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[thief183]

The real problem is that we all are a bunch of cry babies, we as a human species don't want to be happy, we want confrontation.

And uf you like something I will dislike it.

It has always happened and will be happening forever.

So you probably dislike sub services cause someone you don't like likes it.
It is not you, is the tribe mind in all of us.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I never rented it until I was a out 16 (Hollywood Video) and it was short lived. We bought mostly what we wanted. Between me and my cousin, we had everything we wanted to play.

I don't depend on subscriptions and don't look at it as some measuring stick or being better. I've vouched for PSN being just as good as Gamepass maint based on the offerings that are enormous. Too many exclusives to pass up vs games I care less about but sample on Gamepass. I pay for both and like what Plus has to offer more due to that.

Subscriptions are heavily overrated when it comes to the core base vs what a casual may think and I don't think there's as many casual gamers around these parts.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

I can't remember the last game I played on gamepass. Halo but that was months ago.

 

[DGrayson]

If physical game rentals still existed but the only way to use it was to subscribe to a monthly unlimited game rentals for 20 bucks a month I wouldnt like that nor want anything to do with it.

 

[welshrat]

Honestly I am not complaining, especially with PS Plus. Could do with a few more good games on Game Pass lately though.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Game pass is awesome.

Last year was insane for the service. If they deliver that level every year or better then I will keep my sub. If it drops I'm getting rid.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

because subscription services lead to lower quality games

This is the answer.

I don’t believe that 8-bit games were designed around the concept of renting. They were just games that happened to be lent out. Many modern games are engineered from the beginning for GamePass. The design, culture, and economics surrounding the game is that of a subscription model.

 

[efyu_lemonardo]

As a kid you were limited by money and had ample free time, as an adult you're limited by time and have enough money. That's it.

 

[GHG]

When I was a kid I would have loved something like gamepass since I used to get OPM every month just for the demo discs.

However, I'm not a kid anymore, money is no longer an issue, I've amassed a big library of games over the years and I also understand the consequences of the industry becoming reliant on subscriptions as a primary method of consumption/delivery.

 

[Woopah]

From the end user perspective its fairly similar. For a long time I was subscribed to game rental service here in the UK, and that was really good when I didn't have any money. I don't think Gamepass existing is a bad thing for the consumer (there are definitely some questions about its economic feasibility though).

I guess the biz model was more 'innocent' back then? They didn't track engagement metrics, try to sell you shit in the middle of games, intentionally omit portions of the game to sell you later, etc... Removing ownership from gamers is because executives see you playing Total War Rome 2 and not the new one with loads of marketing for the DLC and view it as a "loss" despite you paying for the previous game way back.

I don't think these things come from subscriptions. Tracking engagement and selling DLC or microtransactions would happen anyway, even if subscriptions weren't a thing.

 

[Kliptik81]

Its really simple...

People NEED something to complain about. Its always gonna be this way.

Remember Games with Gold? How many comments about how bad these free games were? Or how many comments about how the games weren't actually free? Who the f*ck cares? I grew up with NES, renting was awesome. The ONLY downside I see to subscription services like Game Pass is it gives me too many choices that I can't decide what to play.

 

[Kliptik81]

I don't hate gamepass etc, I generally like them a lot.

But there's something about going to the store with your friend, chatting, getting excited about what's new etc. Sounds dumb, but even the smell of the store is something I remember well. (Local store with musty carpet lol)

Renting a machine you didn't own was even more exciting, cutting edge!

Same goes for video stores, maybe it's the thrill of the hunt! But please, remember, duck hunt is banned in most countries.

I agree with this. I used to love going to my friends place for a sleepover, we'd hit up the local rental shop (didn't have a Blockbuster at that time) and get 2 games for the weekend. Stay up all night playing whatever we'd get, usually a game like Turtles in Time.

