Online gaming isn’t a terribly expensive hobby, generally speaking. You could be out there with your own string of race horses, or collecting classic cars after all. However, if you’re feeling the pinch a little, then one of the first places that we look to save money is, naturally, on our hobbies. Even if you think you’re one of the most sensible spenders out there when it comes to gaming, you might be surprised at some other ways that you can save. We’ve rounded up the best tips, some to help you avoid the big one-time costs, some to help you save little and often. So, if you want to cut the cost of your online gaming hobby a little, these are the best ways to do it.
Be An Extreme Couponer
Not really, but if there’s a deal to be had then you should definitely be making the most of it! The best thing about online couponing is that you don’t have to make everyone else stand in line at the checkout queue whilst you rummage through your purse. With online bonus hunting the only thing it will cost you is time and you might be surprised at the results.
This tip is particularly useful if you’re a fan of casino games, as it couldn’t be easier to save a little money here and there. One method is to look for no deposit bonus codes that will allow you to play your favourite games completely free of charge. If you can’t find a no deposit bonus, then look for a deposit match bonus, where whatever you deposit to play with will be matched by the provider. Those who enjoy slot machines might look out for free spins, which are almost always available for those willing to search for them.
There are plenty of other sorts of games that you’ll find codes for too. Around holidays like Christmas and New Year, or Black Friday of course, you’ll find bonus codes on all kinds of platform games. If it’s just a couple of weeks until a potentially big ‘sale day’ then it would be crazy not to wait and see if you can get your hands on that game you wanted much more cheaply.
Opt For Indie Releases
It might be that you wait and wait for a sale, but that big blockbuster game that you wanted never quite makes it there. A big downside to only playing huge releases is that they hold their price for a long time and there’s very rarely a sale on. One of the great joys of gaming is that there’s so much variety, you can find a game to suit absolutely any interest. So, instead of always opting for the next big chart-topper, why not plump for an indie release instead?
Small game studios often have really fun, niche releases and they’re often a lot easier on your wallet. We recently reviewed Lone McLonegan, that’s a brilliantly simple game, from a small games studio. Getting to investigate the smaller developers can be a fun new facet to your existing gaming hobby. You might find a new favourite and the chances are it’ll be a fraction of the price of what you would’ve bought.
Use Your Community
The gaming community is a really creative one, so why not make the most of that? With online games it’s really easy and very tempting to splash out on downloaded content and expansion packs. They make the game seem brand new all over again and whilst that’s great fun it can get pretty pricey! For the bigger games you’ll often find players who’ve made their own modifications and are happy to share them with the gaming community totally free of charge.
Sometimes you’ll download one that isn’t all that great, but you can just delete it and carry on the search. The user-made creations are a genuine treasure trove of free downloadable content, that it would be crazy not to make use of.
