How Are You Towards Direct Download Games?

[Magicman10893]

I still don't like it. The way digital distribution (of anything, really) is handled makes me sick. Between not being able to play unless connected to the internet, to losing entire libraries at the hands of a large corporation that you couldn't possibly fight, to not being able to get a refund or trade in the game when you're done, I will never buy a game digitally that I can't buy physically. DLC is a slightly different matter, but my problems with DLC are the content-to-cost ratio and any online-only DRM attached to it.

The only digital download games I have are the few ones from Steam (which came at extreme discount, or in the Humble Bundle which I donated all to charity) and XBLA-exclusives (by which I mean, Digital Distribution exclusive) like Torchlight, Castle Crashers, and Minecraft.

 

[Genocidicles]

Gog is alright, but other than that I'm not buying a digital game until it's price is lowered, because it comes with nothing physical.

This isn't a need for something physical so I can put it on my shelf, or the feeling that I own the game. It's because a digital copy still costs the same as a retail copy, but you're getting less.

 

[Riku'sTwilight]

I love me some Digital Distribution.

Even though I live in the middle of nowhere so actually going to a physical store is a pain in the neck, I can still buy physical copies of stuff through amazon and what not, digital game buying is a quick and convenient way of getting stuff that you might not be able to get anywhere else.

XBLA is proving itself to be an excellent storefront whereby yesterday I picked up two arcade games for under £8, giving me hours of entertainment on something that I wouldn't be able to buy a physical copy of if I tried.
I regularly buy DLC through digital distribution, and certain full length xbox games too, if they are cheaper and I want to pick up something I can't be bothered to go buy physically or are hard to find/rare.

I do still think that full-length games on digital need to be cheaper, and more day-one releases of digital needs to happen (though I know this is something Nintendo and sony are working on) so that we have the option to go digital or physical, with digital being anywhere from 10-20% cheaper than physical.

 

[Ralen-Sharr]

I have lost keys and disks before, and thus, games.
Digital download is more convenient, keeps track of all that crap for me, and in many cases cheaper. (especially if you figure in fuel costs with going to the store to get a game)

I was a little leery of it years ago, but once I got to digging Steam, it became my preferred method of getting games.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

I can't remember the last game I bought a physical copy of. All my games are digital download. If that was all there was and it passed savings onto me, I am fine with that.

 

[Aris Khandr]

I love downloads. 100% fully onboard with the switch to digital. I buy all of my games on Steam or Origin, I get all of my movies from Amazon's video store, my music from Amazon or iTunes, and my books via Kindle. Obviously, not everything can go digital, like the incense burner I've got my eye on. But if I have a choice, I will always choose the digital version. I have no particular attachment to holding things, and being able to redownload at my leisure (or, even better, not have to pack twice my body weight in books when I move) is infinitely superior.

 

[Zantos]

I quite like them. Particularly with how much I move, it's certainly more convenient than having to move around even just the disks. That said, most of the games I get DD are either indie games that probably don't even have a boxed version, or old games that are better on DD because they've had the courtesy of doing the hard work to run it on the newer OSs. A boxed version is nice where convenient, but I tend to only get those if it's cheaper.

 

[Tayh]

I prefer physical copies.
I've bought games from sites such as ImpulseDriven(bought by Gametop I believe) and GamersGate, but these days I only buy digital games DRM-free from GOG.com.

 

[DoPo]

Had I asked people back in, say, 2005, I'm sure a great many people would not be happy with digital distribution, citing it as being either too expensive, perhaps too inconvenient, and preferring to have physical games instead.

Yup, that's exactly what I would have said. As several people stated, internet access was an ass back in 2005. Heck, I was still on 56K then. Yeah, they were alternatives, just not where I was - I don't mean the city, it was just my neighbourhood. A little while later, I did get internet but with limited traffic per month, so, again, DD wasn't appealing. But since I have almost guaranteed internet access nowadays, I don't really mind. In fact, I'm really happy with DD, as I don't have to lug a bunch of CDs around. I buy more from Steam and the like than physical copies. I'll eventually renew my collection of games on a digital platform, too but that is in no way an immediate goal of any description.

 

[mechalynx]

Used to be against it in a big way. Mainly because i'm a hoarder and like to have boxes everywhere, it annoys my missus and that makes it fun .... except when she gets mad.

