Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby. One of the main “excuses” used for piracy is the cost of games and with rising production costs at the developer’s end, price increases are often considered during annual shareholders meetings of even big production houses like EA.

So what’s the frugal gamer to do? In this article I want to briefly point out a few great ways to feed your hobby on a small scale budget.

All of the major consoles have services that allow for alternatives to $50+retail titles: Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and Wii Ware. With prices ranging from $8 – $15 the selection is quite vast and as of late the quality of these games has really picked up. Usually you expect only a few hours of entertainment from an arcade title but multiplayer games like Battlefield 1943 can provide literally endless hours of gaming. In this post I’m going to list a few of the games I got for next to no money.

Not only has the variety and replayability improved, the quality of graphics and story telling has also been taken up a notch. Shadow Complex is a great example of an entertaining, great looking, and just plain fun game that is already being considered for Game of the Year awards, despite its low price tag.

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of these arcade titles is the fact that you purchase them online and download the game directly to your console. Not only does it save time and allow for lower prices, there’s also a hidden benefit to this: contests and giveaways.

You see, it’s a lot easier and requires less effort for a developer to hand out redeemable codes to fansites, via Twitter, or other contests. A lot less hassle is involved when all you’re doing is emailing someone a 20 letter code instead of mailing them a DVD case. As a result there’s usually an abundance of giveaways going on at any given time. I myself have won two arcade games purely by watching my Twitter account at the right time (Duke Nukem 3D, and Turtles In Time RS). On the flipside, we’ve given away quite a few redeemable codes for Battlefield 1943 over at TuxMedia.

Recently Microsoft even added Indie Games to its marketplace for an even greater variety and even lower prices (we’re talking a cup of good coffee here).

PC gamers aren’t left in the cold either as Steam has emerged as the premier service for easily accessible, affordable, high quality games. I haven’t had much experience with it but have heard only good things. Please comment if you would like to share your experiences with Steam.

In summary, if your budget is low, one solution is to purchase arcade games, or if you are truly frugal and don’t mind doing some searching, with a little luck on your side you can get quite a bit of gaming for free.

Gaming isn’t a cheap hobby. One of the main “excuses” used for piracy is the cost of games and with rising production costs at the developer’s end, price increases are often considered during annual shareholders meetings of even big production houses like EA.

So what’s the frugal gamer to do? In this article I want to briefly point out a few great ways to feed your hobby on a small scale budget.

All of the major consoles have services that allow for alternatives to $50+retail titles: Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and Wii Ware. With prices ranging from $8 – $15 the selection is quite vast and as of late the quality of these games has really picked up. Usually you expect only a few hours of entertainment from an arcade title but multiplayer games like Battlefield 1943 can provide literally endless hours of gaming. In this post I’m going to list a few of the games I got for next to no money.

Not only has the variety and replayability improved, the quality of graphics and story telling has also been taken up a notch. Shadow Complex is a great example of an entertaining, great looking, and just plain fun game that is already being considered for Game of the Year awards, despite its low price tag.

Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of these arcade titles is the fact that you purchase them online and download the game directly to your console. Not only does it save time and allow for lower prices, there’s also a hidden benefit to this: contests and giveaways.

You see, it’s a lot easier and requires less effort for a developer to hand out redeemable codes to fansites, via Twitter, or other contests. A lot less hassle is involved when all you’re doing is emailing someone a 20 letter code instead of mailing them a DVD case. As a result there’s usually an abundance of giveaways going on at any given time. I myself have won two arcade games purely by watching my Twitter account at the right time (Duke Nukem 3D, and Turtles In Time RS). On the flipside, we’ve given away quite a few redeemable codes for Battlefield 1943 over at TuxMedia.

Recently Microsoft even added Indie Games to its marketplace for an even greater variety and even lower prices (we’re talking a cup of good coffee here).

PC gamers aren’t left in the cold either as Steam has emerged as the premier service for easily accessible, affordable, high quality games. I haven’t had much experience with it but have heard only good things. Please comment if you would like to share your experiences with Steam.

In summary, if your budget is low, one solution is to purchase arcade games, or if you are truly frugal and don’t mind doing some searching, with a little luck on your side you can get quite a bit of gaming for free.

A couple of weeks back I asked my buddy Heekwon if he was interested in buying NHL 09 so we could play some hockey games over Xbox Live together. Before I even had a chance to buy it myself he went out and got it. What a friend!

I felt a little bad because it took me until yesterday to buy it myself but I’ve finally got it! I’ve only played one game so far, won the game 2-0 and also won 2 fights

So far it looks awesome and I can’t wait to start a club in EA’s online league and get some good gaming in! I’m just hoping now that I can get a one year Xbox Live Gold membership for Heekwon. I owe the guy!

