How I Became Addicted To Digital Games

Box art is cool. Instruction manuals are cool. So why has everyone gone to digital games? Is it convenience, or something more?

[UltraNova]

Well its seems there's a first for everything...

[Skull521]

Convenience for sure. Everything about digital is just easier.

[annoyedgamer]

Including losing everything of the owner of the games doesnt like you.

[Skull521]

The odds of me losing access to my digital games is lower than the odds of you losing everything in a house fire.

[Bleucrunch]

maaan be careful what you wish for, because when it does happen you won't own what you play and it can be taken away from you anytime they deem "convenient" for them....

[darthv72]

some games you just cant get any other way. I wouldnt say I fully went digital this gen like others have but there are several digital only games that are on my systems from 360 to ps3 to xbo to ps4.

I prefer physical where available but even I know some deals are just to good to pass up. Digital represents the side of the market for those who just want to play the game while physical can also include those who just want to collect. I am someone who sits right on that thin line of both.

Now there is one aspect that maybe the article touched on and that is when it comes to buying physical and still not getting the same amount of content (on disc) as someone who buys digital. for example, the current black ops 4 is said to be a 55gb download for digital buyers and for physical it is a fraction of that and you still have to dl the remaining amount (upwards of 50gb) so then what's the actual point of getting physical if publishers are going to force you to have to dl the rest of the game anyway?

Patches are one thing but the day one patch of 50gb for disc users is quite literally the whole damn game. That makes no sense and there should be parity between releases. If the physical disc was not the same version as the digital one (as is said to be the case for BO4) then they should delay it and press new copies to make it the same.

[Dragonscale]

@skull, why are you so obsessed with ending physical when you can get everything digital regardless? It doesn't affect you in any way and makes no sense. What about all the people who prefer physical or all the people who have crappy internet, and thats a lot of people. So entitled just because you can't be bothered to get off your fat ass to change disks fgs.

[Skull521]

Because physical keeps the price of digital higher then it would be without. Digital also subsidizes physical, it’s much cheaper to deliver digital games then it is to manufacture discs, cases, manuals, and have them shipped yet they cost the same on release. Which means people who buy digital are helping pay the cost of all that crap.

PC is all digital and no one complains. Consoles will get there, I just want them to expedite the process, they are behind the times by a decade.

[JackBNimble]

Annoyedgamer
You keep saying you don't own digital games and they can be taken away.
I have hundreds of digital games that I have been collecting since you could buy digital, and I have never lost a single game.

So tell me..what games on either Psn or Xbox live has ever been taken away? Name a single game that some random developers took away from a paying customer.

Don't bother with the games that the license has expired because I can re-download any of those that I have paid for.

[FallenAngel1984]

“So why has everyone gone to digital games?”

Yet charts still show that console gamers still buy more games physically than digitally, so it’s not “everyone” transitioning over.

[lying_cake]

https://www.gamesindustry.b...

[FallenAngel1984]

That articles says nothing about console gamers buying their software digitally more than they are physically

[neutralgamer1992]

Fallen

Everyone who likes digital wants others to accept it and that's it even though numbers suggest that physical media still makes billions

[SpineSaw]

Not sure I buy your opinion about digital gamers wanting non DG to accept DG and go that way themselves. I went all Digital early this gen because I was tired of scratched disk that would need to be resurfaced over and over at $5 a pop. Now I was a Xbox 360 gamer last gen and the 360 disk drive was notorious for damaging disk. With that said my 2 changes this gen was going with the PS4 though I'm waiting on a Xbox One S from EBay to be delivered in the next couple days and the other big change was going all digital. Now no offense to you or anyone that still goes all disk for their gaming but I could care less how others do their gaming disk or digital as it has no effect on me and I'm guessing that most that go all digital feel the same. And BTW the only disk I'll be using on the X1S will be BC 360 games because any current gen title that I purchase will be like on the PS4 all digital it's just to convenient.

[rainslacker]

@Spine

it's not all digital gamers. but there are certainly a very vocal group of digital proponents who act like physical has to die, and anyone who still buys physical is somehow being quickly left behind.

For the most part, I don't see physical proponents saying that digital has to die, or being offended if someone prefers digital. Most aren't even opposed to also buying digital at times.

[AnubisG]

People who moved to digital only are like vegans. They want you to know that they buy games digital only and they want you to do it as well because the other option is bad for the planet and stuff.😆

[UltraNova]

Anubis,

Nail.Hit.Head.

[BigTrain]

Its part of the media blitz/brainwashing process. It helps the sheep's transition process and makes it easier. If they repeat a lie often enough and loud enough then soon people will believe it.

[JackBNimble]

As long as I can buy digital I am happy and I personally don't care what anyone else does.

I don't know why some have to make this a fight between physical or digital. Isn't all about choices and options...

[rainslacker]

@jack

I feel the same way, as ultimately, I think people should just play games, and support the devs by buying games they care about.

I don't mind discussing the pros and cons of each, just that it tends to become this thing where people are pitting themselves into a mortal death match with another person to try and make their preference the only option available.

