Support NeoGAF

[Northeastmonk]

Oh yeah. Budgeting has become so important in my life since I got married.

It's kinda sad because I do want a game room or even a small arcade section of the house someday. Well, can't do that without making some sacrifices first. My budget is a game a month.

It use to be 2-3 games a month. Well that's friggin awesome, except it doesn't help with saving money. I can afford a game a month and I'm happy with that.

If I work on a side job and make an extra $60 then I can buy another game. But that takes a lot of time to do, except this month I got to get Zelda and Mass Effect because I earned a little extra.

 

[Crazyorloco]

One game every 3 or 4 months. Saved up for the switch.

I don't beat games quickly so every 3 months might be too soon to buy a new game for me.

I do sometimes treat myself with a cheap $20 or less game within that time period.

 

[joeygreco1985]

When I was living at home with my parents after college I was buying 2-3 new releases a month, sometimes 3-4 in the busier November months.

Now I have a wife, child, and a mortgage, and my gaming budget has shrunk significantly. I think in the past year I've bought one game at full price, maybe 2. Now I wait until they drop to $20 or lower, usually buying one a month at that price. I also have a humble monthly sub so thats a good number of games there too for the price.

 

[b0bbyJ03]

the big money has been getting spent on hardware. last year I bought a PS4 Pro, an OLED TV, a GTX 1080, and a Gsync monitor (used from a friend for $400). This year i've got my sights set on that 4K HDR Gsync monitor. Sometimes i hate myself.

 

[Mihos]

My budget is strong, but my time is a little short until May

 

[dab0ne]

Very high though I don't tend to buy games new. My backlog got so large I could wait for games. Recently got Batman AK for $10, mad max for $10, and witcher 3 for $20. Feels good to wait, pay less, and get the finished game.

 

[BasilZero]

$50 or so during steam summer and winter sales.

Birthday and Christmas one game each for console

Otherwise I spend like between $5 to $15 each month on bundles or certain game sales for PC or buy a console game if I see one on sale.

 

[Smokey]

I budget for higher priced items like GPUs. I just got two 1080Tis and plan on putting my rig under water. I'm budgeting to hit the price required for those parts. Next item to work towards is the ASUS 4k HDR monitor. But for individual games not really, I just rarely if ever drop $60 on them anymore.

 

[Dredd97]

I just blew my gaming budget on at 1070 equipped laptop..
but it's ok I can finally work my way through my steam backlog!

 

[KorrZ]

I don't have a gaming budget really.

I'm fortunate enough to have enough disposable income that I don't really have to worry to a strict sense. I don't just buy randomly though if I'm 20 hours into Zelda (like I am) and have 50-80 hours to go I don't really intend to buy Nier or Mass Effect until I'm actually going to play them.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

I don't actively budget anymore. I'm fortunate to make enough to have a decent amount of disposable income after bills and contributions to retirement accounts/savings.

I'm also not buying or playing crazy amounts of games a year. Probably 10ish retail games most year and a handful of smaller/cheaper download only games. That said I am frugal, still mostly by physical and sell on Amazon marketplace after beating etc. as being frugal simply stretches disposables income even farther.

Last year was pricey with getting a gaming PC (really just needed a new PC for working at home, decided to spend a tad more and get a gaming-capable one, but nothing close to top end) and upgrading to PS4 pro. Getting the Switch at launch will be my only non-software gaming purchase this year.

 

[Adam Tyner]

I don't have a gaming budget, exactly, and the amount I spend varies from month to month. Sometimes I literally won't spend a dime (like I did in February) and other times I'll spend hundreds...although really only if new hardware launches. I probably average somewhere around $100 a month. I try to avoid a backlog if I can, and that helps.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I earmark enough for 2 full-priced retail games a month.

 

[shandy706]

Basically I just buy whatever, whenever. I have no willpower :/

Same here. I'm trying to do better at not buying with a massive backlog.

I canceled Mass Effect due to having Halo Wars 2 and Horizon:ZD. I'm getting close to done with HW2's campaign, and I have a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG way to go before I even get close to beating Horizon.

