Subscription Madness

Is a subscription worth it?

The cool, hot trend in gaming seems to be subscription services--Origin Access and Xbox Game Pass are two prime examples.  I've been eyeballing a subscription, but feel a bit weird about actually taking the leap.  I'm going to weigh out the pros and cons in my own head in an effort to get to the bottom of my reticence to bite the bullet on a gaming subscription.

Pros:
1.) Potentially cost saving.  The cost of actually owning all the games available through various subscription services would be monumental.

2.) Access to large library of games which allows users to pick and choose exactly what they want to play.

3.) Ability to experiment with games--you can try a game and then quit if you don't like it.  I received a free month of Origin Access and found this aspect of the subscription service to be novel to me.  If I buy a game and then don't like it, I will finish it anyway (because I paid for it).  I didn't feel that same pressure with a subscription service and actually tried and quit a few games I found myself disliking. 

4.) Higher likelihood to play indies.  I often find myself interested in indies, but hesitant to lay down the cash for a game that might be fun, but also might only yield a few hours of gameplay and/or have a limited replayability value.  With a subscription, I can check out more indie games without feeling the same level of cost-benefit guilt.

5.) Can cancel subscription at own leisure.

Cons:
1.) Choices limited to subscription service library.  Generally you have a large menu to choose from, but those are your choices.

2.) Similar to streaming TV, games seem to be added/removed at random.  I suppose there could be the potential to be playing something and then having it removed from the library.

3.) Most libraries seem to include a few big titles and mostly smaller, less popular options.  I'm usually able to pick out 4-5 games I really want to play and then several that I would be interested in trying. 

4.) Actual value.  It's hard to mentally calculate whether or not a subscription will actually save you money.  You're paying monthly for the service regardless of how much you use it as opposed to purchasing a game and then having it forever.

That's the way I see this choice.  Right now I'm content just bouncing around in Two Point Hospital and Borderlands 3.  I might give a subscription a whirl in the future.