Fighting recession with obsession.

 It's hard to argue that there's a good percentage of us gamers that are just complete nerds. It's not a bad thing for the most part, though it's easy to pop onto the internet and find a few good reasons why it can be embarrassing to the collective given the right YouTube clip or Google image search. In this recession, I've often wrote about why it's a terrific time for people to get into gaming. Terms like "recession-proof" have been popping up, and it won't take you long to find an article here or there about how people are investing more time into their gaming to fight the recession.

 I kid you not. Articles are out there telling you to spend money on games to fight the economy.

 They are right.

 The first thought on anyone's mind when you bring this idea up is the cost of gaming. Dropping, at minimum, $200 for a brand new system and $50-60 on a game to go with it doesn't seem like a good way to save money, but if you're willing to overlook the stigma that is "nerdy gamers", you might just find yourself agreeing with the millions of gamers worldwide that find it to be a little fun.

 First, you have to consider that the major costs involved with gaming are simply for the first step. Once you have your system, the worst is out of the way. Beyond that, you'd be surprised how cheap the games actually are in comparison to most other things out there. Some people fill their tank for as must as it costs to buy a decent game, so it's not like dropping that cash is something you don't do twice a week anyway. It's also fairly true that while most people are trying to save a buck here and there, little purchases like coffee and soda add up to about that much over the course of a week. If that weren't true, Starbucks would be out of business and Coke would be putting on a major hurting.

 You're still skeptical, and that's fine, but we can bring those costs down even more when you figure some of the cheaper ways to game. Say you're not up for a brand new game. You can go used, which is the obvious choice, but there's even better options out there. Rentals may seem like they're going out of style, but in truth, rentals are a terrific way to save a little cash here and there for some week-long fun. Blockbuster is a terrible place to get your rentals, and probably why they're taking a nosedive in the profits, but Movie Gallery and even your local rental stores can probably get you a five-day rental for $5. Not bad, especially when you consider that you usually get free rentals the more times you check something out.

 Options get even better when you take GameFly into consideration, a company that provides a Netflix like service for gamers. It's an extremely cheap way to play games you want for as long as you want, keeping your personal expenditure on games under a pre-set budget depending on which plan you sign up for.
When it comes down to it, you're getting to play games for as long as they have value to you at a price that is cheaper than most people spend on their World of Warcraft accounts. Expect to spend about $10-15 a month.

 Though a little shady, there are also other ways to get your gaming fix without committing to a purchase. GameStop practically tells you that you can use their store as a rental shop. Purchase a used game, and you have 30 days to play it, beat it, get all the trophies, and get bored with it. So long as you bring it back before the 30 days are up, you can swap it for a different game and do the exact same thing. This is a terrific idea for RPG freaks out there who want to play newer games but don't need to have the physical copy on their hands until they have the spare cash and the prices come down.

 This is all gamer lingo, however. Why would any of this be of value to anyone but current gamers?

 Well, first of all, there's an actual lesson to be learned from all of this cost banter. Most of the options above are easily incorporated into good budgeting, something our country didn't do in the first place to prevent this mess. A GameFly account is the definition of a good budget, allowing someone to preset their gaming costs every month. Even just taking the rental route and assuming one game per week, you're only talking about setting aside an extra $20 a month. Responsibly abiding by that limitation is just a great reminder to everyone that they can have fun as long as they budget accordingly and stick to a plan.

 This isn't just about a single guy's monthly budget, either. Families can easily pass this down to their kids by teaching these standards. When I was a kid, my parents never let me rent more than one game at a time, and I could only rent a game once a week on Friday. It's a good routine to get into, and since the quality of gaming has risen an awful lot since I was a kid, I could only imagine that it would teach a child to care a little more about finishing the game they have rather than thinking about the fifteen other releases on the shelf. Obviously, they can't get them all.

 Gaming isn't even for the kids anymore. Especially with the Wii, gaming can truly be a lot of fun for the family. Bash the Wii's Mario Kart all you want, it's still an easy way to get every member of the family playing for at least a few races. Mario Party can be just as fun for the family as it can be for a room full of drunks. At the very least, even if the parents don't want to play, what's possible with games certainly makes for a good conversation piece. Just bringing the Wii over to my family one Christmas got them all in one room together for several hours. Occasionally the older crowd would try something out, but they mainly left it up to the kids. Yet, everyone was talking and no one was desperate to leave the room to do their own thing. They say that the recession is supposed to be bringing families back home, and while I doubt that's really happening as much as people would like it to, things like the Wii can help facilitate that.

 The best thing about games these days is that there truly is something for everyone. While I can't stand the glut of crappy games out there (Hell's Kitchen, anyone?), I have to commend companies like Atlus for mixing the norm up a little. So you're not a fighter, not an FPS'r, and you don't like traditional RPG's, there's still something there for you. Persona 4 still manages to be a fundamentally great RPG while adding in anime/dating sim elements that a non-gamer can still follow and be interested in. Trauma Center takes a completely different approach and uses hand-eye coordination to perform surgeries. They even have a a couple of less-mature titles that carry an art style and story that children can follow and maintain interest in, even if they don't know how you're actually playing the game.

 That's just one company. There's fishing, cooking, racing, full dating sims, game shows, Rock Band/SingStar...the list goes on. You may not have grown up playing Mario and Sonic games, but you don't need to know how to quarter-circle-back just to play a game anymore. There are options.

