GameFly

Mark gave me a 3 months subscription to GameFly. It is a service similar to NetFlix except you rent video games instead of movies. GameFly has three different plans: $13.95/Month for one game, $21.95/Month for two games, or $29.95/Month for three games. Mark gave me the 2-game plan for my birthday. Thank you Mark.

The web site of GameFly is well designed. You can make a selection of the games you wish to rent very quickly. The games can be rented for as long as you wish without late fees nor due dates. The postage fees for sending and returning are included with the subscription without any restrictions on how many games you may receive and return. GameFly allows each subscriber to list up to 50 games on his or her "Q" which works like a wish list. They will send out the first two games (the number of games they send depends on your plan) on your Q and then go down the list as you return the games.

For me, it took 3 business days for the games to reach my mailbox from GameFly. I am located in Virginia and GameFly is in California. I expect returning the games via mail will take just as long. GameFly does say it will take at least 3-5 business days for the games to reach a subscriber.

I project each game(s) will spend at least an average of 7 days total in the mail system for each subscriber. With that in mind, for a 2-game plan subscriber, he or she can play up to 6 games maximum a month assuming playing the two games in just three days. More realistically, I think each subscriber probably plays up to 3-4 games per month using the GameFly service. It really all depends on how fast a subscriber can beat a game and choose not to keep it for more replays.

3 games per month for $21.95 is actually not a bad deal when compared with trade-in values at retailers and ebay pricing. If you happen to really like a particular game, you may opt to purchase the game at the pre-play price.

I think GameFly is a great service for gamers who like to try out many different games without having to pay the premium. It is also important for the gamer to try and finish each game within 2-3 weeks to get the best bang for the buck. I am not sure if I will continue my subscription once my 3 months gift period runs out. But it is certainly one of the best gifts any gamer can receive.