NHL 09 Box Art

A couple of weeks back I asked my buddy Heekwon if he was interested in buying NHL 09 so we could play some hockey games over Xbox Live together. Before I even had a chance to buy it myself he went out and got it. What a friend!

I felt a little bad because it took me until yesterday to buy it myself but I’ve finally got it! I’ve only played one game so far, won the game 2-0 and also won 2 fights

So far it looks awesome and I can’t wait to start a club in EA’s online league and get some good gaming in! I’m just hoping now that I can get a one year Xbox Live Gold membership for Heekwon. I owe the guy!

NHL 09 Box Art

I like Technology but this is going just a little bit too far…

“Police said the victim had confronted the armed suspects and was shot. He was treated at the scene and transported to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center across the state line.”

read more | digg story

I like Technology but this is going just a little bit too far…

“Police said the victim had confronted the armed suspects and was shot. He was treated at the scene and transported to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center across the state line.”

read more | digg story

I love it when there are some benefits of this podcast we’ve been doing (Battlefield Podcast).

Got this in the mail the other day, brand new zBoard keyboards. Hooray!

I love it when there are some benefits of this podcast we’ve been doing (Battlefield Podcast).

Got this in the mail the other day, brand new zBoard keyboards. Hooray!

Our fourth installment is now available for download. Topics covered in this week’s episode are more confirmed news about Patch 1.3 for Battlefield 2, new screenshots and renders for Battlefield 2142, a petition to save BF2, our first mod overview and Q&A – with the Tactical Mod – and our weekly Tweak, Tip, and Spotlight.

read more | digg story

Our fourth installment is now available for download. Topics covered in this week’s episode are more confirmed news about Patch 1.3 for Battlefield 2, new screenshots and renders for Battlefield 2142, a petition to save BF2, our first mod overview and Q&A – with the Tactical Mod – and our weekly Tweak, Tip, and Spotlight.

read more | digg story

This is a new weekly podcast done by a couple of Battlefield 2 fans that discuss weekly news, topics of interests, exclusive interviews and connections with the community. They’ve released 2 episodes now and support is rising. Take a look, Listen to the latest episode and spread the word!

read more | digg story

This is a new weekly podcast done by a couple of Battlefield 2 fans that discuss weekly news, topics of interests, exclusive interviews and connections with the community. They’ve released 2 episodes now and support is rising. Take a look, Listen to the latest episode and spread the word!

read more | digg story

Spore is an upcoming gaming from Will Wright, the creator of Sim City and The Sims.

Spore is, at first glance, an evolution game: the player molds and guides a single-celled species across many generations, until it becomes intelligent, at which point the player begins molding and guiding a society into a spacefaring civilization. Spore’s main innovation, the basis of its scope and open-endedness, is that Wright has returned to procedural generation.

I personally can’t wait for this because it seems like it would be so different from every game I’ve played so far. Below is a 1 hour presentation from Will Wright that explains a lot about the game. Also check out the related links below.

Spore at Wikipedia
Spore Homepage

Spore is an upcoming gaming from Will Wright, the creator of Sim City and The Sims.

Spore is, at first glance, an evolution game: the player molds and guides a single-celled species across many generations, until it becomes intelligent, at which point the player begins molding and guiding a society into a spacefaring civilization. Spore’s main innovation, the basis of its scope and open-endedness, is that Wright has returned to procedural generation.

I personally can’t wait for this because it seems like it would be so different from every game I’ve played so far. Below is a 1 hour presentation from Will Wright that explains a lot about the game. Also check out the related links below.

Spore at Wikipedia
Spore Homepage

My Page on 1UP.com
Pretty interesting website. It features game reviews, previews, and articles, as well as a large online community. More interesting for me though was the fact that it allows me to keep an online collection of my games. If you’re into meeting new people who play the same games you do, check it out.

My Page on 1UP.com
Pretty interesting website. It features game reviews, previews, and articles, as well as a large online community. More interesting for me though was the fact that it allows me to keep an online collection of my games. If you’re into meeting new people who play the same games you do, check it out.

PC Gamer Podcast
The PC Gamer Podcast is just another podcast, but it’s about PC gaming and it’s brought to us by the creators of the PC Gamer magazine. Basically you just download an MP3 file and listen to the online radio newscast. Pretty interesting stuff sometimes.Games

PC Gamer Podcast
The PC Gamer Podcast is just another podcast, but it’s about PC gaming and it’s brought to us by the creators of the PC Gamer magazine. Basically you just download an MP3 file and listen to the online radio newscast. Pretty interesting stuff sometimes.Games

NHL 06 | EBgames.com
So I tried NHL 06 last night. It promises to be the most fun since NHL 94, which would be great. Lately the series has suffered from arcade settings and extremely unrealistic gameplay. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like that has improved. However, by far the worst problem plaguing the game lately is the limited way to configure your controller. I have a Logitech gamepad with a D-pad, 2 analog sticks, 6 buttons and 4 thumb buttons. For some stupid reason I can only assign 4 of the 6 buttons the way I want; the other 2 appear to be hardcoded to control the ingame music player (!!!!). Pisses me off. Must bother EA and have them explain this tenacity…