As far as movies go, nothing was better then going to Blockbuster (we got one by then) with the gf, browse the aisles with popcorn looking for a movie. That was usually more fun then the actual movie. Browsing Netflix or any other streaming service just doesn't give the same enjoyment.

 

[Ozzie666]

It’s okay guys even Nintendo hated rentals and faught against them.

Carts were expensive and some rentals were short experiences.

 

[Kenneth Haight]

Because I’m now an adult, have disposable income and like to own my games. Not really that difficult to comprehend.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Because we didn't have the internet when we were kids.

The Internet has ruined societies around the world and it's warped and twisted the generations which have grown up after it was invented

 

[Schmendrick]

 

[Filben]

When you are a kid everything is an adventure, you love every second and you have all the time in the world.

You pestered your dad to take you to Blockbuster on friday after eagerly waiting all week.

You finally pull up in your dad's car and see that familiar blue and yellow ticket logo at the front of the store, you jump out and rush in, making a bee line for the wall of videogames for rent. You stand in front of all these game covers you most likely know nothing about, they all promise new adventures and worlds.

You stand in front of this big catalogue for what seems like hours, you end up settling for a couple games, one single player for your Playstation system probably a RPG that you definitely will get stuck in and won't beat and one of your favorite multiplayer game to play with your friends and siblings. Sometimes it's Mario Kart, other times it's Smash bros or Goldeneye on the N64.

Your dad picks up some movies for the family and perhaps you might convince him to rent your favorite movie: Space Jam! one more time, alongside some popcorn and candies.

You get home and proceed to play the living hell out of those games all weekend, attempting to beat them inside the time limit.

It's sunday night now, you watch Space Jam with the family, you have some of that popcorn and candy. You are happy, life's good. The best part? You'll get to do it all over again next weekend! You go to bed happy.


You wake up, it's now 2024, your body is fully grown, you're an adult. You have a responsibilities, a SO, a family, perhaps just a pet or you live alone. Regardless, you go to work and other social activities in your schedule. You're tired.

Blockbuster has gone out of business long ago. Your friends no longer come around your house to play multiplayer games, you don't live with your siblings anymore. Most games don't even have local coop nowadays.

You have money and access to thousands of games, they are one click of a button away in your digital rental service, you no longer switch cartridges or discs. Everything is available and in the palm of your hands, you get ready to find something to play for the night; you see all these game titles and catchy artwork.

Eventually you find something that looks interesting enough, but first you have to check reviews and read forums to see if the game is going to be worth your time, god forbid you play a low rated game, no sir. After 30 minutes of research you reach the conclusion that this particular game isn't worth your time. "Alright! I'll just find another one!" You say to no one in particular.

Its now 11PM. You wake up disoriented in your couch, "oh well, guess I was too tired huh? I'll just play tomorrow" you think to yourself. "Tomorrow will be the day, for sure".

For a second you smell something a familiar, a scent of popcorn and candy but it's just a trick of your mind. You are hungry so you prepare a microwave burrito. Dinner is served.

You take your Burrito to the couch so you can eat while watching something, feeling a little nostalgic you put on the new Space Jam movie that came out a little while ago. You devour your burrito and finish the movie.


You are tired, you go to bed. Space Jam 2 sucked.


You wake up, it is still 2024.

You go to work.

This is sort of poetic but definitely sad and to some extent very much true and answers the question.

Also, even as a kid I prefered to own my games and play them whenever I want. I got my three games per year (two for birthday and christmas and one as a bonus in between) and that was it. I came from a very small town and we had only one film rental and only later in the PS2 era you could rent video games.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

The Internet has ruined societies around the world and it's warped and twisted the generations which have grown up after it was invented

Depends on how you look at it, but you're not wrong.

 

[ShadowNate]

I can't remember if I ever rented a game to play. Maybe once? My friends used to do it all the time though, and we'd play together, taking turns or versus matches, and if I really enjoyed a game I'd probably gather money to buy it and play whenever, at a much leisure pace. We also did use to exhange games between us.

