So, my girlfriend has got me a PS4 for Christmas, which means I'm going to have to start my game pool over again. However, since the last generation, things have massively changed, both for me and in the marketplace.
For me, I'm now much more financially responsible for myself: I work to pay for food, bills, clothing, and part of my rent. This means I have much less disposable income, and, unfortunately, that is now divvied up by the girlfriend, who wasn't a factor when I first got my PS3. Clearly, I do not have the same amount of money to spend on games that I used to.
In terms of the marketplace, the way we consume media has changed. Thanks to things like Netflix, I've gotten used to not owning what I play. I can't see the point in buying a DVD... no matter how many times I watch it, it still doesn't come close to matching the value proposition of a streaming service.
I've also not had a console for over a year now, so I've become completely disassociated with my previously owned games. I have no idea where the hell they are.
All of these factors combined have gotten me to sign up for the game rental service Boomerang. For £15 a month, I can rent as many games as I want per month (only 2 games simultaneously). I've got a queue set up, I'm getting: Lego Marvel Avengers, Knack, Assassin's Creed, Ghosts, Need for Speed all in my pipeline. I also have Drive Club on "pre-order", I'll be playing that game as soon as it comes out. I'll be playing far more games over the next few months than I could have done if I went for the buying game model, and there's also less risk... which is why I'm just sticking lower rated games in there. If I play for 30 minutes and don't like, I just send it back, and 2 days later, the next game in my pipeline arrives.
I can keep games indefinitely, until the subscription runs out (but, of course, I can only play 2), so if I'm trying to 100% a game, there's no problem there. And if I like a game soo much that I want to keep it, I can buy at a discount.
Anyways, I now feel like a massive chump for all the money I've wasted on buying games in the past. Anyone else here on a similar plan? Anyone have a problem with this business model? Anybody now considering the option now that I've described it to you?
