Report: Video game rentals hurt overall sales
- November 27, 2007 00:00 AM PST
A new report by Magid Associates confirms what many already know -- that video game rentals (as is the case with any type of rental) significantly hinder sales.
Do you regularly rent video games?
Less than 10 percent of renters go on to purchase a play tested game says Game Daily. That same group only buys a tenth of the games they rent, however.
That's a sizable number considering that almost 40 percent of weekly console gamers report renting at least on game in the last year.
Teenagers, with limited or no disposable income, represent almost 30 percent of game renters even though they make up only 12 percent of the total gamer population.
"More often than not consumers tell us they don't buy a rental game because it was not very good or it is too short," says analyst Mike Vorhaus. "Rental play does not lead to significant purchases of those rented games."
