Does renting games pay off

Me and the sales manager at Gamestop got into a discussion in the store as to the pro's and con's of renting games instead of just out and out buying them and trading them back in if you do not like the game. Huh, can you imagine a Gamestop employee trying to explain the benefits of trading in video games to them for the meager trade in values they offer.

I am using GameFly in my article because that is the service I have found the most value with. In the past I used a service called GameRang, but did not find their service as good a deal. But if you shop around there are many companies out there that I have heard good things about such as Intelliflix, GameFly, Block Buster.

Full Story after the jump

[MicroGamer]

You lose too much money if you just play them a few times then give them back. I only buy games that I know I will be playing a long time, so once I own them they stay with me until they stop working. Renting is a waste of money, too.

[Dick Jones]

Only thing missing from the article which i would like to know is does Gamefly ship you the games with the original box and instructions. Also if they do, are you saying you can just buy the copy they sent you? Thx

[THAMMER1]

It is simple math. 1 game a month is $14.95 and you have no late fees. I was buying 1 game a month for $64.00 after tax. Game fly = $179.40 a year. Buying every game I want is $768.00 - $1000.00 or more a year. And even better is every 3 months they give you back $5.00. And you can buy the games they have at a discount price. Good times baby.

[MicroGamer]

is that once you give the game back, you have to rent it again if you want to play it again. If you own the game, you can it play it as much as want to forever or you can trade or share games with a friend without worrying about losing value and without paying any rental fees at all.

Also, do you really trust a rental company with thousands of members when it comes to buying used games?? I would rather stick with GS/EBG and get a 30 day warranty with my games and be sure I get a box and manual and everything that is supposed to come with it.

[atomheart]

For over a year, and finally quit due to:
Long Ship times
Lack of availability of games I wanted
Too high a price.

I then went to gameznflix, but while being cheaper and having quicker ship times, their customer service was horrible. Cut and paste answers. So I quit them.

Now? I just signed up for gottaplay.com. The most shipping centers, they say.

(#2 - when you decide you want to buy a game you rented from Gamefly, they bill you, then ship you out the original box and instructions in mint condition, no shipping charges.)

[MikeIsOnFire84]

Can you tell me more about Gamesnflix? The company does sound tempting because you can rent games and movies,but how are the wait times?

[Mikey_Gee]

Each and every time you get HOSED UP THE AZZ !!

If I trade in a game I payed $50 plus for (in Canada many times $70 and tax) and I will get a BIG FAT $20 for it and in some cases under $10 ... WHAT IS THE POINT.

Maybe if I was a school kid with a paper route .. but even then ... nahh. I spend more in coffee in a week at work. If all I can get is a $20 for a game .. I will let it sit and rot rather than take that kind of hit.

My local Paintball field has a forum with a Gamer section and we set up a "GAME TRADES" section on our forum. It works FANTASTIC ... you can usually get a straight up one for one on games from other gamers/friends or a two for one depending on the game.

Plus with online play, it makes game have HUGE STAY POWER. I still play COD2 like a religion even though I have COD3. For me it is all about the multiplayer. That is the main factor a game is even bought by me.

As for renting, I like it ... to me it is a TRY BEFORE YOU BUY kind of deal. Plus, at my BB if I rent a game ($10) and like it and decide to keep it, they only charge me the remander of the game price since I have already gave them $10.

[Sphinx]

I buy games that I know I'll play, like Madden or Oblivion or GOW or Rainbow Six or Crackdown, etc. But if a game doesn't look like it'll have any longevity of replayability, I'll just rent it, beat it, and move on. Some games, however, like Just Cause, I rented it, played it for 5 hours or so, and got bored with it... thankful that I didn't buy it.

[mellowspaz]

I just wait for game prices to go down, that or purchase new games online. Most games are going to be discounted to half the price if you wait a year. Look at sports games (nba2k7 for 360 just dropped today to $39.99 after being out for less than half a year), PGR3, and some holiday specials. Target had GOW, THP8 for $40 and Best Buy had R6, Splinter Cell for $40 at some point within the last month. Also with Amazon you'll probably save atleast $10 each time you purchase a new game, when you factor in free shipping and no tax. They have games that are 5-10 dollars cheaper on arrival dates. Lost Planet is selling there for $53.99. I purchase almost all my games from Amazon now.

[MicroGamer]

are the only games I won't buy. They depreciate too quickly. Madden 06 is 11.99 at Gamestop now (it was recently 9.99 on sale) and when the 08 version comes out, they won't be able to sell them for even 1.99.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I think its up to the individual in terms of what works best. But for me...I do like to own certain games. I have a pretty big play list and will jump back and forth between games often. What I found is that I was using Gamefly to test out games I wasnt sure about...and would buy the ones I wanted. Problem is I found myself maybe playing the rented games for 1 or two hours...then going back to the games I had bought and knew I liked. So I was paying $20 a month (had the 2 game subscription) to play a couple of games for maybe 3 hours. Just didn't make sense for me.
Now I just rent on a need basis those games I might be curious about from Blockbuster and honestly haven't rented a game in over 3 months.
Trading in is only good in one scenario...a game you will never play again. It serves you no purpose to hang on to that game. You might as well get some dollars back towards a game if in fact you are "never" gonna play it again. Sure the trade in is paltry compared to what you paid...but it is better than having that same game become a coaster.

Also...with so many games offering demo's on LIVE now I found renting almost to be not needed. Sure the demo might not give you the full feel of a game BUT typically it gives you enough of an idea to know if you will like it or not. LIVE in this regard has been a huge money savor to me because the demo's cost me nada.

[Marriot VP]

I buy used 360 games on ebay than sell them back weeks or months later for around the same price. Only loose about 10 bucks a game, it's a pretty sweet deal.

[TheBeginningOfTheEnd]

i go oldskool. i use bluckbuster, b!tches! i find it very helpful for deciding if i want to buy a game or not. they have this really cool deal for 20 dollars a month u can rent like crazy. rented a game and didnt like it? with the deal u just go back and trade it for another one. finished the game? go back and get a new one. like the game? keep it with no late fees. (would this be consider spaming?)

[Harry]

Pikeys all of ya.

[AzaziL]

im broke so trading in games usually ends up being my only way to get a game i'd rather play. i've already traded in top games like graw and gears, but to me it's worth it if i'm not playin em after a few weeks.

[SF Legend]

This articles seems like just an advert for gamefly.

[Harry]

Yeh it is an advert.

[MikeIsOnFire84]

SublimIMAWESOMEnal

[EasilyTheBest]

Renting games benifits me loads, in fact I find it superb. I buy the games and then rent them out and their always mine. Some of the popular ones on 360 have rented over 100 times at £3 per night. You get the odd scatched disc but I have a great machine to sort that out, puts them back like new. YES I have a games rental store, a good business to get into.