Bring Back the Box: What We Have Lost With Digital Distribution

[StewShearerOld]

Bring Back the Box: What We Have Lost With Digital Distribution

With digital distribution growing more and more prominent each year, there are some who fear the experience of owning real, in-your-hands video game could be on the way out. Companies like IndieBox hope to stop that from happening.

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[TiberiusEsuriens]

This article makes me moist. All but the latest of Blizzard games included manuals that were almost 100 pages long, filled to the bring with short stories, lore, and concept art. "Screw playing my new game, I have to read this stuff first!" Even though the newer Blizz stuff lost the manuals, their collectors editions give so much value anyways. Full physical game soundtracks, 50 page concept art books, trinkets and key chains... it's pretty great. I wish people would put some of this stuff back into the basic boxes, though. Now all physical copies contain is a warning that you have to pay more money to access content on the disc that is gated off.

Boxes also, while they take more space, certainly look a lot nicer than a row of CD spines, which when on their sides are virtually indistinguishable from each other. My one bit of nerd cred is still owning the original boxes for Dark Forces and TIE Fighter on my shelf.

 

[Sanunes]

From my experience a lot of the reasons aside from cheap prices for games people are moving digital is because the stores themselves are a barrier to buying physical copies. I could go to Walmart and buy a console game, but they don't carry a lot of PC titles. Then there is EB Games where I was treated so poorly I moved to digital distribution and haven't looked back when I was called stupid, a corporate shill, and a moron because I didn't want to save $5 by buying the game used. The reason is that I wanted to buy it new so I would get the Project $10 code and during this they were trying to convince me the used copy came with that as well.

 

[Something Amyss]

"Right now, there's a slippery slope with digital distribution," said Carter. "When a person won't pay five dollars for a game because they know it'll be on sale for one dollar the next week, they're saying that game isn't worth five dollars - that their time can be better spent elsewhere."

Because often times, that's true.

The decline of my spending on games in large part correlated with the feeling I was no longer getting value for my dollar. The increase in spending I've done in the last couple of years is because these sales allow me to feel I'm getting good value for my money. Though it's rare I will personally hold out on a five dollar game to see it reduced to a dollar.

"With the physical game, there's a palpable memory tied to that game even before you open it up," explained Carter. "Tearing off the shrink wrap, opening the box, flipping through the manual - for me, those were iconic elements of my gaming."

And in my day, we had to walk fifteen miles. Uphill. Both ways. Through the snow. Barefoot.

Ignoring the fact that even your peers don't all feel that way, it just sounds like "this is the way it was for me, so this is the way it should be."

"What happened to the days where a game came with a cool poster or map of the game? Because of how much I used my Final Fantasy VI map, my mom laminated it for me. There's so much value there that by drifting away from that, contemporary gaming companies are really missing out on an opportunity to connect with their customers."

I think it's folly to even pretend we're "drifting away" from that. Most games didn't come with maps or goodies, and I had games as a kid (NES days) that had little or no manual. Basically, we're wired towards confirmation bias and we remember the goodies that came with the games we liked and treat that as though it was the standard. The reality was far less kind. You had games where you needed to get Nintendo Power if you wanted the map--or sometimes even instructions on how to do certain things in-game.

In conclusion: what does bringing back the box really mean? Not much. It's nice that there are games which will now feature some extra stuff with them, but even if digital went away tomorrow it wouldn't herald the return of such practices. Especially since they largely didn't exist.

This sounds more like a PR piece than anything else.

 

[Cingle]

For collectors willing to pay a premium, fine. Bring back the box. But I'm done with boxes and trinkets and maps and codewheels and artwork forever. There really aren't very many compelling reasons, at least from my perspective as someone who isn't a collector, to make something that is merely a bunch of bits and then lock those bits onto a physical thing and then manufacture thousands of that thing and then ship those thousands of things across the globe. That's a lot of wasted energy and time and money for something you can just pipe down over an ultra-fast data network.

 

[Gary Thompson]

I used to be completely against digital gaming.

But then I started playing on PC, started getting "AAA" games for $20, I didn't have to fish around for the disk and didn't have to deal with GameStop or have my game arrive late because the mail is slow.

All those manuals, maps, and boxes are mostly cheaply made junk that just end up cluttering my space or going into the trash.

