The 2017 Not Buying Games (or Very Few) Thread.

Continuing a recent years' tradition of threads chronicling attempts to buy less games, for whatever reason, here's the 2017 edition!

Are you challenging yourself to really hit that pile? Do you want to spend more time on less titles? Are other pursuits in your life taking priority over gaming? Or, like me, are you trying to save a big chunk of money?

Whatever your reason, if you are trying to keep your purchases down this year, this is the support group thread for you!

I'm in again, with a huge exception. The Nintendo Switch. This could throw my whole pattern of behaviors adopted in 2016 for a loop.

Currently, my only definite day one buys for 2017 are Persona 5, and Mass Effect Andromeda. A likely purchases at some point is the Final Fantasy XII remaster. Other than that, I'll be continuing to work on the backlog and save money. I ha plenty to keep me entertained for the coming year.

I'm in too. Really want to finish off some of the backlog. I will definitely be buying a Nintendo Switch as well. As for PC I haven't paid attention to what's coming in 2017. Bought about 6 games last year. Not too bad.

Totally in also.

I already posted this in the 2017 pile therapy thread, but this year I'm challenging myself to buy no more than two games between December 8th of 2016 and Black Friday in 2017. I can do it!

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I already posted this in the 2017 pile therapy thread, but this year I'm challenging myself to buy no more than two games between December 8th of 2016 and Black Friday in 2017. I can do it!

I believe in you! Sadly, I have no such faith in myself!

My worst offence in 2016 was spending £70 on Hearthstone cards. There's a game that I've found addictive to a detrimental degree, and one that I rage quit at least twice a year. Each time I chastise myself for spending yet more money on a game I love and hate in equal measure. No more! (Hopefully). Just looking at my pile, and the sheer number of gaming hours available to me, and I realise that spending more money on games would be completely unnecessary. Then there's the added burden that my family aren't exactly flush with cash. I do have approx £24 in my steam wallet at the moment, and I intend to use it for expansions for my mainstay games like CK2 or Total War. Fingers crossed, and good luck everyone!

Buying no games, I don't think I could do it - A sizable chunk of the enjoyment of the hobby for me is the research and purchase. This may seem extravagent for this thread... but rather than buying no games, I am going to set myself an arbitrary cash limit of £5 per week (I thnk that's a reasonable amount?) To be taken up front as a £260 lump sum. I shall do my best to spread that out over the entire year, but when it slowly dwindles at a quicker rate than it should and that limit is inevitably reached I shall then attempt to purchase no more games for the remainder.

Side note. PS+, gifts, and trade-ins won't count towards this cash limit.

Like I say, may seem a large sum for a thread titled "The 2017 Not buying games..." but it's a reduction for me so hope that's cool. Maybe 2018 i'll reduce it more, baby steps

I'm in. I did pretty well last year. I probably bought more games than I was aiming at but there were many games I felt an impulse to buy, just because they were the game to play at the time, but resisted and concentrated on games that really suit my tastes. I'm very much a 'play games to death' type person so I don't need many games to see me through a year.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I already posted this in the 2017 pile therapy thread, but this year I'm challenging myself to buy no more than two games between December 8th of 2016 and Black Friday in 2017. I can do it!

I bet we all have enough games in our respective piles to keep us going for many months and it's a great feeling to find a game you love in the games you already own.

Even if you over shoot on the number of games you buy the disciplines of analysing what you really want to play and resisting the initial waves of marketing and hype that accompany every major release are worth it in themselves.

I did pretty good not buying games I didn't play in 2016 up until November when I gave into the temptation of sales. Aside from a two I bought at the very end of the 2015 winter Steam sale (before I had set a clear plan for 2016), I completed all five of the games I planned on buying, and bought and finished off an additional one as well as a Kickstarter game that was released. It wasn't until September that I bought a game that has gone unplayed, then in November I snatched up another three on sale, followed by a Kickstarter game being released this month.

I plan on playing through the four games I bought and didn't play, as well as the Kickstarter one. I know at least two more Kickstarter games are supposed to be released this next year and could possibly see two more released before the end of the year.

My goal is not to buy any more game until I have finished off those.

I know my weakness is games I have some interest in that see plenty of excitement around once released. That is what happened with three of my unplanned purchases in 2016 (though I did play two of the three). Thankfully I am only aware of two games I've been watching that are going to be released this year, so I might be able to dodge that bullet... maybe...

beanman101283 wrote:

Currently, my only definite day one buys for 2017 are Persona 5, and Mass Effect Andromeda.

Yep. Persona was pre ordered before I even had a PS 4. Andromeda isn't yet but probably will be.

I'm going to limit by gaming budget to only $50 for next year......
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Unless Nintendo Switch is a huge hit.

I'm going to have a really difficult time not picking up a Nintendo Switch at launch, but I've always been happier with new platforms if I wait half a year or more before buying in.

Yeah really want to get a handle on my gaming addiction. I bought a lot of new games this year that sit basically unplayed and over Christmas that list just grew. This is a tough year considering some of the titles I have been looking forward to are coming (Mass Effect, Persona, Zelda) and the launch of the switch. I am really going to try holding off until the games can be found on sale cheaply or the end of the year.

I might have to change the way I listen to podcasts I find a lot of them get me hyped up for a game, and then I get so anxious about them being spoiled I go out it get it so I can try to avoid spoilers.

I listen to so many podcasts at work (gaming related especially) I'll have to find something based on slightly older games.

I will be happy if I can finish a game on my backlog for each new game I buy. I am not even expecting to finish the new game but I want to keep my backlog from growing.

