The Thrifty Gamer

Video game rentals have always been a great way for gamers to enjoy a variety of games without forking out major cash to do so. For many years, video game fanatics have enjoyed the ability to test out their reputable games before they make that commitment to purchase. With new developments emerging within the online video game rental arena, such online services like GameFly and Gottaplay have been providing even more trouble-free way of testing out a variety of video games. We'll take a closer look at these services below.

GameFly - The First Video Game Rental Company Emerges

GameFly is the very first online video game renting provider to step out on the scene as of early 2003. This company established its presence due to the lack of classic and newer release video game titles that were absent from many of the brick-and-mortar type companies (Blockbuster & Hollywood Video) found within your local area. The founders of GameFly Sean Spector and Jung Suh were very frustrated with the lack of choice, quality, and selection displayed from these video establishments. This led them to search online where they could not find anyone serving the online video game market. Shortly thereafter, both founders decided to leave their full time jobs to pursue their dreams with their very own web based video game rental service. This innovation has changed video game rentals as we know it today.

Renting Video Games Made Easy

GameFly has always followed the beliefs of the majority of video gamers around the world. This belief system was formed during the inception of GameFly and still stands strong today as the backbone structure for all other online video game renting services. This structure is contains the following:

· Gamers need easy access to both classic and newer titles within one company.

· Gamers want to have the choice of keeping a game for as long as they want for a reasonable rate.

· Gamers do not want to spend their money on bad games and should have the choice to send these games back without spending more money.

· Gamers like the ability to receive their favorite video games to their home address without making another trip to the local rental store.

· Gamers should have the option to view other gamer reviews, ratings, and comments as to avoid wasting their time on bad games.

· Gamers should be able to purchase high-quality used games with significant discounts off the retain pricing.

Setting the Standard for Online Video Game Rental Companies

Ever since the GameFly established its presence within the online game rental marketplace, many have followed in their footsteps. Countless game rental companies have come and gone with the trends of the industry, but there are a few that plan to stay. Gottaplay Interactive Inc. is one of these companies. Gottaplay seems to be the only company in 2006 that has gained a lot of credibility and market share within this industry in such a short amount of time. This company is currently giving GameFly a run for its money, with over 2,500 visitors subscribing to the service monthly. They have spent over 18 months developing their premiere game distribution software and currently launching 1 distribution center a month at the beginning of 2006. Even though Gottaplay Interactive has not launched their commercial advertising yet, they plan to focus primarily on their word-of-mouth referrals and online presense for the next year.

Other video game rental businesses are following close behind with Intelliflix trailing a close third. This company has established their own genre within the rental realm by dabbling within the movie rental, game rental, and mature movie rental arena. Even though Intelliflix does not plan to take over the game rental industry, they do plan to offer families the ability to rent for all their household member entertainment needs within one established group. Customers will enjoy a wide variety of entertaining media from this company for years to come.

Video game rentals will always exist as long as there is a market for the industr, which we all know won't be going away for at least the next century. Crack your fingers, grab a soda, and get situated in your favorite chair because there are a lot of video games to be played out there and with so many choices to choose from, the only hard part is...where to go.

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If you are an avid gamer but can't buy new video games due to their steep cost, you may try to get your favorite video game titles on rent from online rental services. Renting video games online is very easy and a cost effective way to enjoy playing the games of your choice. When you learn how useful and trouble-free these systems are, you will repent for not joining these online video game rental services before.

When you sign up for the membership of an online video game rental service, you will be required to shell out a subscription fee per month during the period of your subscription. Irrespective of the number of games that you rent, you will need to bear no extra cost other than this monthly subscription fee. If you are unhappy with your online video game rental service provider, you may even cancel you membership at anytime. No penalty or extra cost will be charged in case you return them all the rented games in your possession at that point of time.

Joining the online rental service provider of your choice is the first step in renting video games online. After you join, you need to choose the video game titles that you want to get on rent. You can do this by searching or browsing through the online rental service providers' site. Once you come across the games of your choice, click on them so that they are added to your list. Once you finalize your list, let the service provider know of your choices. They will send you one or more than one titles (based on your subscription plan). Once you receive the games, you may keep them as long as you desire.