It's not like digital books vs real books, because video games are digital regardless of if you have a easily broken disk or not.

 

[misg]

This sounds more like a PR piece than anything else.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Something Amyss]

I was thinking the same thing.

Oh, good. It wasn't just me imagining things then.

For collectors willing to pay a premium, fine.

I think this is more or less my stance.

And I will add that occasionally, I am the collector willing to pay a premium. But 99% of the time (completely made up number that may not be 100% accurate), I'm not.

Not only don't I want to pay extra for stuff I don't want, I don't want to pay the same amount for stuff I'll probably have to chuck. It's waste, waste I don't need.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

After getting the Tales of Symphonia HD Collectors Edition, I'm done. Nothing can top what you get with that; A Steel Book, an Art Book, a novel, four figures, the FULL OST, and a nice box to go with it. It's just easy to sit at my desk at work go "oh shit this game came out", then hope on my phone buy it and (hopefully) it will be ready when I'm home. Plus now I don't have to deal with dipshits jacking up the price of a game if it becomes hard to find.

 

[Olas]

I have no love of physical stuff. Physical stuff takes up space, creates clutter, is susceptible to wear and tear, and costs more (or at least should). I don't feel my love and appreciation or sense of ownership is lessened just because of the form my content takes, whether that be bits or atoms. It seems almost fetishistic the way I hear some people talk about the wonders of being able to feel something in their hand. It's just a piece of plastic. If you want to handle a piece of plastic I'm sure there's a bottle in your recycling you can fondle.

I'll admit there aren't a whole lot of good options for buying things digital right now, with DRM and digital storefronts and all that BS. But those are manufactured problems people are imposing, not inherent ones.

 

[Ken_J]

The indie box stuff and the sale centric nature are very good points that I actually haven't thought of about what we have lost with Digital. What I was more worried about is the amount of control over those games.

When I have a physical copy I have complete control over it, I can play it when and were I want as long as I have it in my hands. That means I can bring it to friends house, give it to my friend and if i am not satisfied i can return it. Those things are possible with digital but not without jumping through too many hoops.

Another thing that people do not even talk about is the fact there are digital games you cannot get anymore, at all. the Marvel games, Xbox Marble Blast, flappy bird (for a while) and dozens of other games are delisted from the stores because of licensing issues that I have no control over. What happens when say Capcom goes under, will their massive library go with them, probably.

 

[Ken_J]

It will suck a bit, 5-10 years down the road, I wont have a nice box on my favorite games bookshelf.

That is literally the only downside I could think of when it comes to going pure digital.

Actually their are a myriad of licencing issues that can and have arisen the are completely sidestepped with physical. Many games can be delisted and not bought because a licence expired or a certain company went under. While this prevents new physical versions of the game from coming they do not affect copies in circulation other than making them more valuable. I can't get a digital version of a Marvel vs. Capcom game but I can find one in a second hand store.

 

[Kieve]

Man, no love for the box here at all...? Yeesh.
Personally, I'm on board with this, I love the idea. That isn't to say I'd want a box for every game, but I remember the novella-length manual for MechCommander (with several glossy full-color pages of available Mechs in the center), the poster-sized maps of Vvardenfell, Mournhold, and Solstheim that came with my Morrowind / Tribunal / Bloodmoon boxes - yes, I bought them separately, when companies still made legit expansions - and the boxes themselves covered in screenshots, artwork, descriptions and blurbs. The box itself was trying to sell you the game, saying "Hey, this thing in your hand? Buy it!"

When you compare that to now, where games come in cheap DVD cases whose cover work is 50% PC requirements, legal disclaimers, online requirements, and other fine print, and within is nothing more than a couple sheets of paper urging you to buy moar DLC... yeah, it feels like companies stopped trying. It says to me, "We don't care enough about our game to even package it right," and if they don't care, why I should I?

I know I'm part of the Old Guard here, and even I'll admit I don't have much nostalgia for blowing into NES carts, but damned if I don't want this to succeed. I understand not everyone feels like I do but hopefully there's enough of us out there to make it happen.

As a final word:

It's just a piece of plastic. If you want to handle a piece of plastic I'm sure there's a bottle in your recycling you can fondle.