 

[Yautja_Warrior]

After Q1, my budget is fucked, far too many great games came out and still a few more coming soon too. Will need a 2nd job if the quality of games stays like this lol.

 

[Gai Murakumo]

I do not really have a gaming budget. I am guilty of being an impulse buyer sometimes. Gaming is my main hobby so I guess I just allocate more of my money to gaming than other things. Also not liking alcohol helps as well in terms of having extra funds.

 

[Wandering Robot]

It's a case-by-case thing for me. I don't tend to buy games very often because I'm careful about my money overall, so usually I've "saved" up for them when one I want releases/a Steam sale hits.
Currently, however, my ass is broke.

 

[KevinG]

Depends on what's coming out. I own all consoles.

2016, I bought 2 games intentionally at release. Uncharted 4 and The Last Guardian. Forza Horizon 3 for $20 a week after launch from a Target glitch, and FFXV through an Amazon loophole for $10.

2017, I bought a Switch (sold Wii U toward it) with Zelda (Master Edition) and a Pro Controller, 1 2 Switch (on a whim for a party). I plan to buy several more games in the next few months. Also just bought a LG B6 OLED 4K TV, mainly to enjoy gaming on.

Needless to say, my budget for gaming is bigger this year.

 

[Family Fry]

I save every month, now I've got into the habit of saving.

I put aside £50 a month into savings, this is my my games/console fund. I do this every month, regardless if there is a game/console I want to buy and dip into it where necessary.

Gives me a buffer when there's console launches too, it did take a hit when Switch came out though.

 

[Painguy]

Approx 3 games per year

 

[Jeronimo Jones]

I have a rough budget for entertainment, including gaming but since games can be relatively inexpensive, I make it happen if I really want something.

I don't buy lots of consoles, I look for good deals to limit full price purchases, and I'm a pretty good saver, so it hasn't been an issue.

 

[Memnoch]

I buy practically everything on ps4 lol. And I just added an internal and external ssd hard drive on my pro. Expensive.

 

[shnurgleton]

I don't really keep a budget for games.

2017 has so far been insanely good for games, so I've been buying more than I usually do.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

This year is bustin' my wallets ASS.

Luckily, after TITS: the 3rd, it calms down so i can digest this mountain.

 

[Jaguar Victory]

Let's just say I got Steel Batallion at launch. If it excites me, I'll make funds available.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

If I really want something and it's quality, I buy it; big plus of being a professional in your 30's. GPUs have been my weak spot since about 2010 - I've been upgrading to top GTX models every 1.5 years or so since then. And right now I'm finishing ordering parts for a high-end water cool build. It's not cheap but realistically I won't upgrade again for a few years (except GPU).

As far as games go it has to be really compelling for me to purchase upon release. I'm happy to wait for a sale because another thing about being in your 30's is realizing you need to purchase a home and save money for a kid.

I do also have a good friend who frequently hooks me up with his promotional game keys from purchased gear (he buys a lot of gear). Most recently he gave me one for Ghost Recon Wildlands. Probably saved a few hundred bucks over the years thanks to him.

 

[Falchion]

I don't have a gaming budget. There's only a handful of games each year that I buy as soon as they are released, the rest I wait to get on sale for usually $30 or less. Plus I have a huge library of games to play so I could realistically not buy anything for a year and be fine.

 

[Loptous]

I set myself a limit of €75 a month. This includes games/artbooks/hardware (so in the case of the latter, I'll usually spend a lot less for several months).

Even with that in mind, I usually manage to get away with spending roughly only €30-40 each month.

 

[CyanideFuse]

I don't have a budget as such but I am very careful about what I buy because of the time I actually have to play the game. RE7 is the only game I have bought this year.

I rarely buy games on release and will wait for Steam / GMG sales. This works on a pricing basis but also a wait-for-issues-to-be-patched basis too.

I am saving money for my 2018 PC and monitor upgrade; all new bits other than PSU and case.

 

[StrangeADT]

Thanks to the current status of the Canadian dollar, I make it a point to not go full price on a video game anymore ($79.99CAD). Strictly case by case basis nowadays.

