The collectors

By Rob Fahey Published 26 June, 2009

Ownership is a basic human desire - one which digital distribution advocates ignore at their peril.

Published as part of our sister-site GamesIndustry.biz' widely-read weekly newsletter, the GamesIndustry.biz Editorial is a weekly dissection of one of the issues weighing on the minds of the people at the top of the games business. It appears on Eurogamer after it goes out to GI.biz newsletter subscribers.

What does the concept of "ownership" mean to consumers? On the surface, that's a fairly abstract, philosophical kind of question - but it's also a question which strikes to the heart of the ongoing debate about the future of games distribution.

Our most common system is, by and large, ownership based. Consumers pay a flat fee to buy a game - the product is the physical media itself, and as with any other physical product, owning it brings certain rights. Consumers can sell it on, or lend it to friends. They can play the game whenever they want, at no extra cost. They can actually display the product on their shelves, an often overlooked factor which is extremely important to many consumers, especially the over 30 age group.

There are essentially three systems which are being proposed as replacements. The subscription model, as used by most MMOs, can happily tie in with the concept of owning physical products, but removes the ability to sell the game. You can sell the physical media, but the purchaser can't use it to create an account in the game.

The digital distribution model eliminates physical media and resale rights entirely, but retains the concept of ownership in the broad sense - you purchase, not rent, the license to the game. Finally, the live streaming system proposed by (arguably technically questionable) projects like OnLive basically removes the concept of ownership entirely.

More than any technical challenges - or any particular desires on the part of games publishers - it's this fundamental difference in the approach to ownership which will, I believe, determine the eventual roles of each of these new forms of distribution.

Different market segments have different approaches to ownership. I don't think it's going to be possible to wean the planet's self-identifying "gamer" demographic - which could encompass up to 200 million people - off the desire for ownership. It will be equally difficult to wrest ownership from the hands of people with collecting, hoarding mentalities - which accounts for a pretty significant chunk of the entire human race.

For other groups, however, it's far more natural for entertainment to be transient and streamed, rather than being permanent and owned. People who watch TV or listen to radio in preference to buying DVD box sets or albums, or people who rent rather than buying their videos, are an obvious market for less ownership-focused approaches.

In a simple world, then, a publisher would choose the right kind of distribution and revenue model for each product based on its demographic appeal. To some extent, this already happens - one could argue that the distinction between web games, which are inherently a streamed service, and boxed games, which are an owned product, reflects exactly that balance.

We do not, however, live in a simple world. The reality is that no consumer sits exactly in one demographic group or another. Even today, media consumers all demonstrate a bewildering variety of purchasing behaviour.

Most consumers buy some things outright - usually DVDs, albums and boxed games - but also happily consume streamed media in the form of TV or radio, rent some other media and pay subscriptions for media like magazines, newspapers and MMOGs. They make choices on which ways to access each of those media depending on perceived value, the desire for ownership and a host of other factors which constantly shift about.

One could argue that recent years have seen one particularly noticeable shift among those factors - a general movement away from the importance of ownership. Consumers have become more accustomed to media products being digital, not physical, and more accepting of previously unpopular ideas like owning a non-transferable license or account, rather than a product which can be resold. Rental systems and subscription based services have been in the ascendant.

This tide, however, could turn. Consumers on the whole are gradually becoming more aware of digital rights, and the real consequences of handing such a huge degree of control to corporations. Burned badly by often ill-conceived services such as subscription music stores or DRM video providers who shut down their authentication servers when the cashflow dries up, consumers with digital rights nightmare stories are gradually pushing public opinion in exactly the opposite direction to the general media industry consensus.

That push will easily be enough to kill some services. The most restrictive or abusively designed services, those which entirely rob consumers of a sense of ownership or which simply aim to increase revenue without providing a corresponding increase in value, will not succeed - no matter how appealing they may seem to publishers. The experiences of both the music and movie businesses have shown that even business models with wide industry support can fail badly if consumers start to get cold feet over restrictive conditions or unappealing financial terms.

