All of the Fun, Less of the Cost – Gaming On a Budget
In many advanced economies, like the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany, between half and three-quarters of adults enjoy playing games. At a global level, the proportion drops to between a third and a half, depending on which measurement you go off.
But no matter which way you cut it, there are a lot more gamers today than there were just a few decades ago. Back then, it was a niche hobby confined to subcultures of hardcore players. However, thanks to advancements in technology, some creative ideas by video game publishers, and a shift in societal perceptions of gaming, more people than ever are enjoying them.
Gaming can be quite a pricy hobby. A gaming PC can easily set you back £1,000, while you’re not going to get much change from £500 for a console. New releases can also come with a hefty price tag, with many AAA games costing £50-70 on release. Throw in online subscriptions, DLC packs, and character customisations and, suddenly, you’ve racked up quite the bill.
It doesn’t have to be this way though. If you’re someone who is fiscally prudent, maybe because you’re channelling your cash into your trading efforts, you can still enjoy the thrills of gaming.
Free Yourself From Costly Hardware
Traditionally, video gaming has required you to invest in an expensive computer or console to be able to meet the high demands of the latest titles. Today, however, this is no longer a necessity.
Sure, owning a cutting-edge gaming computer will still likely deliver the best performance and experience, but unless you’re fanatical about fast framerates, you can make do with alternatives.
Many popular modern titles, including Fortnite, Call of Duty, Minecraft, and more are all available on smartphones and tablets. Since you almost certainly own at least one of these, you can dive right into gaming without having to fork out for a new machine.
You can go even further, too. Cloud services like Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming allow you to stream many AAA titles directly to a TV, smartphone, or computer with much of the heavy lifting being done on the service’s servers rather than your local machine. This means underpowered hardware can now run many of the latest games.
Look for Promotions
Just like you would do while shopping for anything else, you can find discounts, bonuses, and other deals on the games that you want to play.
For example, Humble Bumble is a popular service that sells bundles of different games at a discount. Prices are often slashed significantly for a short period, creating an opportunity to snap up new titles for a fraction of the cost.
For fans of casino games, free spins are a great way to enjoy slots for less. Leading brands like PokerStars Casino offer free spin bonuses for a variety of reasons, such as a reward for completing a challenge or as part of a promotion. While they may come with some terms and conditions, jackpots will usually come with no wagering requirements before a withdrawal. Slots played with free spins like this offer the same experience but let you stretch your bankroll further.
Look for Free Versions
Many modern games use a freemium model that is often called “free-to-play”. These games are, as the name suggests, free to download, install, and play but will then offer you in-game purchases to upgrade your character customisations and boost your skills and/or inventory.
While free games in years gone by may have been small and inferior, today’s free-to-play titles offer AAA quality without the price tag.
For example, Call of Duty: Warzone is run on the same game engine as the paid for releases that bear the Call of Duty name. The only thing you’ll miss out on is the single-player campaign mode
.
Many other quality titles are available this way, including Candy Crush, Fortnite, Dota 2, and Runescape. Fortunately, most of them are also available on a wide variety of platforms, so you can enjoy them from your smartphone or tablet too.
Join the discussion