Some of my favorite memories from my previous church involve the game nights we used to have. At the time, I was pretty terrible at first-person shooters but managed to learn enough to get into the games and play decently, which helped to make things fun. By far the coolest game “night” was the 10 hours of Halo we all played for my best friend’s bachelor party.
I’ve been rocking the Playstation 3 now for about 4 years, and by “rocking”, I mean playing a few games here and there. Currently I own just one game, Black Ops 2. With Black Ops 4 coming out in August and roommates who enjoy Call of Duty WWII, I’ve started imagining buying a PS4 and bringing the old game nights back.
There’s just one problem: I’m a cheap-ass.
Here’s the deal. A new 500gb PS4 costs $270. Buying used or refurbished only saves you about $10. I prefer the white model, but this is less common and usually costs slightly more. Now, the 1tb PS4 Pro, in white, is available for $400. I can get it new and shiny and up-to-date, and that is the temptation. But I’m also not a big gamer, so it seems absurd to spend so much money on something that will likely play a very small roll in my life.
Here are some factors:
- Whether I’m paying $270 or $400, the console will only be used for 2-4 games at most because there isn’t much I care to play. This boils down to a high cost-per-use
- I’m assuming that I can actually get people over here for a game night
- The PS4 isn’t really for me. It’s for community, for other people. If I’ve been fine with the PS3 for so long, why am I getting picky trying to “go big” on a console I’m really only buying for other people?
- If there is one thing I want to change about my life right now, it is my weight and my physical fitness. The last thing I need are games to convince me to sit on my butt. And game nights usually come with copious amounts of pizza and soda. This can be great on rare occasions, but is this really what I want on a consistent basis?
I’m probably going to wait this one out for awhile. I’m tempted to “treat” myself because I “deserve it” and “have the money”, but those are all dumb reasons, though they may be emotionally appealing.
Here are some alternate solutions if I really want to do game nights:
- There are two PS3s in this house, so a big game night here requires one more copy of Black Ops 2 and that is it. Even more realistically, there are enough controllers for me to have three friends over.
- Many friends have PS4s. If I really want to host, I could ask them to bring theirs over.
- I could ask my friends to host (ok, not likely, but you never know until you ask)
- Game nights are fun, but so is hiking and watching movies
It’s possible I may still buy one someday, but I think I will be waiting for a really good deal first. Or maybe I will cave in? Yes, I’m always behind on video games, but who cares? Right now, I’d rather use the money to visit my sister and her family, or take a Hebrew class, or trip around Colorado (one of my all-time favorite trips cost me ~$350). I just can’t justify the current prices knowing how little I will use it and how low of a priority video games are for me. It is also worth noting that it will still cost me an extra $60 to play online and additional money for games as well as additional controllers. Video game consoles typically have very high extended costs.