Video Gaming on a budget at the University of Texas at Tyler

Shigeru Miyamoto, often referred to as the father of modern video gaming, once said that "Video games entertain people by constantly surprising them with new experiences." The video game industry's sole objective is to constantly surprise and wow its audience.  In the past couple of years, this industry has definitely taken off. 

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 58% of all Americans play some form of video game.  This has both positive and negative implications.  It is a good thing because it means that there is more support and money going towards improving gaming.  However, it is also a bit troublesome because according to the laws of supply and demand, the prices will inevitably go up.  Most video games now-a-days start at a price of $60 and don’t get any cheaper for several months.

A while ago, Dallas wrote a blog about how the steam summer sale can easily get the best of you.  Hopefully, this blog will help you embrace the sales, while still maintaining fiscal responsibility. I have compiled a list of things you can do to still enjoy everything that gaming has to offer, without bankrupting yourself.

1.       Buy used games -
Buying a used game can drastically reduce the price you pay for games.  Stores like GameStop and online retailers like Amazon usually have a pretty quick turnaround from new to used games.  In my experience, in a few weeks, you can buy a game used for 40 dollars or less that would usually cost 60 dollars new.

2.       Trade in old games -
 Most stores that sell games will also buy them back from you.  You won’t get much for them, but if you have 5 or 6 old games then you can sell them back to the store for enough to buy a game or 2.  Just recently, GameStop did a special where you   got way more credit for games than usual.  Take advantage of these kinds of opportunities to maximize your access to those awesome games, while minimizing your spending.

3.       Wait for sales -

Game stores will also do special sales for the purchase of games.  Some stores do something like a “Buy 2 games get one free,” or something similar.  My advice for you is to wait for these deals and take advantage of them.  If you play your cards right, you could end up getting that game you've been waiting for AND two other games that you were excited about as well.

4.       Play old games –

It’s always fun to take a stroll down memory lane, especially when that lane involves lots and lots of video games.  If you haven’t traded in your old games, browse your collection and see what sounds fun.  Find an old open world or sandbox game and just explore and see what mischief can be made within that virtual world.  Even if the graphics are a bit outdated, it can still be loads of fun.

5.       Get games with high replay value -

This is kind of similar to the above tip, but I gave it an individual section because I feel that this can also apply to games you buy
in the future.  If you base what games you buy around whether or
not you can play through the game multiple times, or if you can just waste hours of the game wandering around the world and exploring, you can save lots of money because you will end up buying fewer games, but playing just as much.

6.       Play more indie –

Not all amazing games are made by big time studios like
Bethesda or BioWare.  There are plenty of fun, playable games made by independent developers. While these games may take longer to develop, and may not look as beautiful, or play as smoothly, they can still offer hours of fun for the casual gamer.  Plus, most indie games are extremely cheap and easy to obtain.

7.       Be more picky when deciding what games you want –

As gamers, it is in our nature to want every single game.  However, that just isn't feasible unless you have an unlimited source of financial support.  What I suggest is to only buy the games that you are 100% certain that you would enjoy and want to keep playing.  Read every review that you can from websites like IGN, GameInformer, or other reviewers.  Watch gameplay videos to make sure that the game will play like you expect it to.  You can also even ask your friends who have the game about it, and possibly even borrow it from them for a short period of time to see if you like it.

8.       Just be patient -

The easiest thing to do is just be patient.  This will be hard, but if you just wait a couple of months after a game is released, the price will begin to drop.  This can also be beneficial because sometimes when games are first released, there are several bugs that need to be ironed out, and the developer will have to release a patch to fix it, and if you have waited, then you don’t have to bother with a bugged version of that game you've been waiting for.

 Playing video games is an awesome way to just escape from everything for a little bit and have your own little world to play around in.  It's a great form of stress relief, and can even help some people overcome disabilities.  Unfortunately, prices are on the rise, and some people are losing access to the gaming industry. Hopefully, with these 8 tips you, too, can enjoy all that video gaming has to offer.

The Steam Summer Sale: A Horrible Time for College Students

The title for this blog might be somewhat of a misnomer.  The Steam Summer Sale is a fantastic yearly event for PC gamers, in which fantastic video games for the PC are on sale for outrageously discounted prices.  Renowned PC games go on sale with upwards of 85-90% discounts on their original prices, creating a cycle of endless spending for an eleven-day period.

While this is a grand time of jubilee and careless spending for PC gamers across the world, an interesting spending trend resurfaces on a yearly basis.  The game’s prices drop so low, gamers are blind to how much they spend overall; they only remain cognizant to individual purchases, and the attractiveness of each discounted game in particular.  The inevitable result is the rapid emptying of wallets and bank accounts in the name of cheap video games.  Being frugal with video game purchases in this time of year can make the Steam Summer Sale not something to fear, but rather, unconditionally loved.