Amazon prime is a blessing in that regard. 20% off preorders or purchased within 2 weeks of a release. Then at least I don't feel so ripped off. Also, I have a newborn so the diaper savings alone pay for prime so it's all worth it in the end.

To bachelors complaining about lack of time: L.O.L.

 

[Cyrus_Saren]

Case by case basis.

 

[kinberg]

I'm generally trying to keep myself from buying any more then one game a month. Or well, the rule simply boils down to "you have about $60 to spend on games each month dummy".

I find that if I buy any more then that, it feels a bit like a waste. Really like taking my time with games I like, and there are plenty of 'em at the moment

During march I might have gone a bit crazy tho, getting the Switch, Zelda: BotW, NieR: Automata, Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (switch version) and a pro-controller for the switch.

Although, the switch purchase was not that crazy, I'd been putting money aside for that ever since the first presentation of it so it barely counts

 

[Brofield]

Buy Nintendo day one knowing they'll never drop in price, special edition if I can swing it, and stay roughly four months or more behind on PS4 releases to not pay more than $30, usually through PSN sales.

As for budgeting, see @dril_candles.jpg

 

[TheAggroCraig]

I don't budget, I just buy things when I want them... which isn't nearly as often as I used to. I buy very few games at launch anymore, generally the only games I'll cave on are Nintendo things at launch. Prices drop too quick now on other games to justify spending $60 (or $48) so often, especially given my backlog.

 

[Gnome Scat]

Unlimited funds.

But actually I usually just buy a couple in the Spring and then a few in the Fall.

 

[Warnen]

Dont really have a budget but I've been cutting back yearly. Now I try not to buy something unless I've finished what I got before (kinda blew that with H:ZD, Zelda and Mass effect but oh well). Think this year I'm gonna skip COD and the like as well.

 

[Pull_Shapes]

I don't put anything aside, if I see a game I generally just buy it.

Don't buy anything full price though. Will wait for sales, and new games usually go on deal of the week a few months down the line

 

[jonscrambler]

no budget have all consoles and a PC, maybe 6 games a year I would get day 1 full price, others I can wait for sales, plenty to play in my backlog

 

[wihio]

I do some uTest gigs for gaming $$. After a few months of work and making connections, I have a couple jobs that require less than an hour a month and pay abetween $150 and $200 a month! That lets me buy anything I want.

disclaimer: EPIC BACKLOG EXISTS, Paypal balance perennially at $0

I think buying games is my favorite game to play now. FML

 

[Possumowner]

I've no idea what my gaming budget is...But the wife does 😋

 

[ViolentP]

The extent of my budget solely relies on me occasionally telling myself "that's enough for now".

 

[KiefbladeMaster]

Don't really budget for it, I just buy what I like. Usually try to keep it under two games a month though. (I need time to beat them.)

 

[LAM09]

I just buy games that I'm really interested in at launch and try to not spend more than £35 per title.

 

[Ouroboros]

I only buy games that I REALLY want to play at full price. So far this year that was Zelda BotW, Nier Automata, and I preordered Persona 5 that is due out in April.

I'd say I buy 1 game a month or so. And I usually get a new console the month it comes out, except I waited for the Xbox One S for this generation of Xbox.

 

[InsaneFandom]

I don't have a specific game budget. I've just got a rough guide for how much I can spend on non-important stuff in a month and take it from there

I probably spend around £200-300 a year on gaming, double that if I'm buying a new system I guess.
I could spend more but I don't really need to - I often buy games a while after release so most of my purchases are under £20. That, plus the odd cheap indie games & gifts means I usually get 20+ games a year which

Spoiler

according to my backlog

is more than enough

 

[GinoFelino]

I have a time budget. It's worse than a money budget.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

Being in the UK, rapidly vanishing! Seriously I have no budget at all for next month. Dunno if I will the month after either at this rate. I just hope there's nothing good coming out next month.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

i dont have a budget. my spending is in check enough to not have to worry about blowing through a ton.

time is more important to me and restrictive than money

 

[JudgmentJay]

No budget here. If I want it I buy it!

 

[family_guy]

No budget. Although I've decided to wait on some games that I know I won't play immediately. I've bought pretty much every game this year that interests me day one. Mass Effect is the first I passed on.