Those industries are, slowly but surely, starting to understand that the only way to keep consumers on board is to focus on creating services which consumers love, rather than services which executives love.

In some cases, whole industries are effectively dragged kicking and screaming into this reality - witness Apple's relentless bullying of music companies into accepting high-quality, DRM-free distribution on the iTunes Music Store, when the music firms themselves far prefer music services with restrictive DRM and monthly subscription fees. The subscription services are a wet dream for an industry whose bottom line has been heavily dependent on getting consumers to pay repeatedly for the same content - the downside, however, is that most consumers hate them, in part because they take away any concept of owning or collecting music.

Services like iTunes, and indeed like Steam and the various download services on consoles, generally occupy a middle ground which the majority of consumers find quite comfortable. It's a lot easier to take the leap from physical products to digital products when the concept of ownership is retained and the restrictions on what you can do are relatively light.

At present, these services still lack the ability to lend or resell your products, which is likely to keep the physical product market (and, sadly, the piracy scene) fairly healthy for many years, but it's clear that these services are the comfort zone for most game consumers right now.

There is undoubtedly room in the market for more radical business and distribution models - but rather than rushing in headlong at the prospect of cultivating new revenue streams, the industry would do well to remember that the desire to own things is basic human nature, and no amount of boardroom wishful thinking will change that.

For more views on the industry and to keep up to date with news relevant to the games business, read GamesIndustry.biz. You can sign up to the newsletter and receive the GamesIndustry.biz Editorial directly each Thursday afternoon.

Picture of Rob.

About Rob Fahey

Rob Fahey is a former editor of GamesIndustry.biz who spent several years living in Japan and probably still has a mint condition Dreamcast Samba de Amigo set.

Read more articles from Rob by visiting the Rob Fahey archive page.

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Comments (70) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • spudsbuckley #1 3 years ago

    I like games.

  • SniperZoz #2 3 years ago

    For the same price i'de rather have the box.... but that's the issue isn't it!! Why do digital downloads cost as much as boxed versions of the game?

  • Tomo #3 3 years ago

    I'm definitely in the ownership camp. Resale is less of a problem for me though.

    I must say, I'm surprised at how addicted I've become to watching my Steam Games List grow. Years ago I was firmly in the camp that hated digital downloads - why buy something virtual when you can have a physical symbol of your nerdage? :p - but watching that list grow and grow is worryingly addictive. I think knowing that I have a significant collection of games within reach as long as I have an internet connection is what's convinced me.

  • Hantheman #4 3 years ago

    All about OWNING the box et al. Something nice about having a proper collection.

  • StooMonster #5 3 years ago

    Collectors, like spotters, touch of Asperger's Syndrome IMO.

    However, it's true that iTunes has succeeded where many predicted the subscription service would rule.

  • Matt_Edwards #6 3 years ago

    As a games collector, I'm definitely for the continuation of physical media.

    The only serious counter argument I can think of is, maybe not producing thousands of CD's and plastic cases is perhaps better for the environment? Unless all the extra computers and stuff (see how technical I can be) needed for digital distribution is perhaps even worse?

  • butler` #7 3 years ago

    I much prefer a box on my shelf, too. But there again, sometimes if I want a game to play like NOW, I'll just go ahead and buy it on steam for convenience.

    Both have their pluses, but I'd hate to see physical media completely abolished in ten years' time.

  • _LarZen_ #8 3 years ago

    Im a collector alsow, I buy digital for the PS3 but only minigames that you cant buy in the store. I wil never change from buying a physical item to a digital....wel then the price would have to drop with over 50% and be able to download and share it with friends as much as I want...and that is NEVER gonna happen.

  • JeroenZM #9 3 years ago

    I always enjoy Fahey's articles, this is another good read.

  • spudsbuckley #10 3 years ago

    I buy digital when i can for the convienience and for the fact that i have too much shit cluttering up the place already.

  • UncleLou #11 3 years ago

    I've moved from being a "defender" of physical media to the point where I almost prefer a download version, particularly if it's on a decent, unified system like Steam. Shelves full of games and moving house a few times helped.

