Some more community blog goodness, this time in the form of that rarest of articles on Sarcastic Gamer: genuinely useful advice. These tips for economical gaming come from Peace Bunny‘s own forums blog. You can have one too, just by swinging by the forums. As always we’ll be keeping a vigilant eye on the blogs for the cream of the crop, which will end up here. Onwards into Peace Bunny’s top tips!

I am the budget gamer. The bargain bin burrower. The discount-disc discoverer. The second-hand software sorcerer. At the end of the day, we all have some sort of budget and financial limitations on our entertainment; the biggest challenge is to make the most of what you have.

We would all love to have every new blockbuster delivered to our houses moments after their official release, but in the real world this just isn’t possible for 99% of us. So how should we game on a budget? Well, I’ve put together this brief list of tips. Please feel free to comment extra suggestions!

10 cheap gaming tips, after the jump!

1) Patience is a virtue. Sometimes we feel we need a game IMMEDIATELY and no parent, friend, spouse or bank manager will stop us. If you can, try to wait a month or two before buying: this will give the price time to fall, and allow the pre-owned games to start flowing in, which brings me to my next point.

2) Don’t buy new where possible. In buying pre-owned games, you can sometimes have the price. Also, many stores will do deals on pre-owned games and be more flexible. Try to shop in independent stores rather than big chains, as you will have more chance of haggling a discount from a small brand who really need your business.

3) The internet if your friend. Shop around online, and spend that extra bit of time on surfing just to check you really have got the best deal.

4) eBay is a useful tool. Some basic rules though. Check the rep of the seller, ALWAYS pay through PayPal (since they deal with fraud) and remember, if the price gets too high, there are likely to be hundreds of other auctions of the same game, so learn to let go of a failing bid. Also, don’t bid with more than a day left on the auction; you’re just increasing the price and encouraging more bids. Early bids are unlikely to be successful unless it is a very uncompetitive auction.

5) Don’t keep games you will never play again. They can easily be turned back into game money through a number of routes. You can sell to stores, although you will not get a great price. eBay is a good option, as well as many other sites online. However, the most effective way of selling games is noted in point 6), which is over on page two.

CONTINUE TO PAGE: 1 2