How Much Do You Pay for Your Hobby?

This question popped up recently on the Everquest boards: How much have you spent over time on your MMO habits? As of this moment, the moment I am writing this, I don’t know the answer. But I’ll be getting there. Let’s find out first what qualifies as MMO related expenses. There is the purchasing price for games and expansions plus subscription fees as well as cash shop purchases. Further, we have the cost for gaming computer, perhaps adjusted for use outside of gaming. Add the cost for your internet connection, again modified for non-gaming use. Fan fair visits certainly count here as well, so do books, magazine and webpage subscriptions. Maybe I am even going to attempt to calculate how much power I’ve been using to play.

Let’s go through this list of games I posted a while ago. I come up with 16 games I paid for. Add 4 for things I bought and have deleted (DAOC comes to mind). Expansions I’ve bought to the best of my knowledge only for EQ (11), EQ2(6) and WOW(3). Makes for a  total of 40 units at $50 each or $2000.- over 12 years. I’ll make a well educated guess for subscription fees and call it 2 accounts for the entire time. That’s 12 years, 12 month, $12 per month (considering rebates and lower rates in the early years), times two or $3456.-

Hardware cost is difficult to compute, since I am computer literate and tend to replace and upgrade parts between rebuilds. But usually, a part I replaced the year before I completely replaced my computer usually ends up inside the new computer anyway. I recall 4 distinctive computer towers, one CRT and 3 flat screen monitors during that period. The towers cost me $1500, $1200, $1000 and $1000 each (=$4700). Monitors were $800, $400, $250 and $250 (= $1700). Add perhaps $1000 for replacement hardware and things like surge protectors, uninterruptible power supplies and routers. And then there are 12 years of internet connection at $40 per month. And if I am honest to myself, 75% of those cost are for gaming, the remaining 25% for other uses.

Fan faire visits almost don’t register, since I’ve been to only one as a paying visitor. And that one was within driving distance from my home. Call it $200.- total. Books (Prima Everquest Guide !) and other print items account for $100 max. And occasionally I’ve maintained subscriptions for ZAM, Magelo, Ventrilo servers, or Guildportal. I am estimating this to be around $400 for the whole period. And since I am usually subscribing to the games I play, I doubt that I have spent more than $200 in item shops.

My UPS software tells me the combo of monitor and computer doesn’t use more than 500 W, which translates to $.05 per hour or roughly $100 per year. If you are a perfectionist, you’ll also have to take air conditioning into consideration, especially if you live below the Mason-Dixon Line. I’d estimate that at twice the cost of electrical energy, but only during 5-6 month per year. Call it another $100 per year.

People usually mention that going to the movies or to bars or concerts is more expensive than playing MMO’s. However, if you have to take hardware cost and internet connection into consideration, the comparison isn’t that clear cut anymore. $129 per month translates to $30 per week, which gets you to the movies more than once and restaurants and concerts are in reach as well. Given, you could save some on computer hardware, that second subscription and by not jumping onto every new game that comes around. But then again, those are all choices we make and as long as it keeps us happy…