What It’s Like Being a ‘Broke’ Gamer

Ihave loved Pokémon since the late ’90s. I spent hours playing the games and watching the anime, even when my classmates openly declared their distaste for the franchise. I ended up carrying my love for Pokémon into adulthood. I bought most of the games and even have a special edition Nintendo Switch that features Pikachu and Eevee.

I was excited about the release of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl since I couldn’t play them upon the original release. My excitement quickly faded when I checked my bank account and saw that I won’t be playing the game anytime soon.

I hate admitting it, but this experience isn’t exclusive to Pokémon. Many games have come and gone throughout the years that I either had to wait to play or that I didn’t get a chance to play at all. Most of the games that I do end up buying are heavily discounted or have been on my wish list for years. Why is this? Because I, like many others, don’t have the budget to afford all the new games that I’m interested in.

Despite the missed opportunities, being a broke gamer isn’t so bad. Because of my financial situation, I know which games I enjoy enough to pay full price for. I also have a list of features I look for when buying a game, I’ve never played before, such as replay value and the length of the game. Games like Pokémon, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and The Sims have all earned multiple play throughs from me.

Since so many people have played the game before me, I can easily find all the information I need to review before purchasing the game. I can look up a tutorial if I get stuck, and I can relate to the struggles of people who’ve played the game before me.

Another thing I enjoy is getting to revisit retro games that I once loved. I have a ton of older PS2 games that I’ve spent hours playing. I can always start a new game of Pokémon or create a new sim on The Urbz: Sims in the City.

I also have a pile of games I did not complete that I can pick up again. How is this possible if I’m gaming on a budget? Some of these games were given to me by friends and family, and a few of them were purchased on sale. In fact, after hurricane Katrina, I found a local used game store called Rhino Games. They had a promotion that if you bought two games you would get the third one free, which is how I ended up playing games like Resident Evil 4 and Spyro. I also could buy what it widely known as the worst Mortal Kombat game (Mortal Kombat Special Forces) for the low price of six dollars.

Sadly, Rhino Games was purchased by GameStop, and they stopped carrying retro games. They do still run similar promos and put games on sale, but I haven’t been able to attain the same value as I have in the past. I took my search for games online and have found some great deals on sites like eBay and Mercari. When I buy a game from a chain store, I use cashback websites, so that I can earn a little of my money back. I also explore local used game stores whenever I can.

While I do love gaming and wish I had more money to put into the hobby, I am grateful that I can focus on games that I feel passionate about. Games like Pokémon and Super Mario hold sentimental value for me, and I can replay them as often as I’d like to. I’ve also been able to find great deals online and in-person because I shop around more.

Originally Published On Medium

Learn More About The Author