Squeezing your budget

Does a shrinking economy mean less game time?

The grim reality is upon us. The economy is shrinking and that means we all have to think about tightening our belts a little. With any luck we will all be able to keep our jobs, but we feel the pressure to cut back on what we are spending. Spend on more important things, or save some money (I’m no good at that). But what does that mean for our gaming habits?

I know for one I am seriously reconsidering my game purchases. The most recent game I got was “Street Fighter IV” (can’t believe one of the others guys have not put up a review.. I might have to stick up my own twisted view on it if they don’t soon!).

I have to hand it to the guy at “Game Station”. He was pleasant (not the normal grumpy guy who seems to hate working in these shops.. how and why do they fill those jobs?) and he was knowledgeable. A real fan, and it was nice to see. He also pulled an excellent piece of “up selling” on me. I am usually immune, but this was “Street Fighter”.

He showed me the limited edition arcade stick that seemed to go so beautifully with my game purchase.. and I went for it. So instead of spending £35 like I intended, I ended up spending closer to £100. If there is a single gaming cause that deserves my money, its “Street Fighter”. But since my initial foray back into that world (I am much worse than I remember) I can’t help thinking I made a mistake.

Don’t get me wrong, SF IV is a truly amazing new direction for the series. Very well implemented and looks gorgeous. All the great character are there (including the lovely Cammy). But it has reminded me of something I had forgotten. I am a very social gamer. I sometimes enjoy playing a game through on my own, like recently when I accidental completed “Gears of War 2″ (Very short, but fun). But most of the time I would rather play with others (you try writing that you would rather play with other people than with yourself, and not make it sound seedy). So even though I have the game and the stick, it pretty much sits there waiting for someone else to come over and challenge me to a battle. At which point I only have the one stick, so one of us will have to go on the control pad (Urgh!).

Back to what I was saying. As our lives get tougher, do we stop these little moments of fancy? There are a number of games out at the moment that I have looked at and thought “Yeah, looks ok, but is it really worth the £40 they want for it?”. “Resident Evil 5″, or “Hawx” for example. I think what we are all looking for is value for money. We always do, but now more so.

But with so many games that are just short, or worse still, plain rubbish. I think we will see the games industry shrink over the next year. People just won’t put up with the crap they have been pumping out, especially on the Wii, that is just over saturated with dross. While the number of people playing will remain about the same, everyone will be much more choosy about what they are buying.

But I can also see a winner in this environment. Cheaper games sold on-line through the various market places are bound to prosper. Hopefully independent developers will also get their chance to shine, bringing unique and different games to the public. Paying £5 for a fun distraction over a weekend is a much better prospect than paying £40 for something it turns out you don’t enjoy or was not what you expected.

My best value game

The best game I have in terms of “Value for money” is Rock Band. The fully instument pack has more than paid for itself many times over with the shear number of hours of play it has seen. By myself, or during a party it is definitly a favorite.

Probably closely followed by various Mario games. “Super Mario World” being the most played, and best of the lot.