Like some of you, when I was a kid, I distinctly remember seeing all of the ads on television for the Nintendo Entertainment System and several of its games. Each time they came on, I was filled with excitement and longed for the day when I would own a square, gray box of my own. It wasn't until my grandparents' Christmas gift of a faulty telescope in 1987, that I was able to turn "misfortune" into gaming gold with the help of my older cousin and via the Customer Service Department at Brendle's. My parents were not pleased, but somehow my crafty maneuver paid off and I was able to keep it. And so began, not only my love for the NES, but a kind of gaming resourcefulness that would last a lifetime.

Enter 2015, a 38-year old gamer with a wife, two kids (another on the way), a new dog, a mortgage, and the same zest for gaming since he gave up the ability to look at the stars.  Though unable to peer into space, several years ago, instead I began filling space with a collection that now consists of approximately 2,585 games across 35+ systems, and a great deal of accessories and controllers. Collecting has become a hobby and being able to now own systems and games I could only dream of during my very humble childhood and share them with my friends and family gives me great joy.  As I've gotten older and earned greater responsibility, money has to be disbursed through various necessary channels and the appeal of buying new systems and games with my disposable income has greatly waned.  Some might call this being "cheap," but that's really not the case at all. For me, there are various reasons why I choose to wait to purchase systems and typically stay a generation (and sometimes two generations behind). 



Let me start off by saying that the purpose of this piece is not to be critical of anyone who purchases new systems or games at launch.  This article was conceived to simply show the economics and reasoning behind what makes the scale tilt one way over the other for me. People who pay full retail certainly have a great passion for gaming and certainly reap some great benefits that come along with getting in early. In the modern age, someone who collects like I do risks the possibility of missing out on downloads if shops and servers close down for a particular console. I also miss out on the experience of playing games when they are hot and joining in on exciting discussions via on-line forums and with other friends who game.  Likewise, I've completely missing out on on-line multi-player. Though this factor is probably the least important to me (as I prefer couch co-op), it's certainly something that anyone who collects like I do has to consider when weighing out their options.  However, the factor that bothers me on a personal level the most is my lack of knowledge I have when it comes to newer games.  I often exchange texts with several members on this site and any time a new game becomes the topic, I have little to offer to the conversation. Even when podcasting with my buddies on the Playcast or Collectorcast, I fear that the topic of newer games or systems will come up and I will have little, if noting, to offer.  These limitations probably only scratch the surface of the things I am missing out on, but it's a choice I've made and it's what works best for me.

I recently thought up the idea for this article during my recent foray into collecting for the XBox 360. As some of you may know, I received one of my first last generation consoles last year, the PS3.  I've really enjoyed this system and in the back of my mind, I've always been interested in the exclusives for its contemporary.  A few weeks ago, I had noticed that prices on the 360 and its games had really plummeted and realized that now was as good a time as ever to pick one up. With a little research and of course using my RF Generation friends as resources, I was able to make a decision about which model would suit me best. Well, I went out of town last weekend to go game hunting with a friend and we happened to stop at a random pawn shop who had a great surplus of 360's and was liquidating them for the holidays. For a complete in box, 4GB (S) system, $55 was a kind of no brainer. Before I give a breakdown of the overall savings I have and hope to accomplish during this new venture (which is obvious, but maybe not as drastic as you may perceive), let me tell you a little about the other benefits of waiting for these prices to fall that you may not have considered:

Multi-Platform Titles:
Though it has exclusivity of games has dropped on a greater scale than what it was years ago, it's still a thing for many of the older series and even a few new ones.  A great amount of games (especially those on Playstation and XBox) are multi-platform titles. However, this doesn't always mean that the games being released on different systems don't play differently or have additional perks/downfalls over one another. As most of you know, sometimes games are just better on one platform as opposed to another and it has been this way for decades.  Having a few years of on-line reviews and trusted friends opinions on which version is better is a great asset and often leads to a more enjoyable and money-saving gaming experience.