    Still like my CDs (and books - not that there's a real alternative), but for films and games, I can easily do without a physical data carrier now.

  • UKGN_Zoidberg #12 3 years ago

    Price is definitely the main issue for me. All of my PSP games I have picked up for £9.99 or less in shops whereas the digital version cost at least twice the amount. Until the price drops there is no way I will ever get a PSP game on download and Sony show no signs of doing this.

    The same goes for Microsoft as well, just look at the price they charged for the Xbox Originals!

  • Shinji #13 3 years ago

    Price is definitely a problem. That's one of the things I was referring to when I mentioned services that really don't do anything for the consumer, but are designed to keep executives happy. Consumers *like* the fact that prices fall rapidly in stores - execs don't.

    One of the reasons why iTunes is more successful than any games download service is that it gets that balance right. It's not always cheaper than retail stores, but it's fairly competitive on new releases and it does something which they don't do - it allows you to pick and choose album tracks and buy them individually. Right now, game digital distribution services aren't competitive on price and don't give any extra functionality for the premium. That needs to change.

  • Matt_Edwards #14 3 years ago

    When I heard that both Operation Anchorage and The Pitt were going to be released in disc format, I decided to wait rather than download. But then with Broken Steel initially seeming like a standalone, I downloaded it on the day of release.

    However, now it seems Broken Steel and Point Lookout will have their own disc release. I can't wait that long to play Point Lookout. But if I see this second expansion disc going cheap somewhere next year, I just know I'll have to buy it for collection purposes... :s

    Well, they say the first step is admitting you have a problem :p
    Edited by 1 at 27/06/09 @ 11:56

  • BillyBrush #15 3 years ago

    Owning a game in a box ftw...

    The way i think about what to play is looking at my shelf....keep forgetting what i have downloaded

    ...and...lets face it via digital they're going to charge just as much and not discount as much either

  • Spindle #16 3 years ago

    Price is the issue for me. I really resent being charged more for a download than I am charged for physical media. I read somewhere else its because if physical retail is undercut by digital then they stock your game at the back of the store and that really hurts sales. I have no idea if thats true but it sounds plausible.

  • Amicus #17 3 years ago

    Well... I see it as going the same way as every other audio/visual medium. Do you own the programs that you watch on the television? Only for the time slot that they are available, but you can buy the DVD or pay for the rental. This is how I see game ownership evolving. With a range of purchase choices from time share to full boxed permanent ownership. I can't imagine a scenario where it's not possible to buy a boxed version of a game, but prices should reflected on what the package contains, just as cable television works, in particular on demand services, today.

  • witchdrash #18 3 years ago

    I don't resell any of my games ever, even the crappy ones, that's the collector in me, but I love having the physical media, brand new it's no contest because they cost the same, infact often play/amazon have deals that make the physical media cheaper than the digital, which is a bit loco really.

    Generally my digital purchases are done in 2 situations:
    1 - You can't get them in a box
    2 - The deal is very good, and better than the physical media (some of steam's weekend deals etc)

    If it doesn't fall into 1 or 2 I get the boxed version, if I can find it.

  • bad09 #19 3 years ago

    Good article Rob. TBH I'm kinda on both sides of the fence on this one.

    I am warming to digital distribution. Music now DRM free means I'm buying music again and rarely buy a CD (unless I nab a bargain), movies now I'm icthing for Sony's video store. Games to, I've started renting off Metaboli and I buy off PSN/Live.

    But I do like boxes to. Not so much with music I think that's dead and buried, but movies, TV I love boxsets and collections that look good on the shelf packed with extras. Many games still I love having them on my shelf to.

    / stares at RE, MGS, GTA games and smiles

    Hopefully in a ideal world both can live in harmony. But as we all know the ents industry is not an ideal world, it's a horrid DRM hardware tied evil horrid, disgusting, slime sucking, filth licking, Michael Jackson hating mess.

