Game Rentals: Dinosaur or Evolving Species?

We are all familiar with buyer’s remorse, and it proves to be a costly mistake. Video games have always been expensive; now at usually $60 apiece and sometimes more for that exclusive-limited-edition-only-100,000,000-made collector sets (Metal Gear Solid 4 LE, I love you), sometimes renting is a preferred option. But is it still worth it to rent?

Granted, slapping down $9 at Blockbuster or shelling out fees with one of the numerous online video game rental sites is financially better than buying a game for $60. It is even more justified when the finished game is better suited as a coaster. I rented Army of Two (3rd best decision in 2008) right after I bought my PS3, and I am seriously happy I did. With many of the online rental sites, games can be held as long as you like; unlike retail rentals, which usually have a week’s worth of playtime. But paying monthly could eventually add up to the purchase price for a choice game that you are working on completing.

When movie and eventually game rentals first emerged, the internet did not exist as it does today. Gamers now have access to information with sites devoted to games, previews, reviews, and user comments about potentially good games.  This also helps in narrowing the search for $60 projectiles for CD dodgeball. Also, reviews are usually posted before the game’s release; GameRankings.com averages the review scores from many major gaming sites and is posted in a percentile, giving centered review information.

Expensive either way.

Consider this for 2008: in the 18-24 demographic, the 18-year-old was born in 1990, missed the 1980s entirely (stop bringing it back), and has probably always known computer/internet access of some sort. These consumers are privy to amounts of information gamers of the 1980s never had. In the ’80s, magazines were the only way to find out how a game ended up. Now, with Xbox LIVE and PSN releasing demos, a hands-on preview is immediately accessible.

Like most game-related issues, it ultimately comes down to personal preference. If grinding through four or five games a month is how you play, then rentals are the way to go. If you only buy games after meticulous research and lurch through one game every couple of months, then that is the answer. Ultimately the amount of money will balance. My preference: buying a game a month is financially irresponsible (I drool thinking of my old student loan) and waiting for the bargain bin is my preferred option.

Rentals were a necessity before the internet, but now it all depends on how much you play.