 These options also come packed. Going to the theatre costs $12, and that's going alone without popcorn, and you rarely get more than two hours of entertainment. Short games these days take ten hours to beat on average, and most of the time, the game still doesn't stop there. Replay value has become a major selling point to most developers, and that was before the recession. If you read a couple of reviews and pick a style of game you enjoy playing, there's a very good chance that the game you'll choose has much more than just the main story/game mode.

 $60 may seem like a lot, but as long as you remember avoid the calories and to get up off your butt and take a jog every now and then, you'll find yourself spending less time driving and throwing money around on shopping therapy. Games offer a lot of content, so one game is practically a hobby in itself. An RPG, for example, used to take 40 hours to finish. These days, 60 is considered the norm, and any good RPG developer crams in extra side-quests on top of that. That's a lot of value, so long as it's a game that interests you. An hour or two a day is truly something that relieves stress just like any other hobby. I know that most gamers throw that two hour limit out the window, but if you're not one of them, that's the perfect thing.

 Games get just as much bad press as it does good press, and it's a real shame that things have to be that way. I could completely understand why a non-gamer just wouldn't be interested, but for the most part, this recession is a great time to re-evaluate why you're NOT playing a game in your spare time. If you're still not convinced, here are some misconceptions that I will quickly refute:

Games are for geeks
 First, geeking out isn't just something for gamers. People geek out over all kinds of things. Being addicted to a TV series is the same thing. You enjoy something, and that's OK. Sure, somebody will take it over the top, but that happens in every medium. The quiet, polite, responsible gamers out there get no press. There is no difference between enjoying a game and enjoying Lost, solitaire, or discussing a movie at work. Chances are, something you like was translated into a game at some point anyway.

Games breed stupidity and violence
 Not all games are violent. Take Mini Ninjas, for example. Ninjas, by nature, are violent, but the second you see your first "kill" turn into a cute little fox instead of an explosion of blood, you'll understand that even violence in games isn't always psychotic. That game is so freakishly charming, cute, and fun to play, I'd almost challenge you to find an excuse to not hand it to your eight year old. That's just a ninja game. Unless you have a pre-existing issue where you find it necessary to lodge a plastic guitar into someone's skull, chances are that Rock Band won't make you crazy.
 They also aren't stupid. Some games have really elaborate systems that demand rocket-science brains and insane patience, most games will challenge your hand-eye coordination on different levels, and if you haven't seen the amount of educational games out there, you're obviously not paying attention. Also, games aren't as simplistic as they used to be. It's almost impossible these days to find a game that doesn't draw history, literature, or art into its game design. Even the sword you use to slay the final boss in most games is a sword inspired by legends that have been around long before video games.

Games are too complicated to learn
 Look, if you've never played a game before, you won't be raking up points in Halo anytime soon. I won't argue that most games are complicated, but there's a good number of games our there that are just as complex and fun as any other game while remaining as simple to use as possible. If you doubt your ability, try out a friend's Wii Sports. If you can't figure that game out, then you are right that games are too complicated for you, but if you find yourself having fun, rest assured that there are several games out there that are just as easy to play.

Games lead to obesity
 Yes and no. If you have the personal restraint to NOT chug a gallon of Mountain Dew's Game Fuel to chase down that bag of Funyuns you just ate, then you have nothing to worry about. If you find a game you like, then yes, you might just find yourself sitting on the couch for two hours, but I've never heard anyone bash schools or knitting clubs for this. If you feel lazy, turn the game off, and if you need game munchies, make a veggie tray.
 Games can actually be very healthy right now. Relief from stress is good for your health, period. Ask your doctor. The Wii can sometimes even be a workout in itself. Also, I'm not a shrink, but parents out there could also take advantage of games to improve the quality of their children's everyday lives.  By associating healthy habits into a gaming routine, it's more likely they will incorporate them earlier rather than later, and it's better that they learn it at home.

Gaming is antisocial
 This last complaint is more of a reflection of the player than anything else. There are many things people like to do on their own, and some games are just meant for that. Not all games, however. Many games allow for multiple players both in the same room as you and across the country. It's a personal choice as to how you feel about your gaming experience, but it doesn't make you antisocial. Games will not suck the life out of you if you don't want them to. They tend to tailor themselves to your personal style of play nowadays. If you are stuck at home for three hours with nothing to do, then you can put that much time into a game and even have the option of playing with your friends online. If you're a social person with lots of friends and things to do, even games you would never play have options specifically designed to let you put in only the time you have so that you never have to brush anyone off.
 And, as with anything in life, just use restraint.

 Let's wrap this up with a textbook summary.

 These days, the gaming world goes out of their way to design games so that anyone can find something they might like, and it's not nearly expensive as you think. If you're thinking of a better way to ride through the recession, then it doesn't get much better than a good video game. The value in owning a game has never been higher, with each game release offering more content that will last even after a couple of weeks. If you're just coming on board to the whole gaming scene, don't be afraid to try it out. Games are meant to be fun and reduce stress, and while it's true there are "hardcore" games specifically designed to challenge and frustrate, that's not the way it is all the time. The recession has given everyone a grey hair or two, and who couldn't use a little hobby on the side that keeps you out of shopping malls? There are games out there that provide a fun experience not just for one person, but for a whole household. As with any purchase, do your homework and research what you are going to purchase, or try it out at your local video store. If you do this, you might find that you're smiling your way through the recession, knowing that you're having fun without flushing your money down the toilet, and maybe even get some good family time in there. Digg It Stumble it ! Reddit