Gamefly: A great service which overwhelms me monthly.

"Feeding my addiction..."

Gamefly. Every gamer knows of it, most have used it at one point or another. For me, it is a blessing and a curse. It feeds my gaming addiction, but also stresses me out. I have a weird quirk; I hate borrowing things. When someone loans me a movie, book or game it never gets watched, read or played. Prior to the launch of PS4 I was loaned The Last of Us by a friend. I had read so many amazing reviews and was generally excited to dive in. But when I got home, it got stuck next to my console and there it stayed until I gave it back three weeks later. I didn't forget about it mind you, I just had no urge to play it. 

Anywho, back to Gamefly. Their service is great, add  a tons of games you want to play, pay a small monthly amount and play to your hearts content. I love the idea, the concept and the execution. Every time I get that familiar square, orange and white, envelope, I get excited. Yet the games (almost) never get played. When I got my Playstation 4, it was a lifesaver. I couldn't afford to play the newest games and their services allowed me to experience the next generation of gaming. But as my personal collection grew, my hesitation to complete my rented games came back. Even now I have Lego: Marvel Superheroes and Wolfenstein: The New Order sitting directly next to my PS4. The discs have been inserted, updates downloaded yet neither game has been played for more than ten minutes. 

After thinking long and hard about the cause of this, I think I may have found an answer. There is too much to play. Too many trophies to achieve, too many hours to spend and yet so little time. Work mixed with writing and my married life mean little time for gaming. While normally I would enjoy one game at a time, Gamefly provides so much good (sometimes mediocre) content that I get overwhelmed. As of this time of writing, I am playing Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition, The Last of Us Remastered and Rogue Legacy.

Another issue that I have is more personal. I am terrified of breaking or damaging the game (or item if it relates to something borrowed). There have been a few times lent out a game only to receive back a scratched to hell disc that resembles a coaster more than a game. I hated when it happened to me and I wouldn't want to have that happen to an item where I will have to pay more if it breaks. 

Finally, I find that my luck with Gamefly is meh at best. I know a lot of the good games are limited and I will need to wait. However, I sometimes go a few weeks waiting for a new arrival only to get one when I finally get into a game from PSN or on my PC. As previously mentioned, I have limited time. I then need to choose, do I play the game I am invested in or try out the new one. Being of a singular mindset, I can only play one game at a time. I usually will sideline the rented game(s) for the one I own.

Should I cancel my Gamefly account? Part of me loves the service and all my choices. Another part feels like I am drowning in options. I guess I will continue the service, if only for something to play in between Destiny and all the other stuff.