But I bumped into the Steam sale in Autumn and now have a hell of a lot of games in my Steam account. Then GoG had a sale so I bought some older games. Now Steam has a sale again so my collections growing.

I won't pay full price though. No way in the burning hell am I paying the same for download than I would for retail, fuck right off ya rip off twats.

What this wise person said. Prior to Civ V I didn't even have Steam. Suddenly 50% of my PC games had to be activated on Steam. And then the summer sale rolled in...

 

[hazabaza1]

Very handy. Do it often.
Though I do like my boxes, and if a game is particularly large I'll probably get the boxed version, stops me having to spend a few hours downloading a game every time I want to do something.

 

[lacktheknack]

I stick with Steam (who I trust) and gog.com (who actually let you buy their stuff). But yes, I love them.

It helps that the physical distributors treat PC gamers like crap (a half rack of games for PC, with six racks for Xbox 360 and PS3).

 

[lacktheknack]

Sooo, no games when my internet goes out?

Yea, screw that. I prefer my hard copies for at least the short time we have left together....

?

Just ?

Is that what happens on Xbox and PS3?

 

[BrotherRool]

I'm happy digital downloading, but only if I can't get a box. Mainly because I find the services the deliver games a little annoying, Steam always insists on loading up before the game starts (and you always have to click a box if you're offline), Origin is hard to navigate, GoG... is really good and with the PSN you have to shuffle around memory. It's silly, objectively it's much more convenient than porting round a disk and its a lot safer to buy digitally where you can redownload, but it doesn't give the same feeling of ownership and its like you have to give someone else permission to play your game. Also boxes look nice.


My big worry is the Xbox Live and the PSN have a closed market and Steam in all practicality, almost has a closed market. With boxes there's all these retail branches competing with each other and forcing cooperation for the networks, as DD gets more popular the only people with power are going to be Microsoft, Sony and Steam. If they want to raise game prices how are you going to stop it? Heck with MS and Sony you'd have to buy a whole new console which means a double console setup or building an entirely new games library

 

[lacktheknack]

Sooo, no games when my internet goes out?

Yea, screw that. I prefer my hard copies for at least the short time we have left together....

?

Just ?

Is that what happens on Xbox and PS3?

Talking more like Cloud services.

Oh ew. Cloud services fill me with annoyance.

I stick with Steam (offline mode) and gog.com (no connection whatsoever).

 

[Legion]

The Xbox and PS3 are still miles behind when it comes to downloading games (which is a joke considering that they are nearing the end of their life cycles). I have only ever bought indie/arcade games from them because their prices have without exception been more expensive than buying the game through retail.

The PC I only ever get retail copies if a digital copy is more expensive requires something other than Steam to get or is unavailable digitally. So my only non-digital PC games are System Shock 2, Dragon Age 2 and Starcraft 2.

 

[Mister K]

I am fine with downloading, as long as it is either cheap indie game, or a classical game.
Or something really nice for PS3.

 

[2fish]

I buy physical copies of the games I love but with GOG, Amazon, and Steam I can get most of the games I want for good prices. I may have to extend to Green Man at some point as they have had some better deals so far but not on the games I want.

However many physical games are now being linked to an account, so physical means almost nothing. Most of my games are digital, and the games where I have a digital and physical copy usually the digital copy is easier to use or runs better/faster.

I am also better at hunting for prices I am willing to pay online. I will however pay full price for most indie games as they tend to be $10.

 

[Whispering Cynic]

I outright refuse to buy recent releases online, because for that price I deserve to get a physical copy (and whatever goodies may come with it). I don't mind going to the store to pick my games up, it's certainly quicker and in most cases cheaper than waiting for some 22 gig monster to download from Steam. Also, I don't trust Steam to exist ten or twenty years from now, investing any significant amounts of money into it seems unwise.

That said, I do buy stuff on Steam or GOG from time to time - usually something classic on sale or when some indie thing catches my eye.

 

[jklinders]

I've seen far worse and more invasive DRM on physical copies than I have ever seen on a DD game. Steam, Gamefly and Impulse all offer great service and few hassles. The terrible DRM that I have to fight with on a typical disk copy is far worse than whatever stigma is attached to not having the disk.

Besides, in house publisher clients like what Ubisoft has and Origin are gonna be the rule rather than the exception. Expect that disks are gonna be nothing more than window dressing in only a few years