No more new games...

[IKEA_boy]

I've made a decision. I am not going to buy any new games until my bank account reaches $1000.
I've been working at a video store for nearly two years and am making jack shit and get like eight hours/week. My biweekly paycheck is usually no more than $120. That's all fine & dandy right now because I don't pay for school (parents + scholarship) and car troubles don't worry me (dad's a mechanic) and I don't pay rent (live at home) so all I really HAVE to pay for is gas and DSL. Most of my other money goes towards video games. Because of this I end up with like $20 - $30 at the end of each week and never save any money. I'm tired of it. I don't like tallying up what I have left before I get gas or go out to eat.

Well, right now I have a slew of items on eBay ending tonight that should net me ~$100 (hopefully higher) and I'm expecting $55 for a Socom I sold recently. I get payed Friday so I should have some substantial funds in my pocket by then. Plus I have my Vectrex collection to off on that wonderful little website.
So, my only real want right now is to finish off my Animal Crossing e-Card set (series one and two -- three and four coming soon). That shouldn't be much more since I'm almost done with series one and halfway through series two.

I think I should manage. I just need to stay away from video game stores and Best Buy. Besides, I have a crap load of games (probably about 75) that I haven't beaten yet and about half of those (mostly SNES and PC games) that I've never played at all.

So, why am I telling you this? Mainly because if I don't tell anyone I won't stick with it and if I don't stick with it... well, I don't have to look at your ugly mugs in shame every day.

[IKEA_boy]

Well, one new game. I have a copy of Freekstyle [PS2] waiting for me at work whenever I decide to pick it up. $17 after tax IIRC.

[brian]

C'mon Ikea, don't you want that Zelda bonus disc?

I can see where you're coming from--so I've kind of given myself a hiatus from buying new videogames -- the exceptions being if the title is really cheap, or if there's a limited time offer. Otherwise, I'm just going to wait for the titles to hit the bargain bin. I just had to pay for my tuition the other day, so my funds are a bit low. Anyways, good luck with your buying hiatus.

[IKEA_boy]

Originally posted by brian
C'mon Ikea, don't you want that Zelda bonus disc?

Fuck! Ok, Freekstyle and Zelda. Maybe I'll sell my N64 OOT cart to knock some of the $50 blow down. I think I can pre-order Zelda and the OOT disc for $15 down at EB.

[MoonSka0]

Hey IKEA_boy, to help you stick with your self imposed moritorium on game buying, I'd be willing to give you one of the Zelda bonus discs when my store gets them in. I might have an extra one left over.

[IKEA_boy]

That sounds great MoonSka! Let me know if you can do it for sure.
When does Wind Waker come out again? Mid-March?

[MoonSka0]

Yeah Zelda comes out on either the 18th or 25th of March, but the free bonus discs are due out next week.

[Lastblade]

Hey, it is good to set yourself a goal, especially one that involves saving some money!!

I know moderation is key, but hell, I have blown so much money in videogames since I started working (13 or so) that I could have put in a down payment in a house! Oh well, I can't think like that tho, b/c I would have spent it in other ways, and addicted to videogames isn't a disease (not yet anyway, hehe).

Hey, if you are selling that Vectrex collection, lmk. I am looking maybe to getting that system + games again! I will definitely pay a fair market value for it.

Good luck tho! It helps that I only have an xbox to buy games on, and there aren't that many that interest me!

[sub780lime]

good goal, i have sort of set a goal like this, i am in much the same position, cant work much, too much school, but dont have to pay for it, so im trying to get my savings up aswell, but i usually dont spend too much on games anyway

[brian]

Moonska -- that's just too cool of you, helping out a fellow gamer like that

[MoonSka0]

One of the few perks I have running the software dept. at my store is first dibs on all cool product --after reservations are filled of course

[Reaver]

What is this bonus disk? Extra levels?

[brian]

Originally posted by Reaver
What is this bonus disk? Extra levels?

It contains Zelda The Ocarina Of Time and the bonus content previously only available in japan for the 64DD. Basically, it's the n64 game on a disc -- which i'll be happy to play again.

[Reaver]

Interesting. And is this disk limited?

[brian]

Originally posted by Reaver
Interesting. And is this disk limited?

It's only available if you pre order the game.(or work at a game store)

[Reaver]

Ahhh... And, so, if I were interested in this, but didn't want to preorder, what might I need to do...?

[IKEA_boy]

I broke down and ordered Zelda. The bonus disc is just too cool to risk not getting. (Thanks for your offer though Moonska. Trés cool.) I'll just have to cut out expenses elsewhere to make up for the $50 that will be stretched over the next month.

What kinda sucks is that they initially said 'pre-order after Feb. 16th and you'll get this disc,' then all these bitch ass hoe places [] started jumping the gun and taking 'bonus disc' pre-orders right away, which practically forced Nintendo to ship them early and break out the previous mold.

