No Right Answer: Best Video Game Format - Physical vs. Digital
- Thread starter Firefilm
- Start date
So this was interesting, I thought it was pretty cut-and-dried in favor of digital.
But I'm a PC guy, I don't play many console games anymore (last console game was GTA5 PS3). So all of Kyle's points are kinda moot - there's no trading, there's no secondary market, etc, etc. And the judge was pretty clearly seeing things from the console perspective.
The counterpoint is Steam (and similar digital marketplaces). All the benefits of "seeing the box art", plus added multimedia experiences (trailers etc) right there ready for you. The barrier to entry is lower (don't even have to leave the house - just press "buy", and the game is installing 30 seconds later), so digital is waaay more convenient. And outside of certain always-on DRM games (looking at you, SimCity2013), you can play your digital games even if you don't have an internet connect.
Plus games purchased through GOG don't even have DRM!
But I'm a PC guy, I don't play many console games anymore (last console game was GTA5 PS3). So all of Kyle's points are kinda moot - there's no trading, there's no secondary market, etc, etc. And the judge was pretty clearly seeing things from the console perspective.
The counterpoint is Steam (and similar digital marketplaces). All the benefits of "seeing the box art", plus added multimedia experiences (trailers etc) right there ready for you. The barrier to entry is lower (don't even have to leave the house - just press "buy", and the game is installing 30 seconds later), so digital is waaay more convenient. And outside of certain always-on DRM games (looking at you, SimCity2013), you can play your digital games even if you don't have an internet connect.
Plus games purchased through GOG don't even have DRM!
Well, for a Simmer like myself, I definitely wants a physical copy of my games. Not only because I can share the expansions pack I don't need to play with my friends. When the next generation of the game comes out, I can sell all of them and use the money to buy an expansion to that generation or maybe the new generation from start. Try to do that with a digital copy.
As for books. To find a book to read in a e-book store or borrow a e-book from a library requires you to already know which book you want to read. Otherwise you wont find it. Compare that to going to a book store or a library and just roam around. That way you might find books you didn't even knew existed. I guess the same thing can be said about games. To download a game, you need to know which game you want. But roaming in the store might make you discover titles you didn't knew existed.
(Simmer = someone who play "The Sims")
As for books. To find a book to read in a e-book store or borrow a e-book from a library requires you to already know which book you want to read. Otherwise you wont find it. Compare that to going to a book store or a library and just roam around. That way you might find books you didn't even knew existed. I guess the same thing can be said about games. To download a game, you need to know which game you want. But roaming in the store might make you discover titles you didn't knew existed.
(Simmer = someone who play "The Sims")
I side with physical purely on the merits of being able to lend and borrow. For me, this mitigates the risk of playing an unreasonable price for a mediocre game.
While I appreciate the idea that digitally distributed games ought to be cheaper, in our imperfect world I don't see this ever happening. I'll be happy to be proven wrong about this, but I'm not holding my breath.
The one thing I do love about digital distribution, though, is the expanded library of games. I wouldn't ever expect to encounter a copy of Syndicate or Planescape: Torment in the wild, but if I'm ever so inclined to wax nostalgic I'd probably find it in a couple clicks on GoG.
While I appreciate the idea that digitally distributed games ought to be cheaper, in our imperfect world I don't see this ever happening. I'll be happy to be proven wrong about this, but I'm not holding my breath.
The one thing I do love about digital distribution, though, is the expanded library of games. I wouldn't ever expect to encounter a copy of Syndicate or Planescape: Torment in the wild, but if I'm ever so inclined to wax nostalgic I'd probably find it in a couple clicks on GoG.
As someone in a tiny ass apartment. Screw having boxes taking up space.
I didn't even consider the fragility of the disks which is going to be a big deal for me in the near future since my room mate's having a baby and I'm the go-to baby sitter for the family.
On another note, HA, backwards compatibility and genuine ownership of physical media. As if companies aside from Nintendo are that consumer friendly. Remember, both Sony and Microsoft planned on putting DRM to physical copies.
Edit: I will also admit to a bit of bias against physical media due to my recent hunt for Yakuza 3 and 4 being nothing but pain and high costs.
I didn't even consider the fragility of the disks which is going to be a big deal for me in the near future since my room mate's having a baby and I'm the go-to baby sitter for the family.
On another note, HA, backwards compatibility and genuine ownership of physical media. As if companies aside from Nintendo are that consumer friendly. Remember, both Sony and Microsoft planned on putting DRM to physical copies.
Edit: I will also admit to a bit of bias against physical media due to my recent hunt for Yakuza 3 and 4 being nothing but pain and high costs.
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people are willing to give up their rights in favor of conveyance.
Not everyone wants to lose their games when a server goes down or a contract with some company goes away.