[Army_of_Darkness]

I don't understand why these people need to somehow implement segregation in everything?! Why not just say I'm addicted to video games period.? Why is it necessary to add "digital" into the equation? It's not like having either physical or digital changes the overall games right??... It should have been " I prefer digital versions of my games because... "

[DaCajun]

Because bigotry and ignorance is what the human race is built on unfortunately. Just look around even this website is notorious for it. We are all gamers and that should be good enough to bring all together but no it's not for most. Humans don't like others that are different, ideas that are different, or anything they perceive as different. If you're not in their little box of what they think is normal then you must be evil or a mistake of nature. It has been like this since the beginning of the human race and will continue to be until the end unfortunately.

[zodiac909]

See how fast that addiction lasts, when one of the games you bought, gets pulled from the service you invested in, and there is no way to get any money back from it.

[darthv72]

I don't know about all de-listed games but the ones I have show up in my purchase history for me to download again if I ever deleted them from my system.

So the de-listing seems to only affect those who are wanting to buy but they are now no longer available. If you already have it, you can still play it regardless of it's removal.

[bigmalky]

The future holds a nasty surprise for those that can't see games being removed from libraries after the license expires.

History has taught us publishers will stoop to any level.

[ThatDudeMunkee]

Issue is. I had a game get delisted after uninstalling (in this case Alan Wake and Alan Awake American Nightmare) and I couldn't re-download them again. So happy to see them back on Steam. Definitely a worthwhile duo of games.

[rainslacker]

I have a copy of R-Types I brought on the PS3, and it's no longer avilable for download after it got pulled a couple years after I brought it.

it was one of my first digital purchases. It didn't cost me much.

it is rare that you can't download a game after it's been removed, and as far as I know, it's the only example I can think of. But PT is also able to be locked or removed from the store, so the potential is still there. If that had been a paid demo, and they did that, then there would have been some pretty big outrage.

In any case, the biggest example of losing access would be GFWL. it's likely some other online services that are now defunct are in the same boat. It is probably less likely to happen on the bigger services, or at least it will take much longer to happen, but to think that everything will last forever is rather optimistic, as any number of things could happen to cause a digital storefront to become obsolete.

Sure, the end may be all hypothetical, but you can't ignore the actual examples that already do exist....either in gaming, or other digital storefronts. What it comes down to is you really have no ownership, and certainly no real control.

Here is a list of delisted games across various platforms. Feel free to see which one's are still available to download. Some have defunct servers for online games, so it wouldn't matter, but I'm sure of the hundreds of games on that list, there are some which are no longer available for download.

https://delistedgames.com/a...

[JackBNimble]

... Bs

[Skankinruby]

Tsk tsk tsk, silly hypotheticals

[Sam Fisher]

We are about to go next gen and yet ppl are still wprried about delisting, the only thing that ever got delisted was pt demo as of i know

[Skuletor]

I remember Deadpool got delisted awhile ago too.
Last gen had delistings on the PS store too, like Marvel vs Capcom: Origins, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, the original ps2 classic version of GTA: San Andreas, it's only the other port version you can buy now and I'm sure there's a bunch more examples.
I can still download my bought copies of GTA: San Andreas on PS3 and Deadpool on PS4 though.

[Eidolon]

Obscure or niche games, probably due to legal or controversial issues.

[Eidolon]

Never has happened to me. Okay let's see how long you cry when you break, scratch, or lose your disc, which is way more probable. You're talking about some obscure stuff being pulled out of circulation. People would argue physical over digital with your logic, but the likelyhood is neglible and even more so with huge releases.

[_LarZen_]

I enjoy getting a physical game. But after several decades I've realized they just take up allot of space. And especially today with so much sales on digital games and with a upcoming streaming service on Xbox I'm going all in on digital. It's just to convenient not to. I'll be able to take all my games and play them on a wide range of devices soon like my phone and tablet to mention a few.

[Zeldafan64]

I just got a 400GB micro sd for my Switch. Not having to change cartridges is a big convenience factor.

[Majinzo]

@zeldafan64 has it given you any loading or saving issues ? I was thinking about getting one myself.

[CaptainOmega]

Until i can sell digital games, there's no reason to buy then for me

[Sam Fisher]

But not for much, the most you get is half, and thats if you sell it with in 14 days, after that its 20 for the most popular game

[mkis007]

Not if you sell to a person...

[TheColbertinator]

I do enjoy letting friends borrow my games too.

[zackeroniii]

Dislikes probably came from digital weirdos who got triggered because they can't resell their digital games

[Skankinruby]

That picture says it all, stacks and stacks of cases you either give away, throw away, or sell for pennies. Not to mention the annoyances of swapping discs, the disagrees give me a chuckle as everything is going digital whether you like it or not.

[mkis007]

I see it as more of a collection with physical. Of course digital is the future...but we still have infrastructure to grow into first.

[rainslacker]

Sell for pennies.

Like the part of my collection I sold about 5 years ago, where I brought in about ten grand?

yeah, games become worthless. That same collection in digital would have been worth absolutely zero dollars, unless I was willing to sell my account, but I doubt I would have found someone willing to spend ten grand in one go, and I'd end up giving up the entire rest of my collection in the process.

