Foolishboy said:

I'm in the same situation. I generally buy most RPGS that I want to run, but sometimes my players want to play something else, so they go out and buy it for me to run. I guess it's because I'm the GM 90% of the time, because I enjoy running games so they think it's worth it because I'm the one that puts so much effort into running games for them.

This also assumes that you're all good friends of several years too. I wouldn't expect people I played with at my FLGS (if I had one) to buy me stuff.

I didn't say it was standard, just that it wasn't stupid. I objected to the idea that generosity (especially generosity that you directly benefit from by getting to play) was stupid and his players were idiots. I bought the guy whose house we game at a wireless router, so those of us that use laptops can be online. Was I stupid for giving him something that benefits myself and other gamers in our group? A core game would have run the same amount as the router and if we have a good time playing it would not be a stupid investment.

The usual thing is for the person wanting to introduce a new game to run it, but I prefer to play. We have one GM that runs 80% of the time, the rest of us make up the other 20% (I'm about 15% out of that 20%). I think the idea of spending $20-40 and getting to play a game that I really want to play is not a stupid idea. I have often spent that much on games that I never got played because I wanted to play and not run the system. I think it would be a better value to give it away and get to play the game than have it sit on the shelf. Definately not stupid.