NHL 06 | EBgames.com
So I tried NHL 06 last night. It promises to be the most fun since NHL 94, which would be great. Lately the series has suffered from arcade settings and extremely unrealistic gameplay. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like that has improved. However, by far the worst problem plaguing the game lately is the limited way to configure your controller. I have a Logitech gamepad with a D-pad, 2 analog sticks, 6 buttons and 4 thumb buttons. For some stupid reason I can only assign 4 of the 6 buttons the way I want; the other 2 appear to be hardcoded to control the ingame music player (!!!!). Pisses me off. Must bother EA and have them explain this tenacity…

Wired 13.09: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Bot

In the booming world of online poker, anyone can win. Especially with an autoplaying robot ace in the hole. Are you in, human?

It’s late one Wednesday afternoon, and CptPokr is logged on to PartyPoker.com and ready to play. Onscreen, the captain exudes a certain brash charisma – broad shoulders, immaculate brown hair, restless animatronic eyes. He looks like he should be playing synth in Kraftwerk. Instead, he is seated at a virtual table with nine other avatars, wagering on limit Texas hold ‘em.

There’s plenty at stake. An estimated 1.8 million gamblers around the world ante up for online poker every month. Last year, poker sites raked in an estimated $1.4 billion, an amount expected to double in 2005.

Ever since the aptly named accountant Chris Moneymaker parlayed a $40 Internet tournament buy-in into a $2.5 million championship at the World Series of Poker in 2003, card shark wannabes have been chasing their fantasies onto the Net. Some even quit their day jobs and try to make a living at online poker. And why not? This shadowy world is driven by no less a force than the great American dream. As the tournament’s motto goes, “Anyone can win.” There’s one problem, though, as CptPokr is about to demonstrate: The rules of the game are different online.

CptPokr is a robot. Unlike the other icons at the table, there is no human placing his bets and playing his cards. He is controlled by WinHoldEm, the first commercially available autoplaying poker software. Seat him at the table and he will apply strategy gleaned from decades of research. While carbon-based players munch Ding Dongs, yawn, guzzle beer, reply to email, take phone calls, and chat on IM, CptPokr (a pseudonym) is running the numbers so it will know, statistically, when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.

Wired 13.09: On the Internet, Nobody Knows You’re a Bot

In the booming world of online poker, anyone can win. Especially with an autoplaying robot ace in the hole. Are you in, human?

It’s late one Wednesday afternoon, and CptPokr is logged on to PartyPoker.com and ready to play. Onscreen, the captain exudes a certain brash charisma – broad shoulders, immaculate brown hair, restless animatronic eyes. He looks like he should be playing synth in Kraftwerk. Instead, he is seated at a virtual table with nine other avatars, wagering on limit Texas hold ‘em.

There’s plenty at stake. An estimated 1.8 million gamblers around the world ante up for online poker every month. Last year, poker sites raked in an estimated $1.4 billion, an amount expected to double in 2005.

Ever since the aptly named accountant Chris Moneymaker parlayed a $40 Internet tournament buy-in into a $2.5 million championship at the World Series of Poker in 2003, card shark wannabes have been chasing their fantasies onto the Net. Some even quit their day jobs and try to make a living at online poker. And why not? This shadowy world is driven by no less a force than the great American dream. As the tournament’s motto goes, “Anyone can win.” There’s one problem, though, as CptPokr is about to demonstrate: The rules of the game are different online.

CptPokr is a robot. Unlike the other icons at the table, there is no human placing his bets and playing his cards. He is controlled by WinHoldEm, the first commercially available autoplaying poker software. Seat him at the table and he will apply strategy gleaned from decades of research. While carbon-based players munch Ding Dongs, yawn, guzzle beer, reply to email, take phone calls, and chat on IM, CptPokr (a pseudonym) is running the numbers so it will know, statistically, when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.

If I get my wish…

If I get my wish…

AMD 64 3500+
1GB DDR400 PC3200 Ram
BFG Gefore 6800 GT
200GB 7200 RPM Harddrive
16x DVD-RW Drive
52x CD-ROM Drive

AMD 64 3500+
1GB DDR400 PC3200 Ram
BFG Gefore 6800 GT
200GB 7200 RPM Harddrive
16x DVD-RW Drive
52x CD-ROM Drive

I also got my hands on a copy of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and I can’t wait to try it out. It’s supposed to be way bigger than the previous games. Now I just have to find the time to try it out

I also got my hands on a copy of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and I can’t wait to try it out. It’s supposed to be way bigger than the previous games. Now I just have to find the time to try it out