Game to start rental service

Game, one of the major dedicated games retail shops in the UK and Europe, has announced that it is to launch a new rental service for customers who don't want to buy games outright.

Game currently deals mainly in the sales of retail and pre-owned games, but this new offer is to be borne of a new partnership with SwapGame and will adopt a LoveFilm-esque business model according to MCV.

What that means then is that players pay a monthly fee and can rent as many games as they want a month, but can only have two games at a time. You can keep the games for as long as you want, with no late fees and so on.

The rental system will cover all console and handheld platforms, but PC rentals will not be an option for fear of piracy, obviously. The service will go back a generation or two though - which is handy if you've still got an original Xbox or PlayStation 2 kicking around. The service will launch through the GAME.co.uk website.

"We spent a lot of time talking to customers, to find out what services they want from us and how we can help them enjoy more games and get great value," Game's Alex Croft said in a statement.

Rental systems such as this tend to meet with mixed reception in our experience though - while there are some of us who maintain long-running LoveFilm subscriptions, there are others who don't see the point and who much prefer to own a copy of the game, even digitally.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Tell us what you think in the forums.