Time for Math

Okay, I feel it's time to crunch a few numbers.

Since I began this challenge two and something years ago, I've set out to finish as many incomplete games as I possibly could. At the same time, I've had to have a lot of restraint in the games I purchase. Naturally, I left myself an opening to buy a new game for each old game I beat. Up to now it has not been the case that I have bought a new game for each old game I beat.

I will now venture to make an estimate of my expenses over time since the challenge began.

Since this challenge began I have bought the following games:
Portal and Portal 2 on Steam.
Metroid Other M
Batman Arkham City (PS3)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Playstation All Stars: Battle Royale (PS3)
Borderlands 2 (PS3)
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition (PS3)

Now,  just for the sake of argument, let's take a quick look at the games I've beaten since this whole thing started (bear in mind that I have a full time job, friends, a life, and my precious wife and all these things vie for my attention and my time. It might seem like very few games for a tad over two years. End disclaimer)

De Blob

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Batman Arkham Asylum 

Beatles RockBand

Bionic Commando
Borderlands

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Final Fantasy V

Dead Nation 

Devil May Cry

F-Zero GX
God of War III
Katamari Damacy

The Legend of Zelda (NES)

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Kid Icarus

Little Big Planet
Mario Kart Double Dash

Mega Man X

Mega Man X2

Mega Man X3

Mega Man X4

Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid 3

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Portal

Portal 2

That's eight bought versus twenty-seven beaten. Now, financially speaking, I was spending some real money on games before. Not a criminal amount. The repo man wasn't knocking on my door. I was savvy about discounts and I used gift cards from my rewards credit card as much as I could. I tried to find other sources of money to offset the expense. Still, I believe this has saved me a lot.

Case in point, the games I have bought. Total spent on games since January 2012, after shopping around for deals, gift cards, and rewards discounts, a total of eight games: $104.47

That's $52 per year. That's less than one new release! One copy of COD Ghosts on opening day would have set me back more than that.

This makes me feel good. I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. I am by no means advocating that everyone should put themselves through this kind of punishment, but at the same time everyone I tell about this challenge has had very good things to say. They tell me about their own piles of shame. Sometimes it's games, sometimes it's books or DVDs or blurays –I myself have piles of shame in all of those categories. They can relate with the endeavor. The feeling of satisfaction I'm getting from not only playing these games, but also from actually putting the products of my life energy to use, the life energy that I had to expend to obtain the capital that allowed me to purchase these games and then went unplayed, the satisfaction of knowing I'm doing something with that now, is a fantastic feeling. Even if it is mostly sitting on my couch.