When you compare it to art collecting or wine tasting, gaming is a pretty wallet-friendly hobby. However, there are still plenty of us who wince a little when a new title comes out that could do with being about half the price. Whether you have an enormous library of games and shell out hundreds of dollars a month on your hobby, or you give yourself a five-dollar playing fund each week to spend as you choose, there are always ways to save a little here and there. Here are some of the most effective ways to help your hobby cost you even less.

Look Out for Sales

Although this is an obvious one, sometimes we need reminding, sales are important. You need to have a little willpower in order for this to work, but the savings you make are instant, large, and incredibly gratifying. How many times have you splashed out a little more than you would’ve liked on a new game, only to see it appear at half price in the Steam sale a month or so down the line? Knowing you could’ve saved 50% on the purchase price, would it have been worth the wait? If the answer is no then by all means carry on, but if that amount of money would make a difference to you then seriously consider waiting a few months and regularly checking the game sales.

Investigate User Made Content

Expansion packs, modifications, and extra content are great. They can bring a new lease of life to an old game, making it feel fresh and interesting again. If you’re weighing up whether it’s worth buying an expansion pack or splashing out on a whole new base game, then in monetary terms, the expansion pack is often going to win. However, sometimes you might not need to pay for an expansion at all! The gaming world is filled with incredibly talented people who spend hours and hours creating amazing new content and then giving it away for free. If you want to get your hands on it then look for forums about the game which feature user-made content. Sometimes it’ll be a little glitchy, and if it is, you just uninstall it. Often though, it really is a brilliant addition to your base game and it’s totally free.

Swap Paid Games for Free Versions

If online casinos are your game of choice then you have to expect that your hobby will cost you a little from time to time. The return to player ratio on the majority of online slot machines hovers at around 95%, meaning that over time you’re likely to spend money. Of course, if you just enjoy playing for the fun of it and aren’t interested in the monetary rewards then there is another method you can use. At casinos.co.za a whole list of online casinos that offer free slots is available. This means that you can play the exact same titles that you enjoy playing for real money, but without even having to make a deposit. The drawback is obvious, you can’t win any money, but the benefit is that you can’t lose any either, meaning your hobby is likely to cost you less.

Become a Beta Tester

If you love having the newest games then gaming as a hobby starts to become quite a bit more expensive. Whilst older titles will end up in the sales more often and will have more user-made content available, the new releases aren’t going to be being reduced in price for a considerable amount of time. If you just can’t bear waiting for one to drop in price then why not consider getting in before everyone else and becoming a beta tester? You will likely experience glitches within the game, and for many a vastly reduced number of gameplay options, but you’ll get a free taste of what the finished game will be like and you can genuinely be a part of helping it progress.