diplomacy/tactics involving money & 'da spouse

[NoahsMyBro]

So, I can possibly get my all-time favorite arcade game for around $700.

In the very-near future, the MasterControl 5200 will be available, at $80.

I've just had a birthday, no presents yet. My wife AND my Dad have both asked me what I want them to get me (!). Ordinarily, I don't even pay much attention to my birthday, and while I like and appreciate gifts, I don't feel comfortable asking for them, so I don't often ask for things.

Finally, none of the currently sold videogame consoles excite me enough to really want one.

I've already got just about every Dreamcast game I care about (about 50% of what exists), and now only pick up the remaining Dreamcast games when they're $5 or $10, just to add to the collection.

SO, I was thinking about making my wife a proposal:
- Ask her for the MasterControl for my BDay. 8-)
- Propose to her that if she is OK with me buying the arcade machine and setting it up in the basement, I'll not spend another $1 on videogames for 6 (8?) months. Of course this is negotiable.
- To sweeten the pot, I could agree to do whatever bedroom acrobatics she requests willingly and without complaints. :wink:

Any opinions/comments?

[Raccoon Lad]

$700 sounds a little pricey, what arcade game is this?

[Tritoch]

Oh man, I know exactly how that feels. A tactic I use a lot when I want to make a big game purchase is to point out how much my hobby actually adds to our overall income via eBay sales of lot/Goodwill/etc. extras. If money's a sticking point that usually works, so if you sell a good bit on eBay you could try using that. Then again my wife is a Finance major, so she might be more suspectible to raw number-crunching.

Otherwise, I've found that promising a time period of no buying (although that's often hard to fulfill), simply begging, and the aforementioned bedroom exploits work pretty well...

If all else fails, you could just be a jerk and do it anyway since you're the man of the house and all. :shock:

What arcade game is it?

[NoahsMyBro]

Well, guys, I was trying to be discreet, but you beat me down.

I noticed somebody listing Defender in the Classifieds here. Hell, Defender is the reason I bought my Jaguar.

Now that I've highlighted it, I fully expect somebody else to beat me to it before I work up the nerve to get it myself.

I've always avoided selling my stuff, preferring to let the collection grow. But maybe it's time to sell whatever I don't particularly care about.

I should also spend a weekend (at least) determining exactly what MtG cards I've got. I could probably get a grand for them alone...

[Arcade Antics]

You should definitely go check it out. At the very least, you'll want to see what kind of shape it's in.

I wouldn't spend $700 on a Defender, but based solely on the demand (very high) that's probably a decent price if the thing's in good shape. I'd guess that a well-kept Defender sells for that price quite often.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress with the "deal." :)

[digitalpress]

If you post that you're thinking about the game in that thread, no decent person would come along and swipe it - unless you wait too long to decide!


- To sweeten the pot, I could agree to do whatever bedroom acrobatics she requests willingly and without complaints.

So is this "payment" for HER... or payment for YOU?!

[NoahsMyBro]

If you post that you're thinking about the game in that thread, no decent person would come along and swipe it - unless you wait too long to decide!


- To sweeten the pot, I could agree to do whatever bedroom acrobatics she requests willingly and without complaints.

So is this "payment" for HER... or payment for YOU?!

HEY! OF COURSE IT'S FOR HER. And, if I happen to enjoy myself in the process, no harm done, right? :Fade-color

[Kid Ice]

Hmmm...I would just say "I want it". Maybe my wife's just cool that way. I actually don't spend that much on games though.

I don't know what your wife's knowledge base is; mine would know how cool it is to have a Defender machine.

You should check it out. I'd be a little leery about spending that much for a notoriously difficult game that people have been pounding on for 20 years. I don't have any experience w/ owning arcade machines though.

Did you consider a cool MAME setup?

the kid

[NoahsMyBro]

I've been trying MAME, and occasionally playing around with it, for years, but it's never quite the same.

[Kid Ice]

I was just thinking that for that money you could have Defender and abour 900 other games working perfectly. It's not quite the same as having a genuine machine though...and how often do Defenders go up for grabs these days?

the kid