Subscription services work sort of like renting, but the thing is, for me, they remove options/freedoms rather than add. And, sure, with a hefty backlog of good games I haven't even touched, the value of monthly subscribing to play a wide range of games that may or may not be interesting is quite low.

Even less when recent trends is to settle with the sloppy, buggy, low-effort remasters, or updates that remove content considered offensive, or break mods (intentionally or not), or add a DRM for some reason. And the old version is just gone if your only option is to go through subscription service.

 

[crackajack]

I am sceptical of what it means for development goals long term, content driven stuff like with Netflix isn't feeling like it keeps quality high, promising shows getting killed quite fast, after an idea is milked as fast as possible, mainly just nail the first couple episodes and then kinda already moving on. Beating a dead horse shouldn't happen either, but I think Netflix lost a bit the magic of running shows for years and years.
The final form in gaming is yet to be seen, I guess, but for now I certainly love subs.
I never rented a physical game. Reselling I think 2 or 3 is maybe closest to renting. Just borrowed among friends and classmates. Everyone got some game at their birhtday, xmas and together we had nice library. Basically what subs offer now for everyone without the need to share and wait for your turn.

 

[cireza]

I didn't love game rental as a kid.

 

[StueyDuck]

Because they literally aren't the same thing.

 

[ChoosableOne]

When I was younger, I had plenty of time but limited access to games. I used to thoroughly enjoy the few games I could play. Now, with limited time, I have access to a multitude of games. I feel stressed when deciding which one to play until my subscription expires, and I end up unable to enjoy many of them. That's why I'm not a big fan of subscription systems, although they might be fantastic for younger individuals. I still benefit from them for certain games.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Christ. These things aren't remotely the same. I can't even begin to understand how you think so.

 

[Kliptik81]

When I was younger, I had plenty of time but limited access to games. I used to thoroughly enjoy the few games I could play. Now, with limited time, I have access to a multitude of games. I feel stressed when deciding which one to play until my subscription expires, and I end up unable to enjoy many of them. That's why I'm not a big fan of subscription systems, although they might be fantastic for younger individuals. I still benefit from them for certain games.

Oh man, I feel this. Growing up I had maybe 10-15 games but I'd pour hours upon hours into those. I rent a game once a week but it always was exciting and felt fresh. Now, like you mentioned I have access to thousands upon thousands of games, and I just sit there overwhelmed by it, usually not playing anything.

It's similar to when I see these wild RetroArch, Raspberry Pi setups with 10,000 games. Sure its awesome looking and great to have every NES, SNES, N64, Dreamcast etc. game ever made, but shit, when will you ever play them??? I know its just the "cool" thing to do. I eventually plan to do my own Emulation setup, but I'd like to limit it to a really great top 25 per system setup.

 

[Phase]

Yes but if you’re the type of person who do one playthrough and then put the game away it’ll be cheaper with a subscription. $70 for 1-2 weeks of gameplay feels bad. Even worse if you sometimes drop games before finishing them.

I’m doing both. It’s extremely rare for me to do more than one playthrough and I never stay on games I don’t fully enjoy, never force myself over the finish line.

So for me subscription libraries is perfect.
Makes me get to try lots of games and can make up my own mind instead of blindly trusting reviews. And in some cases when I truly love something and know I’ll play it a lot I can buy them on Steam knowing it’s a great game or buy on the original store for a discount.

In this instance I was talking about a one time rental fee vs a recurring subscription fee.

 

[consoul]

I recall renting was pretty popular back when lots of people had a modded PS1 and a CD-R burner.

 

[Chastten]

Who is this 'we' you're talking about?

Personally, I never loved renting, just like I don't hate subs now. They all have their place. Just as long as they aren't the only choice we have, it's all good.

