I was at work this morning and I was trying to think about what I was going to do with the rest of my day. I had about a three and a half hour gap in between jobs and I needed something to fill that void. You see Geeklings, I like to map out my day. That doesn’t mean that I hold to it like glue, but it gives me an idea of where I’m heading. I work… a lot. Which means I like to look forward to downtime. Whether it’s reading a comic or watching a movie I’m the type of person that loves knowing that something I love is at the finish line. As I was mapping what I was going to do tonight it dawned on me, I want to play Star Wars Battlefront 2.

The only problem is… I don’t own Star Wars Battlefront 2. A wee bit problematic, no?

My mind started turning trying to figure out a way I could play the game. My beta had expired so I couldn’t get it that way, which sucked because I only played for like an hour after NY Comic Con, and there’s no demo on the Playstation network that I know of which left the option of using a Redbox. Easy enough right? Wellllll, the truth is, I’ve never used a Redbox before. If I want to watch something I’ll rent it off Itunes or I’ll buy it. Plus, I don’t really trust Redbox. I can’t really explain it but I think it has something to do with it being so out in the open and not feeling like a Blockbuster that I don’t trust it. I think my biggest fear is getting hit with absurd late fees, and I’ve researched them and know that they’re not awful, but still… I don’t trust Redbox. It’s my thing.

Again this falls into the problematic area because it seemed like my only option, outside of buying the game, to play Star Wars Battlefront 2. This kind of bums me out. I don’t know how many of you remember actually renting things from an actual store, but I’m a part of that generation that spent hours walking down the aisles of Blockbuster trying to figure out just what the hell I was going to rent. I was the same way with their game rentals. Four days of just you and the game. Four days was such a fair number. It gave you plenty of time if something came up preventing you from playing one of the nights. You know, something like two jobs. With Redbox, I’ve got a day before the late fees start hitting. What the hell can I do with a game in a day?! Not much is the answer.

How do we live in a world where you can’t turn on your gaming system of choice, go to their store, and rent a game. Apple lets me rent tons of stuff on Itunes. How is it that Sony and Microsoft haven’t gotten on board with this yet? Probably because most hardcore gamers would spend the five bucks and beat the game in two days thus crippling the gaming industry financially, but what about us casual gamers? The ones who don’t get to play as often as they’d like? The ones who have to schedule video game time but still want to wield a lightsaber as their favorite Star Wars character?

Am I just missing something here? Is there a service, a legit service, that does this? If so please share it with me here on the comments or find me on Twitter @iamgeek32. I just don’t think Redbox is the answer. Especially once they start playing the fee game. I want a relaxed video game rental experience. Is that too much to ask for?

… I miss Blockbuster.