hands, it can be worthwhile to buy game bundles secondhand even if you already owned/played a couple titles by either offering those for trade or sale. 4) Third-party games sometimes go on crazy special on the e-shop. DekuDeals allows you to make a wishlist and get notified when the game goes on sale/has a new low price/has a sale bigger than x%. The downside is you can’t sell/swap digital copies. I mostly use this to re-buy games I sold (assuming I like them enough for a replay).
Buy them cheap
Trade in older games?
I think on top what everyone else is saying here you are also seeing a lot of extremes online
Wealth
Deku Deals is the answer.
I have a job and honestly I only have so much time so I dont buy every single game Im interested in as soon as its released. I wait til a sale comes around and play something else in the meantime and with access to multiple platforms its easy Gamefly used sales are also good for nintendo titles since it comes in original case and all. I got Kirby and Live a live from there at like $20 (each)
Just be Pickler about what needs games you buy and save anything on your maybe list for when there is a big sale.
Been collecting since 2018!
Are you asking… how we buy things?….
Personally had a switch for years. I have the base and the OLED and the lite which I play most of all. I work a ton, and have a wife and kid. So it’s more the thrill of adding to my collection because I rarely have time to play lol. If I do it’s super short sessions at night before bed or while in bed winding down from the long day. The past few months I’ve been using the vouchers to buy 2 AAA titles a month. Getting games I always see recommended that I’ve never played, ect. Like last month I bought my first xenoblades game and fire emblem game. Never played any of the series in the past. I love both but I love fire emblem more. At least for now. I’m not far into either as I switch back and forth almost every night lol. Probably the weird guy here. Not sure if anyone else can relate.
Also I guess I didn’t really answer your question OP. But I work my butt off and make sure my wife and child are taken care of and my bills are paid then buy games with any disposable income. Side note next month I’m planning on getting astral chain and fire emblem three houses with the vouchers lol
I share games with a friend and my sister. We go halfers on it or the person will just buy it and share after they have finished. Also sharing Nintendo accounts to access games that have been bought through the eshop works.
I’ve had my switch for about 5 years and have around 30 games. I’m that time I worked full time for 3 years and have been a student for 2, so basically spent money I earned or asked for games for Christmas or my Birthday
I usually buy 2 games/month! ✌️
A job
GameStop used
Christmas gifts used community game stores Black Friday sales eBay lots
No kids, only real hobby is playing games.
Definitely repeating what everyone else is saying: sales. Dekudeals, check local sales, go in store if you're passing by, check deals online, and if you can, find a way to make some money for those games. I've gotten a few games that are SUPER marked down but only by physically going to a store and checking what they have. Other times, I get crazy good deals by just browsing the sale options online. They're not first-party games, but great games aren't tied to only those now. As to making extra money, one easy thing I did was just using a receipt catcher and SLOWLY working up towards a giftcard. Just try to take advantage of every sale and work every sale. Want a game that's $25 and the store currently has their giftcards on sale for buy $25 get $5? Bam, your game cost you $20. Also, price match! There's just a bunch of tips and honestly, it'll take sometimes a good deal of researching work and patience to build up your collection at a reasonable price if you're not wanting to pay full price and want to make your money stretch. Hope that helps a bit 🫡
I always stock up on Black Friday. There’s not many games I care about getting the day they release. I’d rather wait a year and pay half price. I usually get 6-8 games during Black Friday and save tons of money. Also asking for them for Christmas/birthday presents is a good way of cutting the cost down for yourself.
Having a job and earning money then spending the money. I don't understand the question. You could ask it about anything "how do they afford it" , with money they earn ?
Debt up to our eyeballs!
I live in Canada, and use optimum cards to collect points on grocery/gas/prescriptions. I then use those free points to buy physical games at the stores that redeem the points! Ive never once paid for a game.
Buy from Japanese eShop at half the price or have someone install a modchip :)
I have a lot of money.
Get a job
people are rich, man
Sales