I think I'm really gonna give this a shot in 2017 because my backlog keeps growing larger and larger. It's getting to the point that I feel idiotic for buying another game that I won't have time to play. I'm giving myself several exceptions because I know exactly how I am:

1. Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild (Wii-U)
2. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 & 2.5 (PS4)
3. Final Fantasy XII : The Zodiac Age (PS4)
4. Torment : Tides of Numenera (PC)
5. Planet Coaster (PC, at least 50% off)
6. Mass Effect : Andromeda (PS4 or XOne)

So far those are the only must-have games I can think of. I'm sure something else will come up, but dammit I am going to really try hard.

Edit: I completely spaced the new Mass Effect coming out this year. I am a huge fan of the series and have played and finished them all, no way I can stay away from this one.

I give you all credit, there is no way I could commit to buying less even considering the pile I have sitting there. My shiny new penny and gamer ADD won't allow me to not purchase.

Glycerine wrote:

I think I'm really gonna give this a shot in 2017 because my backlog keeps growing larger and larger. It's getting to the point that I feel idiotic for buying another game that I won't have time to play. I'm giving myself several exceptions because I know exactly how I am:

1. Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild (Wii-U)
2. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 & 2.5 (PS4)
3. Final Fantasy XII : The Zodiac Age (PS4)
4. Torment : Tides of Numenera (PC)
5. Planet Coaster (PC, at least 50% off)

So far those are the only must-have games I can think of. I'm sure something else will come up, but dammit I am going to really try hard.

What about KH3? Guess that's pretty much guaranteed to be 2018 at this point...

garion333 wrote:

What about KH3? Guess that's pretty much guaranteed to be 2018 at this point...

Yeah that was my thought exactly so I decided not to even put it on the list. If by some miracle it does release next year of course I won't be able to say no. I've always been a huge fan of the series, plus now I have a two year old boy who absolutely adores Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I can't wait to see how he reacts when I start playing it.

Wandered around the store today with FFXV and Driveclub in my cart, but I put them both back. As long as I don't buy anything digitally tonight, that's one month without purchases!

I stated it in the pile thread, but this year my plan is largely only one new game per month. However, I am granting myself allowances based on two factors.

1) Am I done (or close to completing) the current new game, and

2) How much time until the next game?

So theoretically, if I finish Gravity Rush 2 in two weeks, it grants me the ability to purchase a game like For Honor or Yakuza 0. However, there's other considerations in regards to pieces I want to write and videos I want to make that have me thinking it'd be better to just leave it to the one new game rule.

The obvious wrench is the release of the Nintendo Switch in March, where I will not only be purchasing Nier Automata, but at least one game to come with the new system. That's going to be the real test, I think.

This morning I got an email from Best Buy with a $5 reward certificate. Despite the fact that Best Buy has a big inventory of things that aren't games, I find myself thinking that the certificate is just going to go to waste if I don't buy a game with it.

I'm in, mainly because I need to save the gaming budget for an Xbox Scorpio purchase at EOY.

1/1/17 through 3/21/17: Mass Effect 1-3 re-playthrough (started)
Ongoing throughout: Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Smite, Steam/Xbox backlog, on and off WoW depending on updates.

Definitely:
3/21/17: Mass Effect Andromeda!!
TBD: Red Dead Redemption 2 - will it happen this year?

Maybe/Rent:
TBD: Prey - I was a HUGE fan of the original in 2006 and can't wait to see what Bethesda has cooked up.
TBD: Crackdown 3 - will it happen this year?

Oh right, I forgot RDR2 is (allegedly) out this year. That will likely be a day one purchase as well.

With Andromeda releasing so close to Persona 5, I've decided to wait on it. P5 will likely take ages to play, so I think I'm fine waiting for Andromeda's inevitable patches and DLC drops.

Ugh I really wanted to hold out thinking Mass Effect (I've been on blackout for this) was much further away then it is...this will be very hard not to pick up.

I'm probably not buying many games this year, but to be honest it has more to do with very little interesting me this year. Other than Mass Effect: Andromeda and Torment: Tides of Numenara (which I already kickstarted a while ago), there's very little that seems to pull at my wallet. Maybe The Guild 3 and Full Throttle: Remastered, but even then I have so many great games from the last couple (few) years on my pile and a bunch of games that demand replays. So it looks like 2017 is going to be a great year playing primarily older games I already have.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

This morning I got an email from Best Buy with a $5 reward certificate. Despite the fact that Best Buy has a big inventory of things that aren't games, I find myself thinking that the certificate is just going to go to waste if I don't buy a game with it.

I do that a lot. If I save money, on just about anything, the amount I save gets tagged as game money.

Rave wrote:

Ugh I really wanted to hold out thinking Mass Effect (I've been on blackout for this) was much further away then it is...this will be very hard not to pick up.

I'd wait for the reviews. There's potential for it to be a bit of a mess. I really hope not but we'll find out pretty soon.

Yeah I'll probably wait for reviews. They will have to be pretty bad though to scare me off, I love the series including 3. Short of it being skewed more to the multiplayer and less story based I can't imagine what it would take for me not to get it.

Something about the lore, sound, and art design of that series is more compelling then almost anything else I played last gen.

I REALLY hope it's good .

I've been watching so many shows and movies lately that keep reminding me of Mass Effect, either aspects of the production design or the music. I think I'm ready for Andromeda. Hopefully my finances are on an even keel by March because it's the only thing this year I really want to get.

I've got a couple of things I NEED to buy this year, like the two Warhammer 40K games that are about to come out and the Crew expansion, but that's it really. With a wedding coming up, along with a tooth implant, I REALLY need to cut back this year.