 

[PeteBull]

because subscription services lead to lower quality games

one and done

 

[ChoosableOne]

top 25 per system setup

It's still too much lol. I built a linux machine 2 months ago. I had 20 retro games on it at first and I had so much fun with it. Then I installed every game I have on it, now I don't want to use it anymore

 

[Hudo]

Because I've made backups of every rented game.

 

[SportsFan581]

No one hates subs now. You simply subscribe if you find value in it or don't.

People hate other people having a different opinion on whether or not the services represent a good value, more than they hate the services.

 

[Fbh]

Because as a kid with no income, and if you didn't have rich parents spoiling you, rentals were realistically the only way you'd get to play more than 1-2 console games in a year (well that or piracy).

 

[Putonahappyface]

For me personally it's because renting from the likes of Blockbusters and smaller stores, when I was younger was an option along side buying physical content. Where as now digital content is being pushed to be compulsory and the only option. I don't mind having both just let people have physical and digital options.

 

[killatopak]

Never rented before.

We did however have an internet cafe where you can play consoles on and pay by the hour. Dunno if that counts but ditched that as soon as I had my own console and games.

 

[deriks]

When I got to a store, I saw kids being kids. Talking trash, being kinda sloppy, bragging about shit that doesn't really matter or just lie saying that is the best

We don't have that anymore. Even going to a game store nowadays is boring and the seller doesn't know shit about gaming

 

[SHA]

Subs are conditional, you're not an animal, you know the difference.

 

[Thanati]

What?

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Do people hate rentals now? I sure as hell know I don't. I will never actually buy a game that is available for me to play on PS+. I just do not see the sense in doing otherwise. And I also know myself enough to know that I don't care much for nostalgia. If I play a game, once I am done with it I am doing with it. Then again, I tend to finish most games I play before moving on to the next. In truth, the only games I usually outright buy (meaning I don't wait for a discount or wait for it to come to PS+) are things like GT7 and Tekken, because those are games that I would typically play every day.

And the simple fact of the matter is that for that $100+ yearly sub, I get to play more games in a year than I would have honestly gone out and bought.

 

[gothmog]

I rented as a kid because I would regularly return games I finished within hours during the NES era. I imagine most of them were relatively cheap to make as well. Retailers started cutting us kids off from returns so we started going to the video store and renting. No hassle and most of the games were finished in the rental timeframe. So the model lined up with the product being rented.

These days the games are padded, grindy, and not cheap to make. Rental is a poor fit but it still happens.

As far as sub services the economics are pretty much an iron triangle of quality, price, and quantity. One of those has to suffer in order for the other two to be realized, and unfortunately it's probably going to be quality based on the various subscription services I've used. From time to time they pop up to raise the quality but that's usually on the backs of a monthly rate increase around the same time.

I'm fine with subs but I think Sony has it more right than Xbox. I don't need day 1 if the game is worth buying at full price.

 

[MacReady13]

Difference for me was firstly, I was a kid and couldn’t afford to buy ANY games so I had to rent to play new games.

Secondly, I got to choose what game I wanted to rent. I didn’t have to pick what the video store told me I could rent- I basically had the choice of any game I wanted.

Plus, rentals weren’t going to take over from game sales. Sub services are trying to take over the traditional model within the industry.

Bottom line- fuck rental services. Keep them as a side experiment but if that shit ever becomes the norm, gaming will be fucked forever.

 

[Bond007]

Rentals at a store never threatened our ability to own games.
Im glad people are starting to realize these sort of Gamepass services are nice to an extent as a rental service. Not replacing the damn system as a whole.

 

[Jigsaah]

Gamepass is fantastic...FOR CERTAIN GAMES...

