Game Guides

Games guides arent as necessary as they used to be (see Prima shutting down) but Im always for buying something tangible, especially if there’s been a lot of care taken to make it.

If you're collecting I don't see why not. If you like the viewing/reading experience on paper, again it is about your pure entertainment so there's nothing wrong about it.

If you're actually using the guide just as a way to complete the game or to find out "secrets", then well a good video will always be the best and free solution, I would not buy a guide for that.

I used to purchase guides a fair amount growing up! Now, with video walkthroughs very easy to find and free to access, I would argue that physical guides are more of a novelty or collector’s item; however, everyone digests information differently so if it
makes you happy, why not?!

I don't think I've ever purchased a game guide. For older JRPG games I'd just consult a pretty well known website for game guides at the time, get past the bit I was stuck on and go back to playing the game. I have a few friends who used to love collecting
the official game guides for games because of all the artwork included. So I'd guess the same still applies. Some people just prefer the touch and feel of paper when it comes to finding the solution to their gaming woes.

If you're happy with your choice, keep doing what you're doing.

That's a tough call. On the one hand, they do often include additional story components that help set up the game universe better. For those of us who enjoyed gaming in the 80s and 90s because of the instruction manuals (that have long since disappeared
and been replaced by in-game tutorials), the strategy guide is a throwback to a bygone era.

On the other, your friends have a point (though they are expressing it the wrong way). A quick Bing/Google search will get you past almost any point in a game where you might get stuck. Plus, it's better to just get a nudge in the right direction instead
of having a printed walkthrough of the game.

Then there is this - they may be going away on their own. As I understand it, Prima will stop publishing game guides in early 2019, so they are about to become collector's items, maybe.

In the end, you answered your own question - "for me it's not a waste of money". That's what counts the most. If it's something you enjoy, enjoy it and don't worry about others, and hopefully your friends will learn to express their views a bit more tactfully.