Renting games is becoming an endangered option.

I don't know why it is that renting video games seems to be getting harder and harder to do where I live. I'm on the southern end of Columbus, OH and in the past year all the video stores have either closed 9thanks Netflix) or stopped carrying games (thanks thieves). There was a Hollywood Video that closed at the beginning of the summer and a Blockbuster that closed soon after. It seems like a lot of the Blockbuster Video stores are  all going the way of the dodo. I've used Gamefly before but their service just seems overpriced for how terrible it is. Thoretically 1 game for their 16$ a month is cheaper than buying a game but when you consider that you might not even get what it is your looking for it seems less and less like a bargain. Blockbuster's service carries games, but last I heard they don't get new released for several months after they come out. 
 
So what exactly is left? While some games like fallout warrant a 60$ price tag because of all the content you get from them, most games don't because you can finish them in a week (max) and then there's little replay value left. Gamestop's no help unless you want to play the trade in game, and I'm in my 30's I'm not playing those games anymore. I was hoping digital downloads would be the way of the future. You would figure that once a game hits the greatest hits level of sales the price would be lower, except a lot of the more recent on demand games are going for 40$, which is the same price retail usually. 
 
How are all you guys that still rent doing in your necks of the woods? Are things better there or the same.

Gamefly duuuuuuhhhh

I utilize Family Video.

Yeah, I was (somewhat) devastated by seeing the Blockbuster that I used to frequent in my childhood recently get closed (it's being replaced by a bank).  Luckily, there's a place called "Superclub Vidéotron" where I live where you can rent video games for a relatively low price so that's where I rent now.  There's actually one really close to the Blockbuster that's closing down. 
 
Since I live in Canada, I can't use GameFly but we have an alternative called GameAccess.

I have a GameFly account right now, but I'm pretty sure this is gonna be my last month with it. I played a lot more games this year from GameFly than I actually bought. It's kind of nice, but it also has it's downsides. I think I'm gonna go back to just straight up buying the occasional game.

I've been using Gamefly for about a year and it's great. Cheaper than Blockbuster ever was and with a hell of a lot bigger selection.

I believe the last of my three Blockbuster stores in my area is soon closing. 
 
I choose not to go with Gamefly due to price and lack of job. I will not make my parents be burdened by it at the expense of necessities. 
 
Just recently, I rented Splinter Cell: Conviction through OnLive for 3 days and I am done with that. Thank goodness Ubisoft added the 3 and 5 day options when originally it was a full purchase. If digital distribution is the newest way and OnLive wants to be successful, publishers need to bother with varied rental options.  Mafia II for example was originally supposed to have day rentals but at the last minute changed to only full purchase.

I used to rent my games from Hollywood Video before they went out of business. They would charge about $8 per game and had a really limited selection to choose from, so GameFly is like a dream come true.

Gamefly bro.  
Sign up for the 2 games plan and you'll always have something new to play and won't have to worry about turn around time.  
Since you live in OH it shouldn't be too long to get them in the mail anyway since they have  a center in PA. 

yeah gamefly is great.
 
even if they do give you lots of shit for unsubscribing.

It will be sad to see my local Blockbuster go (UK), loads of memories there. But now I have enough monies now to buy games.

All is still well in Greeley.

Renting games is dying out as video stores start to disappear but I found I do use reviews more, play demos and usually wait until a game has been out for a while and the prices go down after a while.

I don't rent games myself but there's a Blockbuster near me that I hear is good for that kinda thing.

Wait, people still rent games? I stopped doing that more than 4 years ago. Of course, it helps that both my local Blockbuster and Hollywood Video are dead, but...

Gamefly sucks. I used to use Family Video, but it's become too expensive for my taste. I wish Netflix would start renting games to people, or Gamefly would get their system straight.

I've used Gamefly twice before and both times it was great for about the first 3 months and then it would just turn to shit. Several weeks in between getting games to me or giving me the bottom of my queue. I'll use it once I hear that it's not consistently crap. Plus I don't want to do the end around them and use a 2 game plan because that's basically a Lie. I'm not getting 2 games out at a time, they need to call it the staggard wait plan.

gamefly is the only place. i don't rent games as block buster is going out of business and hollywood video went out of business. block buster didn't really have any good selections. they seemed to have a lot of older crappier games. when there was a newer game that came out they were all out. i would have to wait like a month to finally find a copy of the game.

Gamefly isn't crap as long as you manage your Queue right. If you want to get a new release, you need to empty your Queue and leave only the game you want at the top. Then you need to return your current game around 3 or 4 days before the game's release date (depends on your shipping times, Gamefly needs to have it before the day of release). I've always gotten the games that I've wanted and it also works great for playing older games that I've missed. 
 
It is a lot of work to get new releases... but $15 a month isn't that bad if I get to play 2-3 games during that time that I would never have played anyways.