Gamers Spend less now than Five Years Ago, Turn to Second Hand, Avoid Release Window to Save Money

The yearly average spend for gamers has dropped over the last five years, a survey from VoucherCodesPro has revealed. While a little over a quarter of the gamers questioned still claimed to buy at least one game a month, over half of those surveyed said they are buying less games now than they were five years ago.

Only a fifth said they only bought titles that really interested them, and 1% claimed to buy games weekly. Now there’s a one percent I wouldn’t mind being a part of. Meanwhile, the survey revealed that most gamers are buying second hand, borrowing from friends or waiting until the release price drops before buying in a bid to save money. A massive 74% of those surveyed said that new games are too expensive. Perhaps it’s easy to counter that buyy saying that this is how developers make a profit, but looking at the overwhelming support for the second hand market, it’s hard to believe they are making a profit at this point.

George Charles, of VoucherCodesPro, issued a statement. From the press release:

“Tight economic circumstances have meant cutting down in all aspects of day-to-day life. But it seems that gamers have been savvy enough to get around their lack of spare cash and still enjoy their hobby. You might be bursting with anticipation for an upcoming release but it might be wiser to wait if you don’t want to burst your wallet.

“It’s in the game maker’s interest to raise anticipation for a new release, but if you can avoid getting caught up in the excitement then it could be worth your while. Buying second-hand, borrowing off a friend or waiting for a price drop are all viable money saving methods. After all, the release won’t change after being sat on the shelf for a few more weeks. Patience is a virtue and extra money in the pocket isn’t a bad thing either.”