Game Purchasing

There are a plethora of games to peak your interest.  Whether or not they actually materialize is debatable. There are plenty of articles and YouTube videos that talk about games that are coming in the future. However, I try to talk about games that are available now.  My criteria is pretty simple.

Cheap - Like others, I'm an adult (although that fact is debatable).  The reality of family demands and nonsense, time and money constraints is an all too common fact in life.  I'm not going to run out a buy a new computer every year or buy into the console craze (ie. Xbox or Play Station) just to be able to play games.

Technology - I'm a computer kind of guy and game consoles such as Xbox, PS4 are just not interesting to me.  PCs offer avenues for me to partake in other hobbies including, but not limited to, website development, software trials and writing. The games that I look at do not have to be on the cutting edge of graphics and game play necessarily, but should be halfway modern in terms of playability and cosmetics.

Digital - I'm a fan of this digital game services including, but not limited to, STEAM. These digital game services eliminate the need to keep physical CDs and DVDs around.  Most importantly, it's a way to keep family noses out of my business in terms of personal entertainment and hobbies.

Personal Preference - Simple, if I like it and its cheap or on sale, I buy it.  Some games that I look at might be older, but I often talk about ways to modify them or rather give them a modern-day appeal in terms of re-playability or their cosmetic look.

STEAM Library: http://steamcommunity.com/id/akmark5000/games?tab=all

STEAM Wishlist: http://steamcommunity.com/id/akmark5000/wishlist/

Game Purchasing Tracking: Buy it cheap!

In my last post I mentioned cheap as a criteria point for purchasing games.  This is more important than you know, especially if you own a PC.  Here are some reasons:

1. 90% of the time, when you buy a new PC, it is able to handle the newest and demanding games on the market (depending upon the components bought).  As time passes, games quickly become more demanding at a faster rate than you may be able to upgrade your current PC or buy a new one all together.

2. You may buy a game that has fantastic reviews, only to play it for 10 minutes and decide it actually sucks in your opinion.

3. Games are just not worth the price at the time of release because of price gouging.  Publishers and a few developers seem to find ways to double the price of what the game actually costs.

4. Games are often rushed into a release state so that they can be sold.  The result is a half finished or a sloppy product.  Shortly after release, many of these games receive patches and upgrades to cover up or fix sloppy mistakes or lazy development.

5. Games retain fixable programming bugs and receive patches and upgrades well into the 6-12 month time frame.

If you wait for seasonal sales, flash sales or normal price drops, games usually become 50%-80% cheaper.

*** TOP 3 *** UPDATED 2016 ***

Game Purchasing: Where to purchase?

No, games are not cheap all the time, but my advice is to wait until a sale to purchase games from any of the places listed below.  Do some multiple price comparing.  For example Game XYZ might be $50 on Amazon, $50 on STEAM, $40 on UPLAY, $45 on ORIGIN, but $20 on G2A.com and even less expensive elsewhere.  

Here are some trusted websites to purchase digital games.

#1. STEAM: http://store.steampowered.com/

As a fan of STEAM, I have to admit that STEAM does not have as many major seasonal sales as I would like to see.  However, what sales they do have are very good.

#2. G2A: https://www.g2a.com/



G2A is an independent marketplace for game sellers.  Games are usually cheaper, but do some research just in case.  One time I found a game cheaper on STEAM at regular price!  G2A is designed to support multiple currencies and the focus seems to be on the European style of selling.  So, make sure to select $ USD (United States Dollar) and make sure you select or deselect the desired options before purchasing.  Depending on what seller you buy from, the games might be a key code (activated and downloaded through your STEAM Account) or a STEAM Gift that goes directly into you STEAM Inventory.

#3. BUNDLE STARS: http://www.bundlestars.com/



At BUNDLE STARS, you can find bundled and individual games.  Usually, they are sold as key codes and require a STEAM Account (activated and downloaded through your STEAM Account).  Bundled games are pretty cheap (under $10).  Many bundles contain low-grade games or outdated games and not worth your time, but you might find one or two games in a bundle that you like.  So you get the one or two games that you want, plus other games to try, give away or discard... all for one cheap price.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/ (switches to "https://" once you sign-in or buy something)

You can buy game disks and digital download versions here and activate them somewhere like STEAM.

GAMERS GATE: http://www.gamersgate.com/

Lately, GAMERS GATE have not presented spectacular sales, but keep checking because you never know.

HUMBLE BUNDLE: https://www.humblebundle.com/

At HUMBLE BUNDLE, you can find bundled and individual games.  Usually, they are sold as key codes and require a STEAM Account (activated and downloaded through your STEAM Account).  Bundled games are pretty cheap (under $10).  Many bundles contain low-grade games or outdated games and not worth your time, but you might find one or two games in a bundle that you like.  So you get the one or two games that you want, plus other games to try, give away or discard... all for one cheap price.

Unlike BUNDLE STARS, HUMBLE BUNDLE allows you to pay what you want.  You pay at least an average low price and choose how the money is divided up among the developer, publisher and charity!

GOOD OLD GAMES: http://www.gog.com/

GOG is a place to find older or rather classic games.  The big deal with GOG is that the games bought here do not require DRMs like STEAM, ORIGIN or UPLAY.