Save Money on Video Games – Video Game Rental to Online Games

December 6, 2008

Video games are not my area of expertise. When I was a kid I used to love Castlevania, Tecmo Bowl, and Contra; then I wasted hours in college playing Mario Kart and FIFA Soccer in between classes and just hanging out in the dorms. I haven’t really played many new video games or computer games since then, I know, I’m getting old. My college roommate did bring over his Wii a few months back and we got in a few hours of Mario Kart, I started off strong but then my thumbs got sore and he beat me every time : )

I know not everyone’s like me and that many people enjoy a daily dose of video games, especially in the cold dark winter months. So I thought we’d cover some ways you can save money on video games. Fortunately, a reader named Allison was kind enough to send over some tips on ways you can trim your gaming budget:

Rent, don’t buy. If you buy brand-new games at retail, you’re paying top dollar, and you don’t know if you will love it enough to play it all the way through. Sign up for Gamefly (Netflix for video games) for a low subscription cost. (Click here for a Free Trial – use coupon code TENDAY)

Buy used titles. Check out the cost of the games on eBay or Craigslist for sometimes half the cost.

Stream titles direct. Games-on-Demand services offer one of the best bangs for the buck. Services like GameTap and Verizon Games offer more than a thousand titles, including casual, classic and even some hardcore games. The cost-per-hour of play on these subscription-based services is extremely low and can serve multiple people.

There is such a thing as free gaming. Several websites offer free-to-play action and casual games. Sega has a new website, Play Sega and GameTap currently lists more than a hundred free games on its website.

Thanks to Allison for the gaming tips! Any other ideas or suggestions?

These tips on saving money on video games are part of the series on saving money on entertainment. So far we’ve covered how to save money on your television bill, save money at the movies, save money eating out, and save money on movie rentals.