Buying Video Games vs. Renting Video Games

This is truly a glorious time to be a gamer! Cutting edge releases for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii are hitting store shelves at a furious rate. And with so many great games to choose from, the only question is where will you find time to play them all? Actually, there is another debate that rages on amongst video game buyers around the world: should I buy or rent games online? Each of these choices offers positives and negatives - several of which we will run through now.

Why Buy your Video Games?

Buying Video Games at a retail location or online is the most traditional way to get your "game on". Online video game stores have made it easier to comparison shop for the best prices and even have the games delivered right to your door. Buying a video game makes you eligible to receive special offers, including pre-order bonuses that include free downloadable content and other limited-edition perks.

In addition, buying your video games means developing a library of games you can one day resell or trade in order to receive other games. Also major video game software chains do not always offer "top dollar" in exchange for used games, it is still a way to recoup some of your investment once you have finished a game or grown tired of it.

Why Rent your Video Games?

More and more video game rental companies are providing gamers with an alternative to buying. There are a number of key benefits to renting your video games, the most prominent of which is a chance to try before you buy. Games for next generation systems can cost $50 - $60 dollars each. Buying a game only to find that it doesn't meet your expectations can be a depressing and expensive experience. Renting games only costs a few dollars - and with most companies, you can rent several games at the same time and even keep them for as long as you like.

In addition, some video game rental companies give you the option to rent and then buy the game if you like what you see.

Among the disadvantages to renting games are availability (some popular games may have a wait list) and the condition of the games (some games come damaged if the previous user did not care for the disk properly). In the case of the latter however, reputable game rental companies will not charge you for the transaction and will ship you out a working copy of the game immediately.

Learning about the Quality of a Video Game

Back in the days of Atari, you paid $30 for a new cartridge pretty much sight unseen. There was no internet, so the "expert opinion" on a game - just word of mouth. Today's video game consumer is much luckier, they can peruse literally hundreds of game review sites before they buy or rent their games. The result is a better-educated consumer, and an industry filled with game publishers who know they need to deliver a top product or feel the impact at the cash register.