Renting Video Games

For most of my gaming I've typically bought my games new, or looked for them used where I can.  Games, are consistent in pricing, usually $59.99 brand new when released for a console platform and $49.99 for PC. Does anyone know why they are cheaper?  My guess would be console licensing and royalties.

Games these days typically can last between 6 to 50 hours to complete the main story.  The extra added value for a gamer is the online capabilities.  For things like playing online you typically would want to own the game so you can play it at your leisure and almost indefinitely.

On occasion I've gone out and rented a game or two.   Some I rented because a friend wanted to play it with me or told me to try it out and I really didn't want to spend a bunch of money on a game I may only play a few times.   Blockbuster Video had always been my place of choice to rent, but truth is I really had no choice.  Blockbuster was the only local store in my area that allowed game rentals and would even have any in stock.  The prices were high but the policy behind the rental was pretty fair.  

Gamefly joined the scene a number of years ago, and as it acts like Netflix I can see the value for certain gamers.   I personally would not use the service because it is pricey and the feedback I've heard from others (ie. Jaysus) is that the wait times can be ridiculous and the mail system is much slower than other through the mail services like Netflix. 

Recently as I visited my local Redbox outside the 7-11 near my home I saw a sticker on the outside saying "coming soon: video games."  I thought it was quite interesting and it actually got me a bit excited.   Today when checking twitter I saw a message from IGN about Redbox and their game rentals (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/112/1127803p1.html).   This article states that the games are priced at $2/day and should be available at select locations around the country.  This is not a full scale launch but a deeper test of what the video game rental market could be.

I guess this was a highlight for me because recently I've had my eye on Medal of Honor (MOH).   Rather than rent the game for a whole week at Blockbuster for $8 or so I can just slide down the hill to 7-11 and see if it is available.  The critics reviews have been a bit harsh and the user reviews are mild.  I have friends on my Xbox friends list who have the game and made good comments about it.  I figure $2 for me to grab that game for the day should be enough to let me know if its one worth purchasing or if a rental is all it will be.  

$2/day can add up quickly though, so the benefit I see here is to get a taste of the game, almost like a demo.  I think its worthwhile especially since it would be considered on demand.  No waiting for it to come in the mail, and hopefully it is available at the Redbox nearby.   This could be an interesting venture for Redbox, game/movie rentals and gamers alike.