Returning the video game titles is pretty easy once you have finished playing the games. As most of these online video game rental services offer free shipping, you will need to return the games in a prepaid mailer which would be sent to you. When they receive the returned game titles, they will send you the next titles based on your priority list. If the top choice is not available at that time, they will send you the subsequent titles that feature on your list. You can include new game titles or alter your choices in the list whenever you wish to.

Renting video games online has its own advantages as compared to purchasing video games or getting the titles on rent from local stores. Firstly, the library of local stores has limited editions of video games while you can access thousands of titles by becoming the member of an online video game rental service. Moreover, the absence of late fee or due dates allow you to keep the games till you have had your fill playing them. It often happens that you require hanging onto a great game to complete the various levels and it may take a week or two. You won't be able to keep the games for so long if you have rented them from a local store. In addition to this, renting video games online saves you the hassle of getting stuck in the traffic, reaching the local store, standing in the lines, etc.

Renting video games online instead of purchasing them is a cost-effective way. You can change a title right away if you dislike it and get a substitute in return. However, most "brick and mortar" stores do not permit returning any opened software. So, in case you don't like a game, you can do nothing but repent on having spent a huge sum on buying the game. That's why it is suggested that you use online video game rental services to rent games and enjoy playing them without paying a fortune.

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The popularity of video games continues to increase every year, with new video game console ownership at all time highs. With the increase in console ownership comes an increase in the number of video games purchased each year. Video games sell for an average price of $50 for a new title and most gamers purchase a number of new games every year. With most gamers spending hundreds of dollars on games every year, many are looking for ways to reduce their costs while still being able to play as many games as they would like. How can gamers play unlimited video games for a fixed price and save money? The answer is video game rentals.

The costs for buying vs renting video games will vary from person to person, yet this quick look at the basic costs will provide a good estimate for the video game users of different levels. The numbers used for the analysis are estimates based on general market research and are only intended to provide a general idea of the costs and benefits of renting vs buying at various game playing levels.

Heavy Gamers - 2+ Video Games Per Month Average

For heavy gamers the number of games played per month will be set at 2. There are gamers who play more than this (some hardcore gamers play many more!), but two games will be used for this comparison. The average price of a new video game is approximately $50, so the cost of purchasing video games would be set a $100 per month. This equals $1200 per year in video game purchases.

For comparison, we will use the 2 game at a time plan from GameFly. This plan costs $22.95 per month. So the yearly total for renting 2 games at a time is $275.40. A heavy gamer could therefore save as much as $924.60 a year by renting video games instead of buying them.

Moderate Gamers - 1 Video Game Per Month Average

For moderate gamers the number of games played per month will be set to 1. The rest of the figures will remain the same. Under this scenario, the annual costs of purchasing video games will be $600 vs $275.40 for renting. A moderate gamer could therefore save approximately $324.60 per year by switching to renting video games.

Light Gamers - 1 Video Game Every Two Months Average

For light gamers a slightly different set of numbers will be used. Light gamers will be set at purchasing one game every two months. Due to the low number of games played, it is more accurate to assume that they would be using a one game at a time plan. So we will use GameFly's single game plan of $15.95 for the rental costs, or $191.40 per year. So the costs of purchasing one game every two months would be $300 per year. Therefore a light gamer could expect to save approximately $108.60 per year by renting video games vs buying them.

So looking at these figures, it is obvious that heavy gamers, moderate gamers and even most light gamers can save money by renting video games vs buying them. Most gamers who start renting video games also find that they end up playing more games than before. This is due to the fact that most video game rental companies have unlimited rentals, so there is no additional cost for playing more. In addition, gamers who rent can try games that they otherwise may never have tried. If you rent a video game and do not like it, simply put it back in the envelope and send it back. Your next game will arrive just a few days later.

So can gamers save money without having to cut back on their gaming? The answer is a resounding yes. Gamers can play unlimited video games and save money by renting video games.

Justin H Martin is the head writer for [http://www.videogamerentalsinfo.com], the leading website for information on video game rentals. The website contains extensive information on video game rental companies and provides detailed comparisons and ratings on each company. You will also find special offers and free trials from the top providers of video game rentals [http://www.videogamerentalsinfo.com].