Here is a quick explanation of Steam, as well as the Steam Summer Sale.  Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by the Valve Corporation, which most commonly distributes games and other media online.  In laymen's terms, it is a computer program designed to manage purchased PC video games, as well as function on multiple computers.  For instance, I could buy a video game on my laptop using Steam, and install that game on both my laptop and my work computer.  Along with being a hub for your purchased games, Steam also utilizes social media functions via the community of gamers that you are part of, allowing for multiplayer gaming, as well as basic chat and sharing capabilities.

The Steam Summer Sale is arguably when Steam is the most popular; it’s the week and a half period where games are highly discounted, yet they accrue a larger amount of purchases than any other time in the year.  Amazing games are offered up for extremely low, attractive prices.  It is a successful marketing tactic, to the point that gamers will make false promises to themselves that they will not spend more money than they can afford on video games.  A vicious spending cycle like this one deserves attention.

The Gamer In Me

The Gamer In Me

   Okay, so it should come as no surprise that I obviously like pen-and-paper games, D&D, and other games that use human interaction as a medium for fun. While I set up Game Club to avoid the use of electronic gaming tools, I have a confession ( of sorts? ) …

   I love handheld games! I have owned every form of basic PSP ( except for the PSPGo and the new Vita ) and I have owned some kind of Gameboy dating back to the original with the nasty green/gray screen. I have recently re-found out just how much PSP was amazing and, because of this, I’d like to discuss some things about recreational gaming and how to use it to be a productive time-killer while on campus.

   For starters, some of you may have heard about how gaming’s ability to “enhance hand eye coordination” is a positive to the player. I’ll say this is like saying eating fast food is good for you because the chicken nuggets have the word “chicken” in then, or how French-fries are made of potato. It has “truth” in it, but the applicable uses/benefit is lost. It’s an empty argument.

   Where I will defend gaming, however, is in the realm of thinking games and roleplaying games.

   DISCLAIMER: While this may “sound” like I am trying to say one kind of game gives you a mental edge over others, it isn’t the case. What I am saying is that some kinds of games require you to think on a different level than more mindless games, and anything that requires you to stop, think, strategize, and solve puzzles is certainly a better kind of game to play. That is all.

   One of the ways I plan on killing time between some of my courses ( when not reading from the numerous books of comics I just purchased! )will be playing Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre.

   FOR THOSE WHO KNOW WHAT THE “FINAL FANTASY” BRAND IS – Heck yes, you likely know already why this game is amazing.

   FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW – “Final Fantasy” is a game where the player controls a group of characters in settings with various stages of fantasy and sci-fi elements. While few of the games are ever connected, they almost always have plots involving magic use, larger-than-life villains, and the-like. The nature of the game implies you control 3-4 characters at once with set abilities and ones you can “teach”, like asking a Mage to learn new, better spells, etc…

   Final Fantasy Tactics puts you into a game with a setting more involved that a Dickens novel. Seriously, the names, titles, relationships, and struggles of the characters in this game makes the plight of the cast of Les Miserables look like a pleasant walk in the park on a sunny day. The villains are often as “right” as the heroes, and the heroes often act like villains at times.  Instead of a drastically “BLACK + WHITE” setting, the world of Tactics is very gray.

   ANYWAY, the game uses a grid system and allows you access to almost ten characters whom you can move around on that is basically a huge chess-board. Your troops move at your command, and terrain, buildings, weapons, and skills can help propel you to victory. But, you can also be destroyed by poor planning, ie: putting your weak mages in the front-lines, or leaving your better warriors sit on the sidelines.

   The nature of games like these emphasize more critical thinking skills on a cerebral level than, say, others ( However, I have heard extremely good arguments on the nature of fighting games and how they require faster, better thought processing, but that’s a different post … ). What these games can do, potentially, is help you understand sequential planning in your day.

   Will you maximize your time by visiting your professor first when her office hours start, or by waiting until she has other students in her office at a more hectic time?

   Can you get a better study group together by actively seeking our people during class, with your contact information in hand, or by trying to catch people from your class in other parts of campus?

   It will take you longer to walk over to Area X, where you have one URGENT errand, than it will to get to Area  Y, where you have several LESSER errands? How would you manage your efficiency?

   These examples may be silly, but if you look at your day as if you only have a series of X number of Actions, you might start needing to think like a Tactics player to get the most out of your day.

  I know, it’s silly, but it is one practical way to exercise your mind while playing a totally awesome videogame. If you have a PSP, the game was released as Final Fantasy Tactics: War of Lions and it is less than 20 dollars for hundreds of hours of great story, strategy, and fun.