No, Olas, there's a lot more to it than just "a piece of plastic." You may not share my feelings or opinion on the subject and that's fine, but there's no need to be derogatory or condescending to people who do want to feel like they're getting the value they used to from a physical copy.

 

[Signa]

I miss my boxes too, but I'm willing to sacrifice them for the $3-$5 and convenience I'm getting in return. I'd still buy a boxed version of a great game if the price was right though.

I'm certainly not going to do that for all 600 of my Steam games.

 

[Samael Barghest]

I have to wonder how many people here are PC gamers. Trust me, it makes a difference in this discussion. I'm not a PC gamer, thought about then decided against once I realized that Wal-Mart was the only place to buy PC games. And I live by a really ghetto Wal-Mart with employees that always complaining about how badly they're treated but every time I go there I have to beat someone into submission just to get help. But I digress. Digital games works well for PC gamers due to the fact that it's harder to find physical copies of that game. That's not the same case for us console gamers. Yes, I have downloaded some games from PSN and Nintendo's Eshop but they were old hard to find games. I want to say that physical copies are better for console gamers but I guess that depends on the individual. Some (like myself) have no problem buying a used game. It's how we try new games we aren't sure about. Others don't like used games for reasons that make no sense to me. Physical copies are cheaper for us console gamers and not as hard to attain like PC games. Regardless, when the time comes when all games are digital, I will probably stop buying so many games and not be as willing to take a chance on a game. I feel like that's the thing everyone keeps missing out on. Once games go digital, developers should put a demo up but, as it is it's pretty rare for them to do so. It's just a pre-render cut scene. There's also going to have to be a return policy for games we want our money back on. Everyone always complaining about Gamestop's payout on returns, you're going to see that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, and whoever else will be no different.

 

[Samael Barghest]

I have to wonder how many people here are PC gamers. Trust me, it makes a difference in this discussion. I'm not a PC gamer, thought about then decided against once I realized that Wal-Mart was the only place to buy PC games. And I live by a really ghetto Wal-Mart with employees that always complaining about how badly they're treated but every time I go there I have to beat someone into submission just to get help. But I digress. Digital games works well for PC gamers due to the fact that it's harder to find physical copies of that game. That's not the same case for us console gamers. Yes, I have downloaded some games from PSN and Nintendo's Eshop but they were old hard to find games. I want to say that physical copies are better for console gamers but I guess that depends on the individual. Some (like myself) have no problem buying a used game. It's how we try new games we aren't sure about. Others don't like used games for reasons that make no sense to me. Physical copies are cheaper for us console gamers and not as hard to attain like PC games. Regardless, when the time comes when all games are digital, I will probably stop buying so many games and not be as willing to take a chance on a game. I feel like that's the thing everyone keeps missing out on. Once games go digital, developers should put a demo up but, as it is it's pretty rare for them to do so. It's just a pre-render cut scene. There's also going to have to be a return policy for games we want our money back on. Everyone always complaining about Gamestop's payout on returns, you're going to see that Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, and whoever else will be no different.

 

[Something Amyss]

No, Olas, there's a lot more to it than just "a piece of plastic." You may not share my feelings or opinion on the subject and that's fine, but there's no need to be derogatory or condescending to people who do want to feel like they're getting the value they used to from a physical copy.

I'm kind of with Olas. Barring any explanation, it does sound fetishistic. Or like the habit smokers get of putting something to their mouth. Or an obsessive compulsion.

 

[Devieus]

With Skylanders and Disney's Infinity, boxed games aren't going anywhere soon, it's just going to be something you didn't grow up with and maybe not understand because of that; but rest assured, the young'uns aren't going to miss out on anything anytime soon.

That said, I have a pile of PS2 game cases that goes up to my knees right now, I do not miss them for my PC, all that swapping is just a bother.

 

[kasperbbs]

I don't miss physical copies, swapping discs used to be a bother, they took up a lot of space and eventually got scratched. The only good thing about it was the ability to trade my games to others by paying a small fee or buying them used, but thats all irrelevant now since i moved to PC gaming. I still have a shelf filled with CD's from the old days and i have no desire to play any of them, but i'm reluctant to throw them away because i paid money for them and i can't even give them away because nobody wants them anymore.