What kind of achievements/trophies do you have that enable gaming purchases?

When I was a kid alot of my arcade quarters were directly related to how well i did on a report card. I could also incentivize more money if i volunteered to do chores or was just an all around good kid. Now that I'm an adult and have BMW money i still feel like it is necessary for me to have achievements in order to make gaming purchases. So if i'm not buying a brand new PS5 after losing a job then the contrary must be true. What is your "I deserve this," threshold for getting V-bucks or buying a game without looking for a sale. The wrong answer is "I buy whatever i want because I can." Other wrong answers include "You could get hit by a bus tomorrow," or variations on that.

Ah, shame, that's too bad because that is the right answer and mine.

I will not live my life with a need to convince myself that I deserve something nice.

"I buy whatever i want because I can" is also my right answer. Playing video games is one of my primary hobbies. If there is a game I really want I'll buy it. If it's something I maybe want I'll try and wait for a sale, unless enough people (let's be real, I mean podcasts I here) praise it in a way that makes me certain I will love it. I'm not a child so I don't need to be incentivized to do my "chores" and all the things an adult needs to do by using games as a reward for doing those things. Goes without saying I can live like this because I am not spending money I cannot afford to spend.

Grew up with a dad that is very bad with money (still is, now someone has gotten him into crypto) so I learned on my own how to not be like that. At the same time I am not going to save everything I earn just to save. I got x amount of years on this Earth, better believe I am going to enjoy them as much as I can.

the thread can start now

I'm in a perpetual state of achievement, so I buy whatever I want whenever I want it because I always deserve it.

I also buy whatever I want whenever I want it.

Does that BMW money come with a No Fun Allowed sign?

@screwball69: fun is structured like going to Disney World with a guide or using a strategy guide. Required!!!

Being able to correctly answer sometingbanuble threads. I have 0 video games.

When I was 20 years younger, my mom would buy me a new game if I got good grades on my report card.

If I woke up, performed adequately at my professional and social commitments and just generally managed to get through the day without becoming a wreck of a human being then hell yeah I deserve a reward.

Generally speaking I don't do this for games. But I do sometimes give myself "achievement-based rewards" for other things -- usually big-ticket things.

It's more "if I complete X big personal project that's gonna take all year and be tough, I'll buy myself a TV" as opposed to "If I do the dishes every day this week I'll buy myself those new Mario Kart tracks."

I get why you say "I buy what I want" is the wrong answer, but to me entertainment is an important part of my life and mental wellbeing, so it's not even a "reward" so much as its a necessity. There are obviously limits to that and adult responsibilities to take into account, but if I determine that buying the new Kirby will improve my overall life satisfaction this month, and I can afford it, then I'm probably gonna do it.

That said, I have always been extremely responsible with money (almost to a fault, honestly), so overspending isn't really an "issue" for me. If it's something you have to keep yourself in check about (or if you need motivation for other important life things), then by all means establish personal limits. Seems like a potentially good idea.