Support NeoGAF

[Einbroch]

Why rent when you can own? Why be a slave when you can be free?

In order to provide them with a steady source of income, corporations would love to brainwash us into believing that games are a service for which they can make us pay over and over again, until the end of time. Renting games is a step towards this.

I understand a lot of the points against rentals. People like owning things. They like to replay. They feel like they're helping the developers more directly. All valid points, and while I don't find important enough to push me to buy instead of rent, I can appreciate them.

You, though, are being ridiculous. I can quit Gamefly any time I want. They provide a service that saves me hundreds of dollars a year and makes it so I don't have my house cluttered with games. Now, if developers only released their games and the only way to play them was a subscription service, you'd have a point. But a third party like Gamefly, Redbox, and so many others are nothing like what you are describing.

If anything, you're the slave thinking you have to buy games to keep the status quo.

 

[atomsk]

gamefly has saved me so much money.

but you can't rent digital only, so I still spend more than I should.

I probably buy 5-6 retail games a year (usually Atlus/XSeed/Aksys/Bamco/NISA/Nintendo)

 

[Impotaku]

Prefer to buy than rent i see renting as just burning your money and getting nothing back, least when you buy you can decide weither to sell it back on and get some of your money beack. Yeah it makes it sort of like a rental in that respect but if you rent you have nothing to show at the end.

Gaming has been reduced to some cheap throw away medium now, something that doesn't sit well with me.

 

[Petrae]

I rented games during the 16-bit era, but those were carts and scratches/fingerprints/Cheetos Dust didn't affect how/if the game performed on my hardware.

Much different in later, disc-based eras... plus rental options are much more scarce now. Redbox, GameFly, and... erm... that's it around here. Waiting for games to drop to $20-$30 new or to go on clearance has been the best and cheapest option for me.

 

[Terareflection]

Bunch of redbox stations around me so renting games is an option.

I don't really see much point in buying single player games that are only 12 or so hours long, as you can get those done in a weekend. Not a collector or much of a PC gamer either.

 

[The12thGripper]

Old picture but that's not the point: this is why I love physical games and will never embrace a digital future.

EDIT: oops forgot this thread was about renting. I did my fair share of renting back when Blockbuster was around and I think it's a good way to try out games you're unsure you'll like or not. Nowadays, I make sure I really want a game before i buy it and rarely do I end up not liking I purchase.

 

[Aroll]

People like to own their things.

And fewer people like to actually support their hobby by giving their money to developers who have put the time and effort into making the product for them.



This guy gets it. Me and this guy see all the doors.

I think there is a fine balance. Gaming survived the rental industry just fine in the past.

 

[shinobi602]

I replay games a lot.

 

[westman]

So i just read this, In my country i have zero places to rent a game, my only chance is buy it new because even used its like 5 dollars less, so i would like to know why everyone who got the chance to rent (Especially so cheap and being a game that came out two weeks ago) dont do that all the time.

There are no good places to rent games in my country either. But an alternative that works for me is to buy a game used off eBay, play it, and then sell it back on eBay. My cost is the eBay commission and postage, but there is usually little to no difference between the buying price and selling price. I also like that there is no real time pressure in finishing the game quickly, since the cost for keeping the game for a bit longer is so low (possibly with the exception for games bought very close to the release date).

 

[Kelegacy]

Sometimes renting is a good option. If you can beat a game in a short time, like a day or 2, I will rent. Length of game time is important to me. If the ride is too short, it isn't worth full price.

If the game takes a couple weeks of steady playing (like any open world game) I will buy. You can always trade back in to offset initial price. Do it soon enough and you can get $40 or so back.

The only reason I don't rent now is time. If I rent I feel like I have to hurry through a game to get it back to Gamefly or the rental store. I don't like that, and I don't have a lot of time to hurry since I have a wife and kids. Also, Gamefly's shipping speeds aren't good for most folks. If I ship a game back the day I receive it, like hand it right back to the USPS worker before playing it, I still would only wind up with 4 games a month. Cheaper than paying retail, but if I subscribe to Gamefly I usually only do it in the fall during a free month or discount deal.

It's the same reason I won't use PS Now. Too expensive and I'd have to hurry. Redbox is a good alternative, so you can rent a game on a Saturday night for 2-2.50 and return it the next day. That could be almost 48 hours of game time for a couple bucks. Good for a night when you know you have the time to game and no other plans.