I wished the 'anyone who buys Wind Waker anytime will get the bonus disc' rumor/semi-official statement were true.

[Reaver]

Originally posted by IKEA_boy
(Thanks for your offer though Moonska. Trés cool.)

Well now, since HE doesn't want it, I'd be more than happy to step in. All this talk and has really got me interested, and if I were to have this special disk, I'd be even more interested.

What say you, brian? Care to help a brutha out?

[brian]

Originally posted by Reaver

What say you, brian? Care to help a brutha out?

Moonska is the one with the spare -- I have to pay to get mine (I don't work at a game store... Though, as a full time student with a crappy part time job, I'd love to do so, and just might soon enough. Sorry if my previous comment was misleading)

I'd love to help you out otherwise.

[Reaver]

Originally posted by brian
Moonska is the one with the spare -- I have to pay to get mine (I don't work at a game store... Though, as a full time student with a crappy part time job, I'd love to do so, and just might soon enough. Sorry if my previous comment was misleading)

I'd love to help you out otherwise.

You are absolutely right. I was looking at the wrong area.

MoonSka0? How 'bout it? I'll... um... wax your car?

[IKEA_boy]

Update: As with everything I do, I didn't stick with it. Since this post I have purchased both (my two allotted games) Zelda WW ($50) and Freekstlye (about $9 after the money I made off buying a copy of Socom at the same time and selling it for $10 over my price) but I have also bought True Lies ($5 SNES), a DC keyboard ($5), and Typing of the Dead ($15 DC). Plus, probably $30 in Animal Crossing cards. I also bought four CDs (about $30-$35.)

You may slap me with a trout now.

[sub780lime]

man, and you have to buying games which arnt cheap, well since you wont be getting to a thousand, you might aswell just give me the rest of your savings

[IKEA_boy]

No more new games again...

Not for money reasons this time though. I gotta stop buying new games because I keep neglecting the old ones. I lose interest in the old ones (that I haven't finished) in favor for the next best thing. It's starting to weigh on me. I think if I limit myself I'll appreciate my games a lot more. I'm about to start getting rid of the filler. I'll probably start with my 50 some SNES carts. I'm sure I could part with 2/3 of those in an instant.

[MoonSka0]

You need some way to keep yourself from buying games. An employee of mine would spend at least half of his paycheck every paydeay, leaving himself almost nothing to live on the the week before next payday. He and I agreed that every payday he would give me $100 dollars and that I would give it back on the next payday. Even if he runs out of money, I won't give him any (per his instructions) until the next payday rolls around. His problems are having no willpower and poor budgeting skills, so its not completely similar to your case, as he can't even keep a savings account going since he spends money like it's going out of style. Anyway, who else knows about your decision besides us? Going back to your orginal post, is there someone you can explain this too that you _do_ have to look in the face?

[IKEA_boy]

I think most of my current frustration comes from all these Xbox Live games I have and don't play.
PSO lacks substance. Sure, it's addicting but you just sit there and veg while you play. There's zero skill involved and I leave thinking I've accomplished nothing. I think that's why I rarely play it. It's definitely leaving before my free trial ends.
Castle Wolfenstein would be awesome if it weren't for the lag. I'll probably keep it for a while at least, unless I can sell/trade it for what I want. Add the fact that I suck at FPS games, and RTCW isn't for me.
Ghost Recon is just plain aweful IMO. I admit to not spending much time on it but I must rid myself of that title.

On the other hand. Tetris Worlds Online is pimp as hell. It's really buggy but it's awesome.

[The Mobius]

Originally posted by IKEA_boy
...I leave thinking I've accomplished nothing...

Surely the only thing a game could ever let you accomplish is the wasting of a few hours in a fun way?
That said, I do agree with you on the substance-lacking qualities of PSO - I'm really bored of walking around the same dungeons all the time.
And I've yet to go Live with Ghost Recon - the single player offline game is so great I wanted to complete it first.

[IKEA_boy]

Originally posted by martycoster
Surely the only thing a game could ever let you accomplish is the wasting of a few hours in a fun way?

Of course. But let that fun time wasting be something that will leave me satisfied. I need to feel like I'm part of an interesting story, or that I've just accomplished something that would the average person can't.

I'm all for mindless beat-em-ups and Diablo type games but I can't play them constantly. There are people on PSO who have three or four L100 characters. I've had the game for a month and I have one L19, a L2 and an L3. It'd be all fine and dandy if I didn't have to pay $9 per month. But in the end, I just can not see myself playing PSO enough to justify that cost.

[The Mobius]

Agreed - I bought PSO knowing I was only going to keep paying for it if I *really* liked it. I've only had it for 2 weeks and have a character at L13, and I already know it's not worth that money.