Every gamer goes through the process of buying a new video game: playing it to the point of boredom or completing it and then moving on to the next game. For some, the £40 (~$60) retail value for most new video games makes moving on to the next game a chore, making gaming an expensive hobby! This article will look at various methods of purchasing or obtaining new video games available to gamers and consider whether game sharing sites represent the best possible value for a player when switching to a new game.
video game trade
Trading in your video game at a local store is one method; this will often mean losing more than half of the value of the game you paid for in the first place. And the local store will probably sell your video game for a noticeably higher price. So the trade-in value they offer you won’t get you much in the store, so you’ll still have to chip in some extra cash to get a new game. However, this process is convenient and you have your next game in hand as soon as you’re in the store!
advantage:
1. Convenient
2. Instant
Disadvantages:
1. Low commercial value
2. A strong retailer markup means you pay more cash for the next game
video game rental
Joining a game rental service, like Boomerang or Lovefilm, is another option. You usually pay a flat monthly subscription fee and receive a limited number of games that you can keep for as long as you like. The quality of such services varies greatly and the main drawbacks here are that you have to keep a list of the games you want, which results in you receiving whatever games the rental company has in stock when you receive the games back. So the danger here is that you may not have the game at the top of your list. Other drawbacks include waiting a long time for the game you want, or receiving games that are scratched to the point where your console can’t play them! More importantly, you hand over all that cash every month and end up with nothing; it’s arguable that there’s better value in buying a game, keeping it until you’re done with it, and then trading it in once you’re done. done again
Also, the value of this service varies from game to game. Some games can be completed within a few days of playing, so the effective cost of playing this game is a fraction of the monthly subscription fee. And some games will be played for many years, making playing these games through rental very expensive! So in this sense, renting has the advantage of allowing you to try a large number of games for a monthly subscription fee. If you think the game has long-term value, you can simply buy the game safe in the knowledge that you will be playing this game for a long time! But then PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gamers can try out new games by downloading them, muting this point in their case.
Another game rental option is often available at a local video store. The cost of the rental is usually 5% to 10% of the cost of the game for up to 7 days of play. Using a local video store to rent games is definitely convenient, and the value of the service to you depends on whether you actually finish the game or decide it’s not your thing (ie, you got the most out of it) before the game expires. back.
advantage:
1. Huge collection to choose from
2. Easy to get new video games as you complete old ones.
3. You can try a large number of games for a nominal subscription fee.
Disadvantages:
1. You may not get the game you want
2. Could be waiting a long time for games depending on rental company stock levels
3. In the end, you own nothing
Selling your video games
Another route is to simply sell you video games. One of the most convenient ways to sell is to auction your game on eBay or TheGameCollective. If the game is recent and popular, you will probably get a good price, possibly much more than a local store would pay, and all you had to do was wait a few more days for the auction/sale to complete and then submit your game. by mail. A little less convenient than a local store, but for many the added value in the video game is worth it.
The drawback here is that eBay will take a portion of the final sale price currently 8.25% of the final fee and if you accept payment via PayPal you will have to pay an additional fee (~4%) which is a loss of up to 12% of the final price (unless you are smart and include it in the P&P price, but that is a nightmare for many!).
advantage:
1. You can get a good price for your game
2. Quite convenient
Disadvantages:
1. You must wait several days for the sale to be remembered
2. Commission on final sale price
video game exchange
Trading video games through an online game sharing network is another method. These sites include TheGameCollective, gamejam or hitflip and for a small or free fee these sites will allow players to agree on trades and then exchange home addresses and mail their games to each other. This service gives gamers the opportunity to play new video games for roughly the cost of publishing a game. So in this regard, the game sharing option offers great potential for the value conscious gamer.
Currently, game sharing is not widely adopted and therefore unless a game sharing site experiences a lot of traffic, a gamer may have to wait a bit longer to get the video game sharing they want. This could take a bit of time depending on the popularity of a game, and in this regard game trading is not as convenient as, for example, trading. But as game sharing becomes more popular, the process of moving to new games will become a much more valued experience.
advantage:
1. Can be obtained by paying for a game to be mailed
2. Easy to get new video games as you complete old ones.
Disadvantages:
1. You may have to wait a long time to find another player willing to trade