Why I quit Gamefly

I feel like I need to justify why I quit Gamefly. Don’t get me wrong, I love them! I think they have a great service, and I still preach it to those whom I think could benefit from their service! But in my gameplay habits and needs, the mail service just didn’t work anymore for me, and that made me sad. So i’ve tendered them my notice that I will be leaving. I’m sure there were tears on both sides really.

I’m not shy of being part of the PC master race, which doesn’t preclude me from using Gamefly! But the reason I signed up with them was that they would mail me the disk of the game I wanted, i’d get a surprised awesome thing in the mail that wasn’t just coupons for the local grocery store or for some reason AARP trying to sign me up 30 years in advance, and i’d get to give the game a go for a few days and then drop it in the mail on my way out the door. That was the idea anyway.

What ended up happening – and again let me be clear, this is my fault not Gamefly’s – is that i’d make a list of the games I wanted to play, and one would come in the mail, and i’d play it for a few days! I’d then boot up steam for something… and then 3 weeks later i’d wonder why I hadn’t heard anything from Gamefly, only to remember that Tomb Raider was still in the Xbox. I’d ship of the game, excited for something big and current and AAA title to show up, and it would be something else available on my list. Generally not the game I’m anticipating because my list isn’t current, or too many people made sure that was the ONLY game on their list, so that is what was sent when available.

Again, not GameFly’s fault, it’s just the way I play games.

Even when it game to downloading PC titles from them! Which i’ll admit worked in my favor many times. Charles and I downloaded the original Bioshock for free, (i’m ashamed to say how long after the game came out that we played it) (and by we, I mean I played a little, and let Charles do the rest because it scared the crap out of me in the moment) (i’m a big baby) which got us hooked to play the next two games. But, when it came to getting the next two games, GameFly isn’t where we went to buy those games; we got a season pass through Steam. Convenience has really changed how I do my internet shopping these days.

What about the physical disks then for the consoles? One of my challenges with GameFly was that either I didn’t keep my list current, or they sent me something else when the game I wanted wasn’t available – and let’s face it – I like instant gratification. Who doesn’t? I also don’t want to pay $65 for a game i’m going to play for a week, and then move on to the next shiny toy. So I have to say, i’ve become a big fan of renting console games from Redbox. It’s $2 a night, perfect for getting a game Friday on my way to work, playing all weekend, and dropping off at a machine near home Sunday night. For $6, i’ve gotten the game I want, and the instant gratification I need. That doesn’t stop me for forgetting the game for a few days – I don’t want to admit how much I paid when I forgot I rented the movie Pegasus Vs. Chimera.

So long story short, I want to love GameFly, but they just aren’t working for me. If you live and breathe console games, and especially if you have oodles of gamers in your house who want to play different types of games and it doesn’t matter exactly what game shows up when? This is an awesome service for you! For me, i’m going to keep checking out other options, but it’s probably just Steam and Redbox for now.