Budget Gaming: PC
Let’s be honest things are tight right now and every gamer is hurting in some fashion or another. I have always been a hawk for deals but now more than ever. So let Uncle Grimfury calm your woes and tell you how you can survive hard times and maintain a gamers lifestyle. We are going to cover all forms of gaming that we talk about here at MyDeadHeroes. This article wil cover PC gaming specifically but we’ll be releasing articles covering console, handheld, tabletop and rpg.
First lets start with video gaming….for years now we’ve all read the articles that the pc is dead but that is not the case. In reality the pc is the uber budget platform of all gaming platforms that you will find. I’m a heavy pc gamer and can testify that I play many of the same games as my consoles but pay pennies on the dollar. Let’s light this fire and go over where to buy, when to buy, what to buy and look for. We’ll get those much needed links in your hands. Budget gaming means hunting for deals and sometimes it means showing some restraint to wait for prices to drop on the latest games. I know you want to sniff the packaging of your newly purchased game but waiting means saving. One thing you can do is search your local big box stores like Target, Walmart and Best Buy for bargains. Many times they mark games down to move product, lower their inventory or use sale prices to get you into the store. I’ve found many a game at half the price this way. You also have the “Bargain Bins” at your local game store where you can pickup games on the cheap. Many times I’ll nab a game I missed when it launched for next to nothing. Next is online retailers and I must tell you now that this is where the best deals are usually found. Online retailers run sales constantly just to keep you checking their site regularly and signing up for their newsletter. GoGamer.com is one of my all time favorites. They run deals on all platforms…handheld, console and pc. They mainly deal in physical product but have some digital content. They run their 48 hours madness sales on a regular basis and very much worth signing up for their email alerts. Steam (Valve- Half Life) is also a great site that runs deals weekly as well. You can get games for half off most of the time, score deals on new releases and get huge savings during holidays. Steam offers digital releases so no physical product with them. You buy and download it. Many games (even boxed ones) are using them as DRM verses the buggy software protection. Though I’d rather not have any, I will say Steam is not a bad solution. They allow you to play offline without a connection so if your net is down you’re not up a creek. Steam also updates all your games for you and you can access them from anywhere. It’s a pretty sweet client. I’ve really grown to love their service. Next is Direct2Drive (apart of IGN) and a good online retailer to score big with. They offer digital distribution so you purchase and download your game. It isn’t as slick as Steam (some games you buy will even require Steam) and you end up having to hunt down your own patches but it isn’t all bad. During the holidays watch GoGamer/Steam/D2D for some killer prices. Last Christmas I scored big release games for $5 a piece. I have a back log of games I haven’t even downloaded yet. Gog.com is the next if you are into some retro gaming. They specialize in old pc games from years past and sell them for $5-$10 a piece. Gog does a great job of having all the manuals and extras for download. They are also always working to update the games to work on the latest operating systems. If you have an older pc or laptop that won’t run spit then Gog is the answer for you. I still play a lot of games they offer…a classic game never dies. I’ve done business with all the stores listed above and can tell you that they are legit and offer great service. Impulse is another digital retailer though I have not done any business with but you may want to check them out. Now a couple of offbeat sources are Geeks.com, Fry’s and NewEgg.com. These are more electronic/pc hardware stores but they do have sales on video games as well. Geeks is a clearance company and you just never know what they will carry. These sites are great for updating your pc hardware and electronics in general. With these sites you may have to dig a little and check back often.
Now let’s think outside the box a little. MMORPG’s can be a good bang for your buck. You pay a monthly fee of typically $15 and you get a lot of game for your dough. The only downside is if you don’t pay they cut off your access to the game. So what’s a guy to do…try Free2 Play games. They offer the MMO experience but they have no monthly. They make their money on special stores that offer in game stuff for real world money. Many times it’s stuff like vanity items, more storage and pets. Many times to play free you have to show some restraint. I’ll go through some of the better Free2Play MMO’s in my next installment of Budget Gaming.
PC: GoGamer.com / Steam / Direct2Drive / Gog / Impulse / Geeks / NewEgg / Fry’s
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