Affordable Ways to Have Fun Online
Online entertainment has taken over the world recently, causing major problems for traditional TV networks, radio stations, and print publications.
Just look around you; everybody is scrolling on their mobile devices, playing games, watching movies, and posting on social media.
With easy access to the web and no limit on what everyday people can create, there’s an endless selection of things to do online for fun. The best part is that they don’t have to cost a fortune!
Let’s look at ways to entertain yourself online for countless hours without breaking the bank.
Tinker with AI Tools
In case you haven’t noticed, AI is the new big thing! It’s developing rapidly, with experts like Elon Musk sounding the alarm and calling for a slowdown.
Despite what Mr. Musk may think, there’s no stopping AI, and you can use it to entertain yourself for hours on end. Ask ChatGPT questions about anything and everything that interests you and get instant answers or generate images on Midjourney or Bing image generator.
Some parents use AI tools like Midjourney to create unique, one-of-a-kind coloring books for their kids or themselves. These tools can generate any image you can imagine in around 30 seconds, so they’re a lot of fun to play around with.
We’re also seeing the first AI tools capable of generating videos. Fancy becoming the director of your own short movie? You can get a head start by learning how to use AI tools now. Most of them are free up to a certain limit, making them a highly affordable form of online entertainment.
Play Casino Games
Visiting a casino in your city, or the nearest city with one, will cost hundreds of dollars. You must account for traveling to and from the venue, playing games, and perhaps food and drinks while you’re there.
Playing casino games online is much more affordable, and you can do so from the comfort of your couch at home. You can play slots, blackjack, roulette, and a ton of other games for peanuts online.
On top of that, online casinos come with welcome bonuses such as deposit matches. Some even offer no deposit free chips to get you started.
The game variety is much wider than most land casinos, with low minimum table limits. Something like 20 bucks can keep you entertained for weeks, and there’s a chance you win money. Just pick a safe online casino, and you’re good to go.
Play Online Games
Casino games are just one kind of game, but there are many others. The number of games online these days is staggering since any game developer anywhere can spin one up and add it to the App Store or Google Play.
As well as games like Zynga Poker on Facebook, there are fighting games, arcade games, strategy games, and classics like chess and checkers. There are freemium models supported by ads, and many of them offer a version where you can pay a small fee to have an ad-free experience.
In recent years, a new wave of games has hit the crypto scene. If you have a wallet and some altcoins, you can play lots of games in the rapidly developing Metaverse. Typically, you pay per interaction and can earn cryptos from these games when you win.
Regarding affordable online entertainment, it’s difficult to beat games. Humans have been playing them since the dawn of time, and thanks to the World Wide Web, there are more options than ever.
Subscribe to a Streaming Service
There is now an abundance of cheap streaming services offering thousands of movies, TV series, and documentaries online. Unlike the cable packages of yesteryear, these don’t tie you into contracts and can typically be enjoyed for less than $15 per month.
Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, Paramount +, and Prime Video are just some of your options. Prices range from $6.99 to $19.99 monthly, making them affordable for most people.
Most streaming services offer a mix of movies, documentaries, and their own in-house TV series. For example, check out Narcos by Netflix – it’s an action-packed, dramatic series that tracks the rise and fall of the Colombian and Mexican cartels.
Do you prefer something more serious? How about the Oscar-winning Navalny, the best documentary of 2023? The variety is staggering, and new content is published constantly.
Listen to Podcasts
Podcasts are popping up all over the web. While there are big general ones everybody knows about, such as the Joe Rogan Experience, there are specialist podcasts for virtually every niche interest these days.
Grab the Spotify app or load up YouTube and type in subjects you’re interested in. You’ll certainly find a podcast related to your chosen subject. There are series on economics, history, real estate, cars, relationships, music, and just about anything you can think of.
The great thing about podcasts is that they’re long-form, typically lasting an hour or two. This is a chance to hear from experts that would usually only get a minute or two on a prime-time TV show, delving deeper into the subjects you’re interested in.
Heck, if you’re an expert in something, you could even create your own podcast. All you need is a YouTube channel and a microphone to get started!