Physical media insures consumer rights.
I'm sorry so many people are blind to this.
Not everyone wants to lose their games when a server goes down or a contract with some company goes away.
Physical media insures consumer rights.
I'm sorry so many people are blind to this.
But when those servers go down or the contracts end, many many people would feel absolutely no guilt in less scrupulous methods of retrieving the game again if they wanted it back. Assuming the server being down cut them off from what's on their hard drive anyway.Tanis said:
Your argument also comes with the misunderstanding that you have actual ownership just because you have the disk when companies have thrown millions of dollars into legislation to get the law to say otherwise. You think you own it more than if you had a download, but you don't as far as the publisher and the laws backing them are concerned.
I kind of go both ways on this topic. If it's on my PC then I prefer Digital over Disc every single time. I use my computer for most things and so I have it on all day long or at least in sleep mode where it is easy to access. So it's so much easier to just open up my Steam library, shuffle through and say, "Yeah, I really want to play that game right now" and I don't have to hassle with a disc or anything. Also since I have hundreds of games on Steam and a couple on Origin I don't have to worry about them getting lost. I'm probably going to be selling my computer here in a few months because I'll be going out of country for a while, so when I get back and pick up my new computer I KNOW for a fact that I will have access to all my games.
However if it's a console I prefer to have a disc for several reasons. First is backwards compatibility. My Wii U plays all my Wii games, my 360 plays most of my Xbox games, and my Wii plays all my Gamecube games. It's nice to know that when my Wii finally dies I can still play my Wii games on my Wii U. And my 360 is really nice to have around because I don't own an Xbox anymore, but I can still play those games. Another thing is that it is harder to guarantee an internet connection with a console. It's nice to have the hard disc there in case I can't download the game. Also consoles tend to be temperamental and low on storage capacity, compared to PCs at least, if my console dies on me I still have my games. This is especially nice since sometimes it's very hard to get digital stuff from one console to another, at least with Nintendo it is, so I much prefer having the discs around.
However if it's a console I prefer to have a disc for several reasons. First is backwards compatibility. My Wii U plays all my Wii games, my 360 plays most of my Xbox games, and my Wii plays all my Gamecube games. It's nice to know that when my Wii finally dies I can still play my Wii games on my Wii U. And my 360 is really nice to have around because I don't own an Xbox anymore, but I can still play those games. Another thing is that it is harder to guarantee an internet connection with a console. It's nice to have the hard disc there in case I can't download the game. Also consoles tend to be temperamental and low on storage capacity, compared to PCs at least, if my console dies on me I still have my games. This is especially nice since sometimes it's very hard to get digital stuff from one console to another, at least with Nintendo it is, so I much prefer having the discs around.
Kyle should have been awarded a point at 03:30. Digital is here to stay, I get it. And it does have some advantages.
...But it could never give you the Catherine Delux Edition...
Part of the immersion for me is being able to touch and see where the game is coming from. Even though the data on the disc or the cart is identical to the data being streamed or downloaded or otherwise accessed, being able to hold it solidifies it more me and makes it more concrete. Whatever the advantages are of digital distribution, I just can't see them as offering the customer more than a physical copy could.
I've noticed I'm more ambivilant to the story if I get a digital copy. I even tried an expiriment on myself where I bought a digital and then a physical version of the same game. I played 15 minutes of each - digital first - in two rounds, to see which one I felt more invested and interested in. After the second round I stuck with the physical one. It was an interesting experiment.
And a digital copy costing the same a amount as a physical copy is just spitting in the customer's face.
...But it could never give you the Catherine Delux Edition...
Part of the immersion for me is being able to touch and see where the game is coming from. Even though the data on the disc or the cart is identical to the data being streamed or downloaded or otherwise accessed, being able to hold it solidifies it more me and makes it more concrete. Whatever the advantages are of digital distribution, I just can't see them as offering the customer more than a physical copy could.
I've noticed I'm more ambivilant to the story if I get a digital copy. I even tried an expiriment on myself where I bought a digital and then a physical version of the same game. I played 15 minutes of each - digital first - in two rounds, to see which one I felt more invested and interested in. After the second round I stuck with the physical one. It was an interesting experiment.
And a digital copy costing the same a amount as a physical copy is just spitting in the customer's face.
The digital distribution market place is like a strip club. There is security at the door, sometimes you pay a cover, it's full of things you can't touch (some of them have viruses), and none of it could ever be as satisfying as holding your real girlfriend.Firefilm said:
No, you are right. You are absolutely right. I admit not using a powerful weapon in my corner, and I humbly fall on my sword. (Dan falls on cardboard sword, it bends in half, he hits his head on a coffee table) AAAAAAAAAAAAAREYOUHAPPYNOWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!Aptspire said: