Some of the readers of Gadzooki are probably a young as I once was. In other words, some of the readers of Gadzooki are yunguns.
I’m only in my 20’s now, but really, I’ve gained some wisdom…especially when it comes to handling the excitement of a new video game system like the Wii or PS3 or Xbox360.
I used to be just like you. I used to line up at midnight on the night of release, waiting hours to buy the brand new system. I just couldn’t wait. I salivated for months (nah, years!) reading daily about all the rumors about the upcoming system. And then bang. The minute it was available, I bought it. Just like you.
But over the years I’ve become a video game veteran. And I’ve realized something important about the video game cycle. The key is to realize that the cycle depends on YOU. That’s right. And when you realize that you can create your very own video game cycle, you’ll have found that you can save over $1000 per system generation.
Here’s how to do it. You ready? You think you can handle the truth?
Take 10 deep breaths. Seriously, discipline yourself to wait. Set your own cycle. Don’t let the manufacturer set the cycle for you. In other words, don’t buy the system or game the minute it comes out.
Easier said then done, right? Well, to tell you the truth, it’s not too hard once you’ve tried it out. But it’s really hard to try. Just like jumping into the deepend of a pool for the first time. But enough of that…let’s do the calculations.
If you can wait 1 year after a system comes out, then you can normally save at leaest $50 and often times get an extra free game or controller. Waiting 1 year for a new system seems like nonsense until you’ve tried it. But really it makes a whole lot of sense.
Think about it. The best games for a system usually come out 2-3 years into a systems life. Most systems are struggling to find good games at the beginning. Why? Because developers are still learning the ropes of the system. Once they’ve perfected the method (about 3 years in, the games reach their peak). By waiting one year, you aren’t missing out. Trust me. All the games that were launched before are still available, and all the games to be released, the best ones, are just about to land in your local store.
This leads me to my second rule: don’t buy a game unless it’s less than $20. This is actually the most important rule of all. You can literally save $30-$40 per game. And if you’re like me and you end up buying about 30-40 games per generation, you’ve potentially saved $900-$1600.
Set yourself up to buy games at a discount (under $20) by buying your system one year after it is released. Then, you can take advantage of the fact that publishers are trying to sell-through unpurchased copies of video games that didn’t sell in their first year of release.
So here’s the recipe:
1. Buy your system one year after its release. In doing this you set YOUR OWN video game cycle.
2. Never buy a game over $20. Most games get this low pretty quickly and rarely take more than one year on the market.
Pretty simple, but utterly successful. It allows you to get more game for your buck. So start gaming to your own drum-beat and you’ll realize there’s no need to play by the industry’s rules anymore.