 "Photo: Coleman Morefield")
Students who want to try a recently released video game without buying the whole kit and caboodle before knowing what it is like need not travel to Blockbuster.
GameFly, an online video game rental service, launched its G-Box Kiosk on Wednesday in the Barnes & Noble campus bookstore located in the Student Union Building - the first of its kind at colleges and universities across the nation.
"The kiosk program is a way to extend the GameFly universe into the physical world," said Sean Spector, co-founder and senior vice president of business development and content for GameFly.
The kiosk, a machine where video games can be rented, allows people to walk up and browse games by genre, click to choose one, swipe a card, and walk away with a newly-released game, he said. Each machine holds several hundred games and the number of games available will grow in the future.
GameFly will install similar machines across the country, Spector said, but Tech was the first to have one installed.
The G-Box will come stocked with games for several platforms, including Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii, he said. Also, renters can keep the games as long as they want and will not be given due dates or late fees.
John Creed, general manager at the campus bookstore, said GameFly worked with Barnes and Noble campus bookstores across the country to offer its service to students.
"I think it'll allow students who don't have the ability to get out to a Blockbuster to rent games," he said. "Students who live in dorms or are on campus more often will have the ability to get recent releases."
It will cost $1.99 for Wii games and $2.49 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games, Spector said. The G-Box also will offer a rent-to-buy option.
"Gamers want to play a new game in the first couple of days," Spector said, "and daily rental allows people to try a game out."
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