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View Full Version : The Economic Stimulus Package, the state of the video game industry, and you


Glockstar
04-25-2008, 05:42 PM
Good news, good news, and... more good news?

Firstly, W's special tax rebates are going to come earlier than expected.(!) If you elected to have your tax return refund direct deposited then your tax rebate will be direct deposited too. And you'll see the money May 2.(!) If you did the paper check thing then, well, there's a schedule (http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/Advice/SeeWhenYouWillGetATaxRebateCheck.aspx) (checks to be mailed out between May 9 and July 11 - depends on the last four of your soc.).


The purpose of this tax rebate is of course to give the US economy a little kick in the you-know-what. Whether we're in a full fledged recession or not may be debated by some, but I don't think anyone can deny that things are tougher now then than they've been in a long damn time. (Especially here in Michigan. :( )

The thing is, while everything else is slumping, the video game industry is sitting atop a veritable bed of roses (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18303).


What's ironic here is that knowing us, there's a good chance that we'll be spending this money in a place where it's not really needed: on video games. So I was just wondering: how do plan to spend yours? You don't have to answer; I'm just being nosy I know.


Myself? I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Probably just pay bills with it. Mostly. Oh I'll definitely treat myself to something... but probably nothing video game related. Not directly anyhow.

Like I'm definitely not getting a new system. If it were bigger I would get a PS3; but alas, my little tax rebate is not enough to cover that big a purchase. Oh well; don't really need/want one right now anyhow.

I suppose I could use my tax return to buy a Wii. But I want one of those even less than I want a PS3. Maybe when they drop down to, like, $150 or something... But that's not going to happen anytime soon. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6189894.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;1)

So I'm thinking about getting an external harddrive for my computer. For my song and pics and whatnot, you know. (Which I could also plug into my 360 and use it to stream songs from for my 360-custom soundtrack games.) Or maybe I'll get a wireless router. (Which of course would eventually be used to connect my 360 to Xbox Live!)

Cuddly Knife
04-25-2008, 10:12 PM
I'll probably blow mine on some stuff for my drumset. A third will for sure go to cords for my drum mics, since we have our first headlining show on the 16th of May. The rest if I can i'll save to start up a fund to build up my electronic part of my set. Or a marimba.

Rogue Bounty Hunter
04-26-2008, 05:05 AM
Good thread. I'll be getting a paper check this year.

Unsurprisingly, I'm going to save most of mine. It could go towards a car or to school (if I get accepted).

As far as gaming, I'm going to probably pick up Mario Kart for the Wii (never played a Mario Kart game). I'm itching to pick up Kingdom Under Fire again. Though I was a bit disappointed in the overall game, I miss playing it. GTA 4 and Iron Man are already taken care of, so they wouldn't go on the list.

Since all of these will be handled before a check is in the mail, I guess I can't consider these things I'm going to, huh? Well, I guess I will save the stimulus for school and/or a car.

Fivespot
04-26-2008, 07:26 AM
I plan to use my stimulus check towards a new roof. Even more fun is the fact that I'm doing my roof with friends including tear off and the whole kit and kaboodle. Saving 5K doing it myself so the hard work should pay off.

Rogue Bounty Hunter
04-26-2008, 12:13 PM
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.................

trebor
04-26-2008, 02:08 PM
I'm getting a rather large amount headed my way - I filed jointly with my wife and the little pooper is getting us a bonus. Ironically, we will turn around and pay off the rest of the hospital bills associated with the birth of the little pooper, which will be about 2/3 of what we are getting.

The rest goes into savings. But, I WILL be buying Mario Kart tomorrow - as any gamer who still has a soul should.

DrunkenThumbmaster
04-29-2008, 11:39 AM
Stop BS'ing and get a new PC I've fried the mother board in my primary one. I had the money basically set aside for the PC already I'm going with 4 gigs and 8800 I may eventually get another 88 over the summer. After this PC I won't be buying a new one for 10 years at least. If it's not powerful enough to do whatever (outside of gaming) it just doesn't need to be done.

PapaSmurf
04-29-2008, 12:35 PM
Hmmm... I'm probably going to use mine on Vegas. I turn 21 in two weeks and my friends and I have had a huge plan to hit Vegas when we were all 21 that summer. So it could be hit or miss. If I lose the money, well it's not as if I really earned it. If I gain some money, well I guess I'll be putting the majority of it in my savings.

Btw, it's times like these where I want to say thank God for financial aid at university. W/o i'd have to average work just and drop out just to make money for college for later. Also on that same note, I feel as if people in college aren't as affected by this recession. Most of us are still being taken care of whether it be by the government or our parents. I wonder what it's going to be like when I graduate and I have to actually pay for everything I do...

Fivespot
04-29-2008, 01:54 PM
I'm getting a rather large amount headed my way - I filed jointly with my wife and the little pooper is getting us a bonus. Ironically, we will turn around and pay off the rest of the hospital bills associated with the birth of the little pooper, which will be about 2/3 of what we are getting.

The rest goes into savings. But, I WILL be buying Mario Kart tomorrow - as any gamer who still has a soul should.

I was wondering if you had the baby yet. Congrats!!!

This just in. I don't have a soul. :)

Glockstar
04-29-2008, 02:48 PM
This just in. I don't have a soul. :)

I haven't had one since 1997.

Fivespot
04-29-2008, 03:03 PM
Did you trade it in for that Super Bowl win? Thanks man!!!! ;)

Glockstar
04-29-2008, 07:22 PM
LOL No man. I didn't have to; that was destiny all the way.