To rent or buy video games: pros & cons
To rent or to buy? If you’re a gamer and relish the thrill of new challenges on a regular basis, this question has mostly likely occurred to you before. Compelling points have been amassed made on both sides of the ledger, so it might be useful to unpack your options and see where the best value really lies.
First, some history. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when all video game sales were considered final. The reason was simple: rentals tended to be just a few days long, a timeline defined by the movie industry. Games, on the other hand, required dozens of hours of play – hardly the kind of entertainment you can complete and return within five days. A new day has dawned in rentals of every stripe, however, and today millions of people swear by open-ended membership plans that do away with late fees altogether.
Still, it is important to note that buying does offer some advantages. Some video games manage to shoulder their way past our hands and into our hearts, where they can remain for years, or a lifetime. Ownership has its privileges when it comes to loyalty such as this, the foremost being that you can return to that world anytime you wish. Want to share the joy with a newcomer or simply grab a vintage buzz? Your favorite title is mere steps away at all times.
But let’s face it: few games ever grab our affection so completely. Far more likely is that you play a few weeks, lose interest, and set that title aside. Years of dust-collection follows, capped off perhaps by a half-hearted bid to resell that disk at a fraction of the price. It may not surprise you to learn recouping your losses this way is essentially impossible. And so you are left with a sizable investment that has failed to appreciate over time.
Renting video games solves many of these problems. First and foremost, you save a lot of money – with many titles nowadays selling between $25 to $60, serial purchasing can easily drain thousands from your account each year. Unlimited rental plans let you try everything you want in short order and simply send back the titles you don’t like, no questions asked. And you never have to contend with the limited shelf space at most stores – when you rent online, thousands of titles are just a click away.
Still not convinced? You may take comfort in one of the hottest features in this market today: something called “rent-to-own.” Just like with cars, rent-to-own plans let you hold onto the games you fall in love with. Yes, forever. A nominal fee is usually levied for the additional materials you get upon purchase, but it is still nothing like the MSRP. That means you can slowly build a library composed not of discarded wannabes, but of beloved classics you will return to time and again.
When it comes to gaming, different habits require different solutions. If you’re an acquisitive type or a professional collector, by all means keep hoarding games. But if you’re a seasoned gamer or newcomer, the advantages of renting can be hard to resist.