Gamers know that their particular hobby is an expensive one. A forlorn glance at any shelf of shiny new titles can attest to that — sixty bucks, man, for nearly every new game out on the market. That’s quite a few dollar bills. Maybe too many dollar bills, if you ask me, though it’s hard to fault developers for wanting to feed their families. And buy clothing for their kids. And, y’know, have lives.

So what’s a poor college kid to do?

Why, turn to the internet, of course! Ever heard of cheapassgamer? It’s steadily grown over the last couple of years into a safe haven for all thrifty spenders, the average gamer out in the audience who doesn’t want to pay full price for the latest in entertainment software.

The main page lists the latest big deals for convenience, though you’ll find a fair few of the best savings just a step further in the forums. Check out the Video Games Deals section first, as it’s an aptly-named place for forum members to post and discover great deals found both on the internet and in-store. You’ll have to create an account to read the individual threads, but that’s a minor inconvenience given the wonderful information contained inside.

Individual forums also exist for specific regions of the United States and other parts of the world, in case you want to check out savings a little closer to home. Deals are bit more sparse in these sections, but they’re still worth giving a spin, especially if you want to check out the sizable thread devoted specifically to Oklahoma. I’ve caught a few Normanites lurking around the thread, so why not pop in and say hello?

Another useful feature is the Price Tracker, though it’s currently in beta stage and unaccessible to users without the necessary passcode. Still, keep an eye out for when it officially launches, as it’ll provide easy access to price drops on games new and old from major retailers all across the States. Quite a few instances where an older title has its price cut don’t see much advertising, though the Price Tracker should hopefully keep track so you don’t have to go digging through the ads every Sunday morning.

But a word to the wise: don’t expect significant discounts on the newest titles. Amazon is great for offering decent savings on the latest releases, but the Video Game Deals forum excels at finding deals on games out for a couple of months or older, as that’s where the greatest discounts usually happen. If you don’t mind having a little patience, you could probably pick up a new release for at least ten or fifteen dollars less a month or two after release, though it’s still worth keeping an eye on the forums in case opportunity comes knocking.

And what of the old games you’re looking to shove off on someone else? Stay tuned, ladies and gents, as that’s the subject for a future post. Dumping your collection on Gamestop is always an option, sure, but you might be surprised what a little scrounging about on the ‘net will bring you.

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cheapassgamer, deals, gamestop, money, savings, Video Games