Why are some gamers so desperate to go pro digital?

[aaron]

digitial is pretty great. less stuff to get broken/stolen/lost/etc. plus less clutter and still a huge library of titles. i'm thinking of building an HTPC as a steam box/emulator box/media center soon and running that with my playstation family of legit consoles. i think i'll be set.

but then again i won't be able to play panzer dragoon orta... hmm...

[CavZee]

I'm in the middle of a purge of most of my retro collection. The main reason is that I want to pay off some student loan debt this year.

Just think, if these games were digital, you wouldn't be able to do this and your collection would literally have zero resale value.

This is a big thing for me. All the games I own physically will have "value". Both monetarily and nostalgically. If I ever get to the point in my life where I feel like I don't want them all anymore then I have the option of selling then off and using the money for whatever. I also have the option of handing my collection down to my younger brother at some point.

[MrEco]

Why do people prefer digital games? Why that's a simple question to answer! And in multiple sarcastic parts no less!


A) Because they enjoy paying money for something they're guaranteed to lose someday. Nothing is better than the comfort of knowing you won't be bothered by all those pesky games when the online service for your console of choice goes down in ten years!

B) Because they don't want any control over the product they payed money for. Stop living in the past with antiquated idea's like "play the game when I want to." You should log in to EA's servers first! Oops, they're down. Well how about a nice game Diablo 3? Still lagging in single player because it's raining out? That's okay, I heard Steam has a sale going! I also heard Valve banned you for some vague reason and now you can't access your games.

C) Because those bulky physical packages take up too much space, and we all know digital space is infinite right? You know, the PS4 and XBone have 500 GB's of hard drive space. That's the biggest of any console to date. Wow! I'm sure that will last long when 20+ GB game installs are becoming standard! (*cough cough* http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... tall-sizes - http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... tall-sizes )

[vatermuzik]

Interesting topic. I can, or course, only speak for myself.

All of the music I own is on physical CD or vinyl format. All of the movies I own are on physical DVD or BluRay format. All of the literature I own is in physical, paper and binding format (books). All of the games I own are on physical cartridge or disk format. I think I'm sensing a trend in my habits here.

I like tangible things. They help bring me closer to the subject, whatever it may be. Indulging in the medium helps immerse me in the message I suppose.

[LugNutX]

I think it helps to remember that game purchases (physical or digital) are mostly buying the right to play the game. You don't "own" the game, you own a license to play the game. With a physical disc, it's tied directly to that medium. With a digital purchase, it's tied to the account/console/whatever.

The difference in physical vs. digital is what you're allowed to do with that license once you're finished with it. Physical copies are easy - trade them, sell them, give them away - the license stays with the disc. There are also a limited number of licenses available in circulation at any one point, which can drive the "value" of that license up.

Digital copies currently lack a way to transfer that license to another account (or in some cases, console).

If you treat digital purchases as an experience, rather than a valuable item to keep, it's sometimes easier to justify. After all, plenty of folks drop big money on a round of golf, 2 hour movie at the theater, a concert, sporting events, etc. Those are all experiences that net you zero tangible assets...you're paying for the event.

Digital needs to drop their prices or adjust their DRM before I can consider them equal with a physical purchase. Though they are both licenses to access a game, the restrictions on what you can do with a digital license are far greater than its physical counterpart.

[casterofdreams]

Why do people prefer digital games? Why that's a simple question to answer! And in multiple sarcastic parts no less!


A) Because they enjoy paying money for something they're guarantee'd to lose someday. Nothing is better than the comfort of knowing you won't be bothered by all those pesky games when the online service for your console of choice goes down in ten years!

Floods (first hand experience), fires, theft, and in extreme cases legal outcomes put a damper on anyone who's "pro physical".

And to be frank when it comes to Steam banning and such similar cases, if people don't do stupid shit no one will get banned. Simple.

[MrEco]

Why do people prefer digital games? Why that's a simple question to answer! And in multiple sarcastic parts no less!


A) Because they enjoy paying money for something they're guarantee'd to lose someday. Nothing is better than the comfort of knowing you won't be bothered by all those pesky games when the online service for your console of choice goes down in ten years!

Floods (first hand experience), fires, theft, and in extreme cases legal outcomes put a damper on anyone who's "pro physical".

Of course it's possible to lose physical products. But there's a difference between the two.

In the case of flood/fire/theft or what have you that make you lose a physical collection of games then you always have some way of getting them back. Whether it's as simple as going back to a store and buying replacements, or a more arduous task of shuffling through Ebay bids, there is always some option. If the PSN servers go down, or say the support for PS3 is cancelled so they can focus on only PS4/5 then that's it. No way to get those digital titles back.

Also, you're comparing random chance events (fire/theft/flood etc) to a guaranteed eventuality. Whether it takes 5, 10, 20 or 100 years, not Valve, Sony, Microsoft or anyone is going to keep their online services running forever. They'll inevitably go out of business, or shut down the older services in favor of the next flashy thing. Whichever comes first.

[Reprise]

To be fair though, you could argue that online archivers and preservers (or in other words, pirates) would ensure eventually that there are some sort of back ups and preservation of digital games and patches etc. Maybe.

[casterofdreams]

To be fair though, you could argue that online archivers and preservers (or in other words, pirates) would ensure eventually that there are some sort of back ups and preservation of digital games and patches etc. Maybe.

I agree. If, say right at this moment, Valve said "fuck you no more Steam", you are going to have a massive effort to unlock those games. There are millions of Steam users who can collaborate to get the job done. No question. If you have just 1% of the user base, even half of that 1%, of XBLA users who have downloaded stuff, find a way through to remove licenses, you will have those games unlocked and playing in no time at all.

All this being illegal or not is not the highlight here.

Secondly, regarding natural or legal disasters, this varies case by case. I feel I can comment on this because I lost a decent portion of my collection in a flood. You are absolutely right I can just go and buy that same game again just by fishing around on ebay and what not. But in the case of Phantasy Star Online for the Gamecube, where I spent $50 each for the 2 versions that was released for the console, would I be happy to spend $200 to $250 for the game new? Or $50 to $70 for a shitty copy? Nope I would not.

[aaron]

i guess the real issue is the definition of "digital." if you mean emulation via a HTPC or a MAME cab or something like that, then emulation all the way. if you mean by solely purchasing licensed copies that are tied to online systems with finite lifespans, then ehhhh... i'll be more choosy about what i purchase, but i am also okay with that too.