 

[ShikabaneHime13]

I buy my games to not only maintain a physical collection but because with the rate games come out, I jump back and forth between titles at random(a new release means I put the current game I'm playing on hold) so being able to finish a game at my leisure is one of my major reasons.

 

[SeanTSC]

I like owning things. It's also easily affordable for me, especially with Best Buy's GCU.

Not like I have better things to spend money on. I'd rather buy 4 games a month (like I am this March, sometimes up to 6-7) on average like I do than spend it on anything else. There's just nothing else I enjoy that much.

 

[Chabbles]

HMV in the UK? They do rentals now?

HMV (xtravision) in Ireland started renting them in the last few weeks, not sure about UK.

 

[flaxknuckles]

Gotta support them devs so I can keep getting my big-budget AAAA games

 

[Tunavi]

Renting feels like cheating in terms of supporting the dev. but it's really amazing as a consumer

 

[FHIZ]

With Best Buy GCU, I bought The Order for 47, beat and platinum'd it, sold it for 41, way cheaper than hoping I'd get it in a month payment period for Gamefly. Hell, I probably could have gotten more for it if I had scheduled it on ebay to end on a better selling day. So now I've got a whole new perspective on this sort of stuff, especially since Im not real big into collecting.

 

[Shanlei91]

Renting is great for playing shitty or short games I'm interested in.

But otherwise it feels like in order to get my money's worth I need to beat it as fast as possible which ends up sucking some fun out. So I usually just buy games for cheap or use GCU.

 

[REDSLATE]

This is basic economics...

 

[Shuggananas]

Renting games was never legal in France iirc.

So.. there's that.

 

[TheAssist]

I only own 2 PS3 games. I rented the rest. I play mainly on PC so usually I only get the single player console exclusives. Like GTA, TloU, Uncharted, GoW, etc.

In Germany renting seems still quite strong. We have several rental stores for DVD's, Blu Rays and Games in town. Also renting per mail is a thing (They send the game/movie to you per mail and oyu can ususally have it for a week, only costs a handful of euros)

I personally dont care too much about owning most games, since they are often fire and forget. Only the ones that really grow on me are the ones that I want a physical copy of, if possible.

edit: Buying a game new: 60-70 Euros. Renting a game at local store over the weekend (Friday to Monday): 2,10 Euros. No sense of ownership can compete with that. Again, I'm mostly talking about Console exclusive single player games with short playthrough times. (GTA for example is a game I own)

 

[LowSignal]

I mainly rent and just buy the titles I really want or that would take too long to finish.

 

[Neff]

I would rather buy, keep and have the option of replaying 6-8 excellent games a year than rent those same 8 excellent games and have to return them because I spent the equivalent sum on renting an additional 20-30 or so mediocre games.

 

[therapist]

i dont even have a place around me to rent games ,and it would be something like 10$ if i did. Ill just wait for price drops , or get the pc versions for cheaper than a rental price.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

I very much dislike renting.

 

[Damaniel]

I buy games to support the developer. Renting is freeloading off the work of game developers and publishers, putting money in the pockets of people who had nothing to do with the game's release.

It's nice to have a physical collection too, but if everyone rented, there'd be no reason to make (commercial) games anymore. Us buyers subsidize the industry for those who'd rather hand 5 bucks to a third party than give it to the people who actually made the game in the first place.

 

[Kelegacy]

I buy games to support the developer. Renting is freeloading off the work of game developers and publishers, putting money in the pockets of people who had nothing to do with the game's release.

I don't agree with this mindset. To me gaming isn't a charity and renting can be good for the consumer and I will always side with consumer friendliness above all else. I don't buy games to support developers, I buy games to entertain me. To make me buy something, they need to give me that value to not drop $2.50 to 100% their game. If my renting for a single afternoon and beating their game hurts the developers...well, so be it. I'd rather hurt them than my wallet. And I'd be angry as heck I was out that money after such a short game.

But that's just me. I also grew up renting games and see no problem with it. That said, I don't rent at all anymore but I also don't buy short $60 games either. Once my Redbox starts carrying PS4/Xbone games I will rent those super short ones. I have nothing wrong with playing rent-length games; I have a problem paying much for them.

 

[bomblord1]

I do have a local rental place but I haven't gone there in a while. I probably should I would get to experience a lot more games.

 

[entremet]

I tried renting, but I just don't have the time to make it worthwhile.

I feel like I'm in a rush to play games when I want to play them at my own pace.

 

[Sotha_Sil]

I like to own my games, as many others have said. Please stop with this "compensating developers" bullshit.

