Electricity costs continue to rise as Americans use more and more high-tech gadgets. From smartphones to laptops, all these devices need to be plugged in sooner or later.
Video games, however, come in a number of different forms.
There are handheld systems, gaming PCs, consoles, and games that can be played on phones and tablets. Does playing these games eat up enough energy to make a significant difference on an electricity bill?
The answer will depend on the type of gaming system being used.
[Recommended read: How to Enjoy Computer Games More Cheaply]
Handhelds and Phone Games are the Cheapest
As far as energy consumption, these game systems cost the least. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the display screen is smaller, so less energy is needed to produce the images. Second, the games offered for handhelds and phones are generally not the powerhouses available for other systems. For example, Crysis 3, which takes a lot of power to run, is only available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC. Finally, when the games are not being played, these devices usually get completely turned off, with the exception of cell phones.
PCs Can Offer Decent Energy Savings
Depending on a number of factors, a desktop computer can be a relatively energy-efficient way to play video games. Much will depend on the power supply the computer uses. Fortunately, there is a rating system in place to let consumers know how efficient power supplies are. The best power supplies are rated at 80 Plus Platinum, meaning they are 89% efficient when running at full load. The other ratings, which progress downward by about two percent in efficiency per rating, are 80 Plus Gold, 80 Plus Silver, 80 Plus Bronze, and 80 Plus.
By selecting a computer with an efficient power supply, gaming is not such a terrible strain on electricity resources as it could be. Of course, common sense also plays a role in this. Shutting down a computer when not in use, selecting energy efficient monitors and components, and taking a break every once in a while will all help power consumption remain a minor issue when using a PC.
Consoles and the End of the World?
Many dire claims have popped up in the media about how video game playing uses as much energy as the city of San Diego, how consoles use $1.24 billion dollars while in idle mode, and how consoles are generally quite inefficient.
While it is true that consoles, with the exception of the Nintendo Wii, consume a lot of power, simply turning off the system when not in use makes a big difference. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 continue to use a lot of power while in idle mode, and this can translate to higher electric bills.
However, while it is certainly a good idea to turn off a console while not in use, don’t expect to save enough to purchase that new Rolls Royce. The savings will, depending on the overall energy consumption of a given house, be noticeable but not extreme. Over time these small savings do add up, so make sure to power down that console when not playing.
[Image credit: Dean Ashton, Flickr]
YES.
Those power supplies are insane.
This alone is a good reason to give up gaming.
It costs too much and it’s an easy way to waste your life away.
I guarantee any gamer who learned how to make $100/day online would never go back.
I hardly have time to play video games these days anyway 🙂
it feels really good while playing games but it has a cost in terms of electricity bill. i play counter strike too much and i love it but i dont play it all day long. there are some serious gamers who like to play GOW, crysis,COD etc and they play it all day long. so its nothing serious for me. thanks god i am not a serious gamer
I’m more concern of my health then the electricity bill. Sitting in front of my laptop blogging stresses my eyes so much and the last thing I want is to add more stress to them. I’ve quit gaming!! 🙂
I had no idea that game systems use a lot of power. Makes me wonder about a few other things around the house now that I think of it.
I know some people do a lot of gaming too. I would imagine it all adds up in the long run. When I was younger a friend and I would stay up all night playing video games. I sure couldn’t handle that anymore. I don’t know if those old systems used a lot of power or not.
There is definitely a lot of waste when it comes to using power. People leave things on all the time that they are not using that could easily be turned off. Not sure why that is. I have been to my sisters house before and I swear every light in the house is on in the middle of the day when you don’t even need them on to begin with.
I used to play computer games all night long too with my friends when we were in college and thanks to that I need to wear glasses now 🙁 I’m not sure if the electricity bill was high or not because we stayed in the hostel, the college paid the electricity bills not us.
Hello Peter,
Well technically iam frm India and we also have the same situation of electricity i.e the huge rate of power bills. And the best part is the the electricity rates are increased recently.
So its a great headache for all people who uses gadgets and lot of electronics.
Thanks
Same here in my country as the electricity tariff is very high as well!
Hey Peter,
Nice post and I am totally agree with you that playstation type games surely use a lot of power and cause to increase in power bill. Yes, most of our time is spend on playing these games and these games easily entertain us but we have to keep in mind that these will consume lots of power also. Thanks for sharing this post.
Often times, it’s not switching off the consoles that really causing the bills to high!
Can’t live without these gadgets actually.. thanks for reminding us how to conserve energy Peter, now I know how to cut down my electricity bill.. 🙁
Yeah, get rid of your consoles and just play angry birds on your smartphone… LOL 🙂
I used to get addicted with video games when I was younger. But these days, I can hardly play any due to very busy schedule.
Same goes for me!
hi peter i m with u that the much video gaming may be increase your bill, but for gaming i do not care for these things.
thanks 🙂
Yeah, who cares about expensive bills when it comes to gaming. However, some of the tips in the article could really help you to save some power and money. Worth checking them out 🙂
Completely correct that video games increase our power bills. But what to do! Can’t quit gaming for this 😉
Nice article though Peter. Really an eye opening one. We can control the power consumption as much as possible from our side by some simple ideas.
I don’t think any serious gamers would have quit gaming because of expensive power bills. Gaming is such an addiction isn’t it? 🙂
I am a die hard gamer and I can’t resist myself from playing games even if it drains out a lot of money…
Just love playing games…But this post will suddenly help me reducing my electricity bill..
Great article Peter … 🙂
I used to be a die hard gamer too. I could play games all day long without eating, skipped lunch and dinner all the time. However, I couldn’t live like that anymore that is just crazy and I only play Angry Birds on my Samsung Galaxy S2 these days 🙂