These days times are, as we probably all know, pretty tough. Money’s coming up short, jobs are being dropped all over the place, companies are going under and worst of all, our gaming habits are being threatened by the money that we don’t have to buy anything new.

Naturally, as specialists in providing community service, Sarcastic Gamer is stepping up to provide sound financial advice with regards to gaming cheaply and efficiently. Read on to find out how to make the most of your money while keeping up to date with the latest releases.

Option One: Buying games full price on the shelf

Yeeesh. Not the most financially sound option, this one. Only go for this option if you’re either loaded or in a seriously safe job. This option involves going to your nearest shop, picking up the games you’re interested in and buying them full-price. You get what you want right away, but at the cost of a hefty slice of your paycheck.

Convenience: 10/10
Value: 5/10

Option Two: Trade-ins/Playswitch

You could always sell off some of your old games to get money for your new ones. Trading in isn’t suggested unless you absolutely have to, since GameStop seem intent on giving you a few cents per game these days (UK folks are okay though…check out GAME’s trade-in price guide to see what you’ll get for your games). Then you can always go and buy pre-owned games to get what you want on the cheap.

Alternatively, you can Playswitch your games or use a similar service to ensure that you get the price you want for your games, and can pick up what you want for a price you’re happy with. As always with used things, there’s a risk of buying something that doesn’t work properly. Keep your receipt handy.

Of course, once your old games are gone, they’re gone unless you buy them back. So be sure you know what you’re doing.

Convenience: 8/10
Value: 7/10

Option Three: Rental scheme

The next option’s a good one: rent! Sign up to a site such as Gamefly, Gamearang or LOVEFiLM (in the UK) and for a fixed monthly fee you can rent what you like for as long as you like. You build up a wishlist of the games you want to get a hold of and the company sends them out as it gets them.

Any catches? You might not always get the game you want right away – especially if it’s only just out – and you can only have a couple out at once, at most. That said, it’s convenient, and if you get through a few games a month it quickly pays for itself; rental usually costs less than half a game per month.

Convenience: 7/10
Value: 10/10

Read on for more economy tips!

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