With direct downloads and other digital purchases growing in popularity even among console gamers, brick-and-mortar game retailers are looking for new ways to stay relevant well into the future. To that end, GameStop-owned EB Games Australia is conducting an interesting experiment that essentially turns its shelves full of used games into a massive lending library for a flat, monthly fee.

As Press Start reports, EB Games has opened up the "Swap 'n' Play" program for testing in South Australia for AUS$19.95 a month (about $16). The program lets you take out any used game you want, one at a time, then return it in exchange for another when you're done. Players can cancel any time after an initial two-month commitment.

While the program was originally limited to used games that sell for under $50, that limit has since been dropped. That means even relatively new releases can be rented out as long as a used copy is available in the store, which often happens just a few days after the "initial release.

"We created Swap ‘n’ Play to add value for our regular customers, especially parents," an EB Games representative told Press Start. "Over school holidays, it's not unusual for families to be in and out our doors finding new games to play. Swap 'n' Play allows for a hassle-free and more affordable shop."

The idea of an all-you-can-play rental exchange program isn't entirely new; GameFly offers a similar rent-by-mail service that lets you swap one game at a time back and forth for $16 a month, or $23 a month for two games at a time (you also get access to a handful of streamable games to boot). Before finally going out of business in 2014, Blockbuster Video also offered a Games Freedom Pass that let users rent one game at a time with no late fees for $20 a month (or less during promotions).

What makes the EB Games' rental experiment unique is its association with a major game retailer that has access to shelves full of used titles, some of which can be a struggle to sell at any price. That game selection might not be able to compete with the 8,300+ titles listed on GameFly, but it certainly beats the relative handful of games available at a local Redbox kiosk, not to mention the more limited choices on digital "all-you-can-play" services like Xbox Games Pass or PlayStation Now. The convenience of swapping out your selections at a local retailer beats waiting by the mailbox for GameFly shipments, and it doesn't require the long downloads and/or shoddy streaming of digital "rental" offerings.

Right now there's no indication that GameStop or EB Games plans to extend the Swap 'n' Play program outside of South Australia. If they do, though, it could do a lot to provide gamers worldwide with easy access to a large chunk of recent gaming history. What's more, it would provide a newfound reason for those gamers to actually get up and go to a brick and mortar retailer instead of sticking with Amazon shipments and digital downloads. What a concept!