Gamefly vs buying

Hey, all, Happy New Year:

El Swordo covered this in this blog post, but I wanted to see if i could get some more opinions.

I've had a PS3 since Oct 2007. In that time I've spent $711 on video games, discounting stuff I've received as gifts (yes, I'm that anal. I have the spreadsheet to prove it!) If i had signed up for Gamefly when I got the PS3, I would have spent $617 via the one game at a time plan.

I've been up in the air about joining Gamefly. It's probably cheaper in the long run, as once I finish a game I rarely replay it. I tend to finish about 6 games per year (not counting music/rhythm games.)

OTOH, I'm pretty good at avoiding paying full retail (best ever: Brutal Legend new, $6!). Also, if the game has decent multiplayer, I like having it on hand.

I'm thinking that given my thrifty habits, I might stick with buying for now. However, Gamefly could probably let me experience more games per year with less clutter in the house.

Any thoughts/opinions? Thanks for reading and talk to you later.

A lot of people got Brutal Legend new for like $2 from TRU a few months back.


Sorry, it was gonna be said by someone, might as well be me.


Oh yeah, your actual topic...sounds like for only $100 more, you got to keep all of the games you played over three years, versus just renting them. Buying sounds better to me, because at least you'll have something that you can collect/sell in the future, and recoup some more money. Is space at that much of a premium?

[quote name='sgaldis']A lot of people got Brutal Legend new for like $2 from TRU a few months back.


Sorry, it was gonna be said by someone, might as well be me.?[/QUOTE]

Great. Two days into the new year and I'm already failing at being cheap. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Space isn't really an issue. I noticed the game shelf was running out of room quicker than I realized. Of course, as you point out that can be remedied by selling the unplayed stuff.

Also, good point about the small price difference between what I've bought and renting. That's the one thing I didn't take into consideration.

Appreciate the input!

why not a mixture of both?
buy games you will play often over & over. and rent only games you will play once than never pick up again. The gamefly membership doesn't have to be continuous. just go on & off.

I buy games that I know I will play for a lot over a long period of time, like Bad Company 2 or NBA 2K11. Then, I rent stuff that I know I can beat pretty quick and won't return to, like Medal of Honor or Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.

[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']I buy games that I know I will play for a lot over a long period of time, like Bad Company 2 or NBA 2K11. Then, I rent stuff that I know I can beat pretty quick and won't return to, like Medal of Honor or Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions.[/QUOTE]

Same here, my take on it lately has been anything with 10 or less hours of gameplay (and I probably play 4 to 5 hours week on consoles) plus no real replay value gets the gamefly treatment. The hitch is I sometimes sucker myself into buy a game simply because I am really looking forward to it despite knowing it will not have much lasting gameplay.

Yeah, I think we all have our weaknesses when it comes to games. I especially fall into it since I came to CAG, because we find such great deals. I was not going to buy Enslaved, for instance, because I heard it was quick and lacked replay, but when Amazon had it for $25 a couple of months back, I could not resist, especially seeing as I had $10 credit in my account.

Gamefly at $16 a month for one game at a time feels like a rip off to me. Maybe if I was paying full retail for games I would rent but I never pay full retail. I rather buy games and keep them so I have something to show for my money spent and be able to sell them later. Also, a lot of times you can buy a game and trade it in / sell it for around the same price you bought it so it's like renting without the fee.

[quote name='Kaelestis']Gamefly at $16 a month for one game at a time feels like a rip off to me. Maybe if I was paying full retail for games I would rent but I never pay full retail. I rather buy games and keep them so I have something to show for my money spent and be able to sell them later. Also, a lot of times you can buy a game and trade it in / sell it for around the same price you bought it so it's like renting without the fee.[/QUOTE]

A lot depends on how close you live to one of their centers and much free time you can dedicate to gaming. If you can beat a few games a month, it really adds up. Plus, there are other benefits to being a GameFly member. Every three months, they give you $5 credit towards used games. So, that's $20 a year, in addition to the 5% and 10% discounts you get after 6 and 12 months, respectively.

Didn't know about those other perks, sounds kind of nice, it's just not for me. I tend to take my time playing games and only play once in awhile. Don't think I've beaten over two games in a month in years. Plus I have a decent sized backlog so I have plenty to keep me busy. Maybe if it was under $10 a month like Netflix I would consider it even with my leisurely playing habits.

I think Gamefly is only good if you really don't care about owning any games or don't buy much to begin with. I think the only perk to this is if there is a hard to find game they are not currently selling but do have a reasonable "Keep it" price would be the deal breaker for me.

[quote name='mattand']Hey, all, Happy New Year:

El Swordo covered this in this blog post, but I wanted to see if i could get some more opinions.

I've had a PS3 since Oct 2007. In that time I've spent $711 on video games, discounting stuff I've received as gifts (yes, I'm that anal. I have the spreadsheet to prove it!) If i had signed up for Gamefly when I got the PS3, I would have spent $617 via the one game at a time plan.

I've been up in the air about joining Gamefly. It's probably cheaper in the long run, as once I finish a game I rarely replay it. I tend to finish about 6 games per year (not counting music/rhythm games.)

OTOH, I'm pretty good at avoiding paying full retail (best ever: Brutal Legend new, $6!). Also, if the game has decent multiplayer, I like having it on hand.

I'm thinking that given my thrifty habits, I might stick with buying for now. However, Gamefly could probably let me experience more games per year with less clutter in the house.

Any thoughts/opinions? Thanks for reading and talk to you later.[/QUOTE]

You have spent $711 on games, but did you calculate if you sold the games? If you sold them all you clearly would have spent a TON more on Gamefly and would have nothing either way. Keep buying. The only time renting really makes sense is on brand new games that are at the $50-$60 level. As long as you keep getting things on the cheap end, you are doing it correctly.

Thanks to everyone who replied. Lots of great advice there.

Given my habit of buying on the cheap, I'll probably stick with that for now. vic_X51 brought a good point about going on and off with Gamefly; I didn't know that was an option.

Have a great New Year and talk to you soon.