Surviving the Steam Holiday Sale - Day One

The Steam Sales are something that we all anticipate with equal amounts of excitement and fear. How many awesome games will be reduced? How many of them will I have already paid full price for a few days before? Will I end up spending my life savings on games I never looked twice at before? We’ve all been there, and the Holiday Sale is no exception.

With a name like Holiday Sale, you almost feel compelled to buy stuff, you know, it’s the holidays, you deserve it, right? Of course you damn well do, you made it through the year! Only problem is, you’re already in debt from all the presents you had to buy for family and friends, and the random people you drew in your work’s Secret Santa that you spoke to once that time by the coffee machine. So seeing all these great deals come up becomes a bit of a balancing act. It’s almost like an equation really.

Where X = happiness:

X = (Game you really want + Great deal) > Amount of debt you can afford to bury yourself in.

Sometimes though, you have to draw the line, and for me, this is one of those times. I have well and truly tightened my purse strings, about to attempt something that may not even be possible: surviving the Steam Holiday Sale without one purchase. Every day, as I browse the sale, I will do so with the goal that I cannot buy anything, because I simply cannot afford to. The best part is, you guys will get to watch me squirm as I let the games slip through my fingers. So whether you want to support or mock, come join me on my tortuous journey!

DAY ONE - 19th December, 2013:

Of course on the first day there was bound to be something I really wanted. Three times I have passed up on Bioshock Infinite, each time telling myself, “I’ll get it next time”. Well no I won’t, instead I will sit here scowling at the screen knowing full well that once again, the adventures of Booker and Elizabeth will not be mine to enjoy! Bah!

At least the others aren’t overly appealing: I already own Dishonored, although The Stanley Parable is somewhat intriguing. I’ll just watch the trailer... okay yeah now I want it, great, smooth move. The rest are still a bit more than I would dish out anyway even if I wasn’t Steam Sale fasting, although that Typing of the Dead Overkill looks horrifically funny and creepy all at once... and for £7.49...

No, it’s okay, it’s not that bad. Bioshock Infinite aside, today’s deals aren’t total must-buys, so I’m feeling pretty positive. Good start, should probably start bracing myself for the next two weeks.