Publishers rake in all the profit, whereas developers are paid a salary (disregarding contractual bonuses etc). You're not supporting the developers, as many people are routinely laid off, or once their contractual obligations to the project are met...they're not re-hired.

That is a very shallow way of looking at it. What do you think happens when publishers no longer make money funding games?

 

[Tohsaka]

I like having a collection, and supporting the developers of games I thought were worth paying for.

 

[impact]

I would rather buy, keep and have the option of replaying 6-8 excellent games a year than rent those same 8 excellent games and have to return them because I spent the equivalent sum on renting an additional 20-30 or so mediocre games.

The logic in this post.... lmao

 

[Roto13]

When I was a kid, buying games cost more to buy and less to rent than they do right now.

Unless it's a brand new game that I'm probably only going to play once (The Order), the price difference between renting a game for a week and buying it forever doesn't really seem big enough to be worth it to me any more.

I like to own my games, as many others have said. Please stop with this "compensating developers" bullshit.

Publishers rake in all the profit, whereas developers are paid a salary (disregarding contractual bonuses etc). You're not supporting the developers, as many people are routinely laid off, or once their contractual obligations to the project are met...they're not re-hired.

The fuck? Where do you think publishers get the money to pay developers in the first place?

 

[Dynasty8]

Really depends on the game.

I can't see myself paying $60 on a 5 hour game in which I won't ever play again. This isn't a jab to The Order...but many games in general.

 

[Kadin]

If I was able to actually play a game from start to finish in a relatively short time, I'd consider doing this. But even the most enjoyable games I've played, don't get played quickly. I juggle so many different games at once that renting really isn't an option for me.

 

[Altered Juice]

why rush beating a long ass rpg game in a week when i can take my time?

 

[Stevey]

I like collecting, also, most of my gaming is on Steam

 

[kikonawa]

Forbidden in belgium sadly

 

[Muffdraul]

Allow me to be the first in this topic to say:

I like owning stuff.

I like building a library. I've been buying consoles since the 16-bit era, and aside from a couple of rough patches back then when I had to sell games to buy new ones because I was poor as a church mouse, I still own every single game I've ever bought over the last 25 years.

 

[Audioboxer]

I like to buy to add to a collection and then get depressed that there's never going to be enough time to get through my backlog.

 

[floatingcoffins]

I can't afford to buy that many games anymore - I have to either wait on sales or REALLY want a game.

And seeing as how the majority of games that I would have bought before have all disappointed me (Watch_Dogs, Far Cry 4) or glitched (GTAV) and I didn't even finish them then I'm glad I didn't spend the $60.00 or more on them.

 

[ThatGuyAgain]

I buy for flexibility to finish a game when I can. I am busy with two young kids so it can be hard to find time to game. I also buy for replay.

 

[Lasdrub]

I usually rent stuff to try out. The Order was the one exception where I rented to get through the game. I ended up playing it at a faster pace than I would have wanted and leaving trophies behind that I would have normally gone after. That experience taught me that I would rather buy so that I can take my time.

 

[n0razi]

this is why I am ok with PS+

-i dont have nostalgic or sentimental attachment to physical copies of anything
-i usually play a game once or twice at most.. i always tell myself i want to play something again down the road but i never do because there is always newer and better things coming out
-PS+ gives me a free loan on most games that i plan on playing once or never
-i do buy multiplayer games that require a longer time commitment or sub

 

[randomengine]

It's about having certain gaming experiences on-hand at a moments notice. If I feel the need to have a certain experience I can have it whenever I want.

Also the way I game I play a bunch of different games at the same time and go through them incrementally. Sometimes I take months or years off before I get back to a game. I was 4 hours away from beating Twilight Princess on the Wii. I stopped and 6 months to a year later finished that 4 hours.

 

[bananafactory]

I like having a collection of games, just as I do movies

Yep. This is me. Buy it, play/watch it, add it to the collection, come back to it every once in a while.

 

[AwShucks]

I like owning my games. Even if I probably won't ever play them again because of time factors I still want to own it.

 

[bucyou55]

I like my gamefly subscription

 

[Garrett Hawke]

I like owning my games and I like to support the games and studios I like.

this tbh
I feel bad enough buying pre-owned and only really go that way when there's no other option, I'm strapped, or I don't want to support the studio.

 

[Chezzymann]

So I can come back to games and replay them any time I like in the future?

 

[arevin01]

Buy for $48+tax
Sell for $55

Better than renting.