How do you refrain from buying games?

Not having a disposable income helps greatly.

Other than that, I only buy things on sale. Especially when it comes to Steam, I only ever buy games during their big sales most of the time. Other than that it's very cheap bundles.

Not having money

I already own them.

:D

Look at your backlog

Sing this to gaben! You take my self... you take my self control

By being poor.

By being frugal and never buying anything without a really deep discount (unless I reaaaaallllly want it).

You can't, Gabe has cast a spell on all of us!

I saw my backlog.

If it aint on humble bundle or -90% dont buy.

Let's see, I got a girlfriend, which limited my game spending money; then married said girlfriend, which really diminished my game money; wife is now pregnant, which cuts my funds to almost zero in addition to losing my job, so that about sums it up how I manage to not spend much money on games. Although, my wife is pretty awesome in that she occasionally saves money and surprises me with a new game or a rare game she knows I've been wanting.

Using a prepaid CC to buy...if you don't put money on it, can't buy :o

Also, I don't have any money so that helps too.

I've spent all my money on games during this Steam holiday sale too. But much less than you, obviously, and I only bought games that I play or really wanted like the Max Payne series, Half Life 1 and 2, Chrome, Bioshock Infinite, GTA IV and San Andreas. Why anyone would spend money on something they can't eve use is beyond me. You need some professional help, you didn't come to the right place.

My income is low and i have to pay my rent,food,bills etc

I don't have money for them.

My wallet stops me.

1) Shed the collector's mindset and think rationally. Video games are digital experiences meant to be played for enjoyment, the rest is frivolous marketing fluff. That limited edition figurine? You might spend 10 minutes of your life staring at it awkwardly. Artbook? Maybe flip through it a few times, then it sits on the shelf permanently. OSTs can be nice, but their usefulness will depend on your listening habits and the size of your music library. DLC is usually terrible value as well. If the base game can't stand on its own, then you're better off buying one that does.

2) Take stock of what you have. (i.e. http://backloggery.com/) When you feel the urge to impulse buy, randomly pick a game you own and start playing it. If you have fun, play it to completion. Then look for some sweet mods to try. If you end up bored, toss it on the pile (resell if it's physical) and randomly choose another.

3) Prioritize. No doubt there will be new releases and hidden gems that you anticipate buying. Make two wish lists: one in order of your desire to PLAY, and the other in order of RARITY (i.e. will the price go higher than MSRP?) or OPPORTUNITY (i.e. multiplayer games die over time.) When you search for deals, never buy anything that isn't within the top 10 or so.

4) Buy used when possible. All video games are digital; as long as the media functions (even scratched discs tend to work fine) your actual experience will be exactly the same. In fact, you can usually resell it for the same amount when you're finished. But if you buy brand new, the value plummets the moment you unwrap it. (If you do buy new, leave it sealed until you're ready to play. For Steam, buy as a gift and leave it unclaimed in your inventory!)

5) Buy full priced. This could actually be the most useful point. You know why? Screw deals. "But this game is just five bucks!" It will never end and you won't touch 90% of them. Buy a full-priced game you really want, and play the shit out of it. Obviously this should REPLACE buying several cheaper games; don't do both!

A while ago, the head-honcho of Origin said that deep discounts cheapen IP. The quote probably refers to long-term profits and such, but I agree with this statement on the consumer side of things. If a game is the price of a bag of chips, then it'll be treated as such: sitting on the shelf until you want a little snack. Which bag of chips do you reach for when you have hundreds to choose from? Probably your favorite flavor. So just buy that one.

Of course I'm barely able to follow these points myself most of the time, but we can try... We can still try...

How do you #WUT , hahahahaha

no money, no job, no shopping, simple as that

Just go yeah, I have that and nah it costs too much I just buy it later...

lack of money seems to work pretty well

I have spent 514.7600000000001€ on games over past 5 years, this is very bad...

Right before I click 'add to cart' I remind myself that I have a ton of other games that I have never even installed and that I really don't need any new ones. Then I remind myself that I had the same discussion with my wife about clothes - that just because they're inexpensive and on sale doesn't mean you need to buy them if you already have a closet full of clothes.