Avoiding the Launch Day Blues:
The hype and excitement generated by a new game or system can have a great impact on your gaming enjoyment.  I'm sure some of you have seen trailers of games/systems, gotten overly excited about a release, stood in line for a midnight release (maybe even in the elements), rushed home to play your new game/system, and within hours, or even minutes, have been greatly disappointed with your purchase.  It's probably happened to all of us at one point or another, and it doesn't help that some media outlets have been paid for favorable reviews (we know it happens).  The benefit of waiting to purchase a game/system is not always the economics, but also the time it allows for me to have a better understanding of whether or not a game is good or something that I would enjoy.  Instead of allowing per-release media and trailers to color my perception of a game, I can wait to see actual, real-time gameplay footage and view positive and negative criticism from friends and reviewers that I trust.  The legacy of a "good" game/system is not established at the beginning, but is a process that should stand the test of time.

System/Game Failures:
One of the reasons that I held off for so long in purchasing a 360 was due to the constant reports of system failure that I heard about.  No one who follows modern gaming is a stranger to the phrase, "The Red Ring of Death," and I'm sure that most of you either experienced this misfortune or at least know someone who did. Systems are not the only things prone to failure, and with wi-fi and the ability to now download content, game developers can now release "unfinished" or under-tested products that can be patched at a later date. While patches can be a great benefit in fixing unfounded production issues after a game has been released, some games (often the more unpopular ones) have low sales and/or fix demand, and may be written off by developers who do not want to spend the resources or time to make the game any better. Without the benefit of hindsight, launch consumers must take on the added risk of system and/or game failure.  While the majority of the time, there are few if no issues, this is certainly something that has to be weighed out by those who choose to jump in early.

Ability to Put Money Toward Rarer/Retro Titles:
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that waiting on system/game purchases saves money. It's simple economics, as demand goes down, prices follow suit (we will get to the hard numbers in a few moments).  If you're a collector, saving money in one area, means that you can put more expendable income toward other things. In my case, it typically goes toward retro games. With some retro games, the launch price is far exceeded by present value (insert my growing frustration with obtaining Flintstones at Dinosaur Peak and Little Samson here); if you're a collector, the means to the end is likely unavoidable, unless you are lucky and/or have a good circle of collecting friends looking out for you.  So what better way to acquire older and more time-tested games, than to waiting on current generation purchases and putting your savings toward them.


The Economics:
As I mentioned earlier, the recent purchase of my XBox 360 is what spawned the idea for this article. I don't think this piece would be complete without displaying the hard numbers behind my decision to wait to this point to begin my collection.  Please note that this far, I have only purchased my system, 250GB of additional memory, and two games (the additional games are those I plan to purchase soon). Launch prices for the system, the memory, and HD cable were researched online and the game prices are current as of 11/24/15 at Gamestop online.  I felt that using Gamestop was a fair way to get pricing, since it seems to be the most convenient and popular place to obtain last generation games.  As a result, the prices for these games could fluctuate some in terms of where they are purchased and if there are any discounts or sales available.  Prices paid or expected to be paid for this system and games do not include tax, which would only make the savings greater.

System:
Boxed XBox 360 4GB Slim w/ controller - $199.99   ($55*)
Additional Memory (250GB) - $129.99   ($34*)
HD cable - approx. $25 (free w/ console purchase*)

Total launch price: $354.98
Total amount I paid: $89.00
Approximate amount saved: $265.98

Games:
Akai Katana - $7
Alan Wake - $10
Blue Dragon - $13
Crackdown - $3
Crackdown 2 - $10
Deathsmiles - $5
Gears of War - $3
Gears of War 2 - $5
Gears of War 3 - $5
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom - $3
Lost Odyssey - $10
Raiden Fighters Ace - $5
Raiden IV - $10
Wartech: Senko no Ronde - $1
XBox 360 Triple Pack - $10

Grand Total: $100 + tax

The standard for new games seems to be in the ball park of $60-$65 + tax.  However, I understand that not all games are released at this price, so I have chosen to use what I feel is a very conservative number in $50 per game.  If I had purchased all 14 of the above games at their launch, I would have paid around $750 + tax, give or take. Compared to what I will pay for these games (not factoring in Gamestop or other local store sales), I will save around $650 at the least.

Total System w/ Accessories & Games Savings: $915.98 


Though this will not be the end all, be all of my 360 collection, I hope that this article will provide an thought-provoking insight as to my (and possibly other gamers) reasons for waiting to purchase systems and games.  As my knowledge of the games and add-ons available for the 360 increases, my collection and savings will only grow. What are some of your favorite titles for the 360 that I should be on the lookout for?

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