2 in 3 Gamers Prefer Discs to Downloads, Says Survey

[Sniper Team 4]

I have a reason for hard copies instead of download which, as far as I can tell, hasn't been mentioned. Along with all the other reasons, I have one more:

PRIDE

I get a very deep feeling of pride when I look at my physical collection. Final Fantasy VII through XIII, Suikoden I through V, the Xenosage games, .Hack games. Yes, many of these can be downloaded now, but a digital copy can't be displayed. I think there's something to be said for that.

 

[MarsProbe]

When it comes to "full price" titles, I'll take a boxed copy over a download any day. Smaller titles are fine, but when it comes to your AAA titles, there's something about a boxed title that a downloadable copy just won't match. Besides the standard fact that it means you have an actual physical object in your hands, well let's just say, a downloaded copy of Bioshock 2 wouldn't have come with an artbook and a natty vinyl now, would it?

Like Kasumi Goto, even though you can get a slick digital copy, we still just prefer a good old-fashioned hardback...

 

[_Cake_]

I rather a physically item showing I own it.

 

[Terramax]

I don't think it's anything to do with not being able to resell. I think it's to do with the fact that the price to download is often still just as much as it is to get a hard copy.

I'm not paying for a box, manual or disc, or to ship it, so why are downloads still going to the RRP/ near RRP?

 

[NLS]

Numbers are probably different between PC gamers and console gamers. For consoles, it's a lot easier to resell games because they don't have the same kind of copy protection and DRM that most PC games have nowadays. Reselling used PC games isn't as easy.

 

[thahat]

nice article... 1 in 3 download.
the only questions are
A: legal downloads? really?
B: 90% of the internet using communiyt downloads stuff anyway, but most of em buy the disc later so as to actualy HAVE it in case the internet dies or some weard crap like that
c: how many of those 1/3 understood that its about LEGAL downloads... Xd questions questions..

 

[ArmorArmadillo]

Misleading research. First, considering how new Digital Distribution is that number is actually more favorable to Digital games. Second, it assumes that you're choosing between the products on comparable terms...as in not choosing between an affordable game on Steam and a drastically marked up game at Gamestop.

 

[USSR]

2 in 3 Gamers can kiss my ass.

I like to think digital downloads are very much like insurance for my game.
Regardless of how many times it is damaged, I can always re-download it.

 

[JWW]

It'd be interesting to see how that split went in terms of PC gamers and console gamers.

<a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.207524-Poll-Discs-vs-Downloads-and-PC-vs-Console>Good idea.

 

[Jumplion]

To an extent I prefer Digital Distribution, like with STEAM and their hella huge sales (once my new PC comes in I'll be having some things to buy...)

Both Physical Media and Digital Distribution have their place in gaming, but overall I prefer a physical copy. Obviously it's part of the "collection" part of my brain, but unfortunately most physical copies of games don't lower in price even after a year or so on the market (Super Mario Galaxy is still $45 last I checked at GameStop).

 

[Bebus]

I love physical copies of games, but sooner or later all games will become downloads; hopefully lower prices will reflect this enormous saving in cost of distribution. This is unlikely, given the reputation of games companies and unfortunate precedent (and lost market) set by the music industry, but we can hope.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

I like the new game smell, in their pretty plastic cases and fresh discs and instruction manuals. Add-ons, expansions, and DLC (of course) can all be digital. And anything on the PC can be digital, for convenience's sake.

 

[The Last Nomad]

I'm actually surprise at the amount that prefer DD. I thought it would be much less. Although maybe some of the smaller percentage was made up of people who voted 'don't care' or something. But of the 64% who prefer physical download, I'm sure a lot of them use DD just as much.

It'd be interesting to see how that split went in terms of PC gamers and console gamers.

This post made me think a little. Most of my full PC games are on a disc, but I play a good bit of my stuff on my PC thats on the harddrive, be it downloaded legally or illegal(most of it not payed for).
None of my console games have come in Download form though (Demo's included, I would download them if I could, but I can't [No wireless Broadband] I wouldn't D/L full games though, I could get the actual boxed game for the same price 2nd Probably).

 

[Ganthrinor]

Physical copies are nice. Especially if you feel like getting a Limited/Special/Enhanced edition of something. Plus, nothing like a nice line-up of game titles on a shelf.

 

[AcidLillies]

Physical copies don't occupy bandwith; for instance, if I was to buy and download 3 games (which I would say I usually buy a month), I'd have taken up at least 80% of my bandwidth for that month, and I'm on the top BT package for places with no fibre optic broadband (<3 living on 3 hills and no where near a main town). 80% of my bandwidth gone equates to no image heavy sites, YouTube videos in anything but the lowest quality, or even for downloading various other tidbits. No frigging thank you.

And physical boxes just feel... right. You have the disc, and nobody else can feesibly take it from you without physically doing so. It isn't dependent on your computer, it's dependent on the disc itself; which is reliable in it's own right. I've grown up having discs; and I'm certainly not getting rid of them, unless any games I do download can be put on a disc. Pedantacism. <3

 

[Snor]

i download because it can be free, I download because pc games have infinite problems which cause them not to work and i download because most games aren't worth the money

actually this story could be true: what do we define as gamers?, I'm sure all casual console gamers and most other console gamers actually buy discs. same goes for a good part off pc gamers but we don't count illegal downloading in it

 

[meowchef]

With high-speed internet being what it is today, the amount of time I save going to the store and buying a game versus downloading it off of steam is either non-existent or a non issue. Digital Distribution is the way of the future and the way to go.

 

[The Lost Big Boss]

If it is for the PC I download. Unless the game is going to be huge and decide that next wave of gaming then I... still download.
Ya I really don't care if I have it in my hand or have it in my Steam Account (Not after I was scared when my brother traded in all my PS2 games that had some amazing gems in them for about 60$ worth of reward money.)

 

[SalamanderJoe]

I prefer physical media forms, not just games. Films, music. I just prefer having something to hold and actually show people you have, not just click on your game library and show your mates a 100 x 100 pixel icon of a game on your TV.

That, plus I'm a game artist, and like seeing the box art as cool piece of art. Same goes for DVD and album art.

 

[Irridium]

Physical > digital. And thats not just because I work in game retail.

Nothing, NOTHING can beat that new-game smell.

Plus, with the disk, I have it no matter what. With digital I have to rely on a bunch of unstable stuff, my computer, the internet, digital distributors...

With the physical game I have it no matter what.