[Skankinruby]

Spare me your silly nonsense, you would have had to have several hundreds of very rare important games to even come close to ten grand, or you had several thousand games which proves my initial point of pointless dust collecting clutter. Classic extremely rare highly respected games from late 80s or earlier in very good condition can rarely break the 50 dollar mark in average value so you either have hoards beyond hoards of games stacked in your basement or your just full of shit.

[rainslacker]

I have several thousand games in total, and sold off about 300 games, 90% of which were duplicates I collected over the years, but the ones I kept would have been worth as much, if not more because they were better condition. There were some very valuable games in there sure, some worth several hundred dollars, the most expensive selling for $700, but if I removed those, the average price of each game was probably around $15. The lowest price I had was $10, and for games worth less than that, I bundled them with other games to make it worth my while.

Either way, 300 digital games is worth absolutely nothing. I'd rather have something collecting dust, than something that actually has no value at all.

So, I did have several thousand games. Still do. Most of the ones I sold off were duplicates, or games I just didn't care to keep anymore for a variety of reasons. I don't find my collection pointless. It's no more pointless than someone keeping that many games digitally. Its even less pointless, because those digital games they have nothing really to show for it.

Also, my games aren't stacked in the basement. They were very well organized in their very own room off my gaming room, on custom built shelving. One could go in and peruse a huge library of games without making a mess to get a single one. Currently most are packed up in sealed storage bins, because I've since moved, but once I get around to building my new game room, I'll do the same thing.

You may consider it hoarding, but I don't, nor do many other collectors who like to have a nice collection.

[Skankinruby]

Holy shit, nevermind. Kudos to you sir, I've been gaming since the late 80s and probably bought less than 300 games entirely, you're on a whole different level.

[RafMouse]

I like having discs and cases and actually owning my games rather than paying for a license to play them. Swapping discs takes 10 seconds max, and even if I have to install the games, I don’t have to download them.

[InKnight7s]

Lets talks about recent games, SpiderMan mostly was physical, Dragon Quest XI also and RDR2 as well.

What digital game on console sold too much than physical? Oh wait Fortnite?? Pubg? BF1 because it is a $9.99 game for like 6 months!!

[FlameWater]

Digital you don't truly own the game = Blu Ray disc stops working but you own it

[InKnight7s]

I wonder how many games pulled out from these stores? vs How blu ray are in unplayable?

[rainslacker]

Only reason a BR would become unplayable is if they were heavily damaged, or they were online games, and the MP is now defunct. BR isn't susceptible to pitting or laser rot like some other optical media was. Also, not all physical media is optical. Outside of loss or extreme conditions, SRAM carts of many sorts are likely to outlast the person who owns them.

[Gaming4Life1981]

For me its convenience but I been buying games digital last gen.

[ibrake4naps]

I beat Spiderman and got almost half my money back for it at GameStop. That's why I like physical games.

[-volt-]

In 20 years these services may not exist to get your game you bought digitally.

[inxine]

thats a weird addiction to have i guess.

[bigmalky]

It's part convenience, part laziness. I'll stick to discs, so I can return it if it's a shoddy product, or sell/trade in when I'm finished with it.

[RavenWolfx]

I go Digital on Xbox for two reasons. One is convenience. As long as I have a game downloaded, I can play a game immediately without changes disks. The second reason is more important, though. I game share with a friend of mine, so any time one of us buys a digital game, we both get access to it (and can play at the same time). I spend half the money, basically.

[PurpHerbison]

I had a digital phase but I'm mainly back on physicals.

[Pastemaniak]

Honestly, for me it has been a matter of absolute and embarrassing laziness. Not having to change disks, plus the more quiet console, made it for me. I am pretty sure that at some point I will regret it but for now I don't give it much thought. Also, my first video game collection got lost when my house flooded so it is not like my physical collection would be much more safe either...

[Hardiman]

I'm a physical man myself. Only go digital when physical isn't an option. None of mine are scratched(because I take care of them) and they are all nice and neat.

[ThatDudeMunkee]

For me, digital only is a double-edged sword. I've gotten used to it due to Steam and the dominance of PC gaming being a digital-only option at this point (for the most part). My only concern is this - what happens if my game gets canned and the developer closed due to legal issues (here's to looking at Too Human and formerly Alan Wake - the latter being recently restored on Steam) and I still want to play my game? Due to those legal issues; I can't. Now I won't get a refund or anything for the product I purchase, which isn't the case with a physical game (albeit MMO's and online-only titles are exempt from this example). What then? I have the disc and can at least play my game.

[BlaqMagiq1]

It's sad someone became addicted to something more restrictive.

[timotim]

Haven't purchased a single physical game for my Xbox this entire generation and I currently have over 320 games sitting on my X with about 20 ready to install with a simple button press. Being able to hop from game to game to app and back in a split second without changing disc is convenience out the ***. This started for me back in the 360 days and I can't go back. I don't care who still uses physical disc, but for me, I'm digital all the way.

[Knightofelemia]

He can have the digital games I'll stick to physical any day