It's not great for everything. I would think back in the days where renting from a store was common, I was too young to give a damn. Also it was my only choice to play new stuff as my parents weren't trying to cave to my every whim. Also at that age, it kinda cheapens Christmas. I loved writing out my list and opening those NES, Genesis and Super Nintendo games I wanted so badly. I'm getting away from my point though,

Nowadays, we're older. We've had time to purchase systems and games with our own money. We've built a collection. As things are going, Gamepass and PS+ being more successful pretty much leads to a stagnation in the growth or our own personal curated libraries. However, it's not really the subscription services fault. Gamefly is a subscription service...where was all this boohooing for Gamefly. There is none, know why? Because we get the physical disc in the mail and literally can just buy to keep it. Not that this matters much these days since you still gotta download the damn thing to a drive and lots of games don't work unless you're online.

So I wouldn't blame subscriptions so much as the digital transition as a whole.

 

[Mexen]

There was time to actually play them back then.

 

[Shadowstar39]

Games were only an hour or two long at best.
I haven't rented a game since the NES era. Even then it wasn't often.
Had friends that did.
I usually got games at xmas/bday or bought them with xmas/bday money, or did odd jobs for cash to get games.
we also traded games with friends and family.

Genesis /TG16 /SNES era I was 12+ and had a paper route to buy my own games. (yeah I had a job as a kid, imagine that).

PS1 gen i was a newly formed adult (was 18 in 1996). Got my ps1 in fall of 98' and didn't rent. Games like FF7 were long and like the nes games before it, I bought them as they were meaty games.
All ps1 games were longer, renting was just not in. Especially when going to one of the many games stores (before gamespot) you could get good deals on used games.
I remember getting a ton of games for $5-20 a pop. On payday I would spend $50 each payday for new games, which meant 1 new release or multiple semi old, or a handful new games.
It's amazing to me thinking I got suikoden and silent hill for a $10 -20 back then and now both are $100+

Anyway I picture game rentals as for kids. Just like how free 2 play is mostly for kids.

Even today , I don't like gamepass for one reason. Delisted games. I don't have the time to play games much. Although I want to own them so years later I can always go back to them.
Hell I got a series x , got game pass for a $1, turned off renwal and bought all the og and 360 deals I could for $2.99 a pop. Just like the old game stores.
Now I may sub again if there is a number of games i want to try out. i use it as a demo thing really. No way am I paying close to $20 a month.

PS+ i pay for though. I have been with it since the start on ps3/psp/vita - > ps4 - > ps5. I like that the games I get each month stay. I have games from it dating back to 2009 or 2010. How cool is that.
If i drop my sub (which is way cheaper than game pass), I get those games back right away. I don't have to worry about Sony taking away games I am playing each month. Hence I won't sub to the higher tiers.


Also we are getting hit with subscriptions left and right. Its too much.

 

[mayham2199]

Because most of us couldn't convince our parents to buy expensive games other than during xmas\bdays. While renting games was something most parents were willing to do more often.

 

[ReyBrujo]

Renting a game with battery hoping that nobody would rent it before the next week and delete yours... those were the times...

 

[Bluecondor]

LOL, I've been gaming all the way back to the Atari 2600, and I've never liked renting games (physical or digital/subscription).

Even when Blockbuster was at its zenith, I would rent movies, but never games. If I wanted a game, I would either buy it new or used at Babbage's/EB/Gamestop.

 

[Yoda]

From the end user perspective its fairly similar. For a long time I was subscribed to game rental service here in the UK, and that was really good when I didn't have any money. I don't think Gamepass existing is a bad thing for the consumer (there are definitely some questions about its economic feasibility though).


I don't think these things come from subscriptions. Tracking engagement and selling DLC or microtransactions would happen anyway, even if subscriptions weren't a thing.

It's more of the mindset that comes from selling someone a product (single game) vs. a service (GaaS, subscription, etc...). I'm somewhat oversimplifying, but with a single product you optimize for making the product as good as possible. For a subscription you optimize for keeping them subbed. A good example of this is selling a Movie vs. Netflix. Sure there are bad movies which hope to trick you with marketing, but your average movie that needs to release in theaters will have higher quality than your average piece of Netflix context.

 

[Shifty1897]

It's great, just too pricey for someone like me who doesn't get to play much these days.