I bought 226 games this month. No, I’m not okay. (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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This month, I bought 226 PC games for C$185.82 ($134.58)

Now are those a lot of games? Yes, it's a silly amount of games. Perhaps I'm addicted to good deals that deliver fun.

We all have a vice, and this is mine. I don't drink, or smoke, or gamble -- but I buy lots and lots of video games.

Though back when I was a console gamer, I'd might get eight games for that price -- if I were lucky.

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[-] [email protected] 33 points 1 month ago

Good deals that deliver fun.

If that's what you're buying in a single month, I'd hate to know how much you're buying in a year.

The sad truth is that you're spending this money but you're never going to have the time to enjoy more than the upper crust of what all these games have to offer. You might dive deep on a handful of them, but you're just lighting the rest of that money on fire and likely condemning a lot of good games to the digital equivalent of rotting on a shelf.

Unless this is some roundabout way of supporting dev teams this screams unfettered consumerism to me.

I'm not trying to offend you I promise. This is just very odd to me. I don't even think I've played 200 games in my life and I've spent a fuckload of time immersed in games of all kinds for ~30 years.

[-] [email protected] 23 points 1 month ago

I’ve played 22% of my Steam library and 25% of my GOG library.

Most of the time, I don’t finish the games. But I’ve got maybe 1 hour of enjoyment out of most of them—sometimes more. And I typically pay less than C$1.00 per game.

Meanwhile, at my local arcade, I sometimes pay $1.00 for a mere minutes of play.

Is it unfettered consumerism? Maybe it’s consumerism. If so, it’s certainly fettered.

I place hard limits on what I spend, and each game must be regarded as worth playing.

If there’s one regret I have it’s that I don’t talk about the many hidden gems I experience as much as I wish I did.

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[-] [email protected] 30 points 1 month ago

You still spent less than buying two AAA at release

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Ooof. Really puts things into perspective

[-] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago

I mean as far as hobbies go $134 ain't a whole lot. And you didn't really mention anything about your financial situation.

I spent $4k on a bicycle that I'll probably replace in 3-4 years. And spend several hundred more in between, repairing and upgrading.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago

How many did you play?

[-] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

I have a personal rule that I don’t play games until I own them for a solid month.

I’ve played quite a few games that I’ve bought during the month of April.

[-] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago

Uh, why?

That's like the opposite of what I try to do with my purchases. I won't buy something unless I've wanted it for a while (at least a week) that way if I do buy it, I know it's something I truly want. VS if I impulse buy it I might not ever get around to it.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

I’m a value buyer. I wait and wait and wait till there’s an obscene sale—at least 90% off retail price—then I swoop in and buy.

For example, I’ve wanted to play Quake 4 for decades. Then a couple of weeks ago, I got it for $0.64.

This is pretty much how I acquired the entirety of my library.

[-] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago

That doesn't really answer the question. Once you have bought it, why do you then wait a month before playing them? That doesn't affect the price at all

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It gives me motivation to play through more of my backlog.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

A simpler and cheaper way to achieve this is to only buy games you want to and will pay right now. You spend less money on just increasing the ever growing back log. Maybe even reduce it eventually. And if you do want a game and you want to play it right now, it doesn't really matter what it costs in comparison, as they is probably a game or two per month. The backlog becomes the focus.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

LOL. That wouldn’t be cheaper.

I want to play Black Myth: Wukong. If I buy it now, it will cost me $90. If I’m patient and wait a few years, I could get it for a fraction of the price.

Which is exactly what I did with Doom (2016), Skyrim, and Witcher 3. I bought them all for a fraction of their initial retail price.

Now am I bothered about the backlog? No, it will all be played eventually.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Outta curiosity, why that rule? Whatever the reason, I admire the restraint lol

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

It motivates me to look through my backlog instead of get all hung ho about games I immediately buy.

I may have bought 226 games this month, but there’s also many others that deserve to be played.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

This is smart!

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

How did you get a sub-dollar average on 200 games?

I'm not shocked by the count, we hang in the same leagues, I'm impressed by the penny-pinching. Even with bundles that's a very consistently low average.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago

Bundles and sales.

Fanatical had a lot of killer sales this month.

Also, SteamDB helps you target games based on discount and price.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Sure, but... a dollar on average? Man, that's some filter-feeding purchase pattern, hardcore. Even setting the bar on 90% discount keeps the full price fare at five bucks apiece, and that low in the stack it's really hard to get enough games for fifty cents that you offset that spend. Unless you really don't mind getting shovelware for that much, and I get the impulse... it's a lot. Especially since Humble started putting a minimum spend on getting full packages it's really hard to get there. Their twelve dollar subscription bundle works out at 1.50 per game or so these days.

I'd be curious to see that game list, because I'm guessing it's quite obscure and unexpected.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

That's less than a dollar on average.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Yes, I said that up front. I'm rounding up to not have to say "eighty cents" each time.

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago

Have you played those games yet?

How do you know whether or not they are fun?

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

How many do you have in total?

[-] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

LOL. I’ve been collecting video games for nearly 40 years—almost the entirety I’ve been alive—starting with Atari 2600 carts.

So the answer is, I don’t know.

But it’s a lot. And I’m thankful Steam and GOG exists because I’m glad most of it is digital, not physical.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Okay, how about you tell us how many there are in your Steam and GOG library? Should be fairly easy to get those numbers :)

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

All right, so on Steam, it’s 7,123 collected over 12 years. This includes some free games though. Officially, Steam says I have 5,342—so I assume that’s what I’ve paid for.

On GOG, it says I have 401 games. But a large chunk of that are free games—though not a majority.

On Epic, it says I have 97 games. I have not paid for a single one.

On Xbox Game Store, it says I have seven games. I only paid for one.

On Amazon, I have three games, all free.

And on itch.io, I have three games currently installed—nothing I paid for. But I have my eye on one specific game that I might pay for.

EDIT: I guess this doesn’t count collections that exist on Steam. For example, I recently got a Castlevania Collection that’s contains nine Castlevania games.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Impressive and thank you for supporting the gaming industry this heavily

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Does it count as collecting for digital renting?

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Of course it's collecting. But it's like underwear collecting: you don't resell it.

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[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

I only buy what i like and played or play. But yeah, large list anyway.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Okay, but you know how many games became my favourite even though nobody talked about them—but I bought them because the price was right? A stunning amount.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Then don't just stare at them, play them you fool!

[-] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

Don’t worry, I’m working on that.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

You seem OK to me, it's still better than getting addicted to drugs or gambling.

You do play those games right ?

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this post was submitted on 27 May 2025

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