    Like these download portable versions of movies for instance, my Mrs nabbed Hancock on blu. I had a look at it using the PSP download. She had a business trip and wanted to watch it on her PSP to as she hadn't watched it yet. Couldn't use bloody disk again! OK so I try to take it off my PSP for hers. Can't bloody find it, it's hidden....and they wonder WHY people download???? I mean FFS is it really that important to stop a few poor or greedy people nabbing a free watch? Is it worth PUSHING people to torrents?

    I just hope gaming DD at least follows Sony's route. Download on five machines, even give people your game. good stuff - although I doubt their movies will be free of evil horrid, disgusting, slime sucking, filth licking, Michael Jackson hating DRM.

    / plays his evil horrid, disgusting, slime sucking, filth licking, Michael Jackson hating DRM free Michael Jackson album on his PC,PS3,PSP,360,Girlfriends PC etc, etc...
    Edited by 1 at 27/06/09 @ 12:13

  • Chufty #20 3 years ago

    I'm suprised how many people have just declared themselves "collectors." Maybe it's not a true cross section, as the article is about them, but maybe there is some truth in the article after all.

    Me, I couldn't care less about owning the disc and the box. All they do is clutter the place up. I've bought one DVD video in my life, and that was only because there was nothing else to do that day. I dont even know where to put it now. It's been many years since I bought a music CD.

    However I do get disc versions of most of my games because of the price - and it looks like that's something we can all agree on. There's no pont in a digital version costing more than the disc version, even if the digital versions are more convenient.

  • bad09 #21 3 years ago

    "I've bought one DVD video in my life"

    Where as I have bought hundreds. Got a great collection.


    It is hard to choose something to watch at times tho ;)

  • Sunyavadin #22 3 years ago

    Many games I will ONLY consider worth buying a cheap second hand copy of.
    Eliminate the second hand market, you not only kill an entire industry, but the VAST majority of gamers, those on low incomes, who rely on trading their games in and buying second hand ones - will be forced out entirely. And that will only harm the games industry more. Which I suppose will lead to the average price for a new game on these services going up, and making the situation even worse.

    Zoidberg summed it up nicely there - who will pay the prices MS demand for XBox originals when they can buy it for £2 at the local shop?
    Edited by 1 at 27/06/09 @ 12:23

  • Telepathic.Geometry #23 3 years ago

    Personally, I'm just as happy collecting games on a hard-disk as I am collecting them on my shelf, especially as I don't have to get up off my arse to play them. But I've been collecting other media digitally for such a long time, I may have just gotten used to it. /shrugs

  • twinbee #24 3 years ago

    Without the box I'd forget I own certain games!

  • bad09 #25 3 years ago

    @ Sunyavadin

    Indeed I've spoken to couple of my local retailers who rely more on 2nd hand lately and things are starting to look at bit worrying. More people are going for the download cheap games and retail is being left a bit. NOw with MS doing older games cheaper over the net a couple are a little worried.

    As for gamers I wouldn't worry. IF the price is right trading in would not matter, the 2nd industry is so big no because people cannot afford their prices. With no 2nd hand less new stock shifting means they would HAVE to sell it cheaper. Mind you I've just swapped to rental (that swapgame over on the right), if you like it you can keep it for extra. I'm gonna try that for a while. DD 2nd hand or retail, whatever happens, I'm done with 40-30 quid for EVERY game I want.

  • atomboy #26 3 years ago

    I think one of the real reasons prices are high on digital content is the lack of competition. It's heavy competition from other box copy retailer that drives down box copy prices. As it happens Braid on PC is available via a couple of download services, all offer a slightly different price and different TOCs including the option to own the file without future authentication.

    For consoles PSN and XBLA have virtual monopolies on the distribution of exclusive content and scarcity value will always command a premium. I am surprised the EU haven't looked into it yet. It would be interesting if services like Steam could sell 3rd party DLC on consoles and see what impact that would have on prices.

    As for the second hand issue wouldn't it be interesting if we could auction our licenses, the developer and distributor can take a percentage of the transaction and the supply of second hand licenses would be proportional to the sale of the game in the first place.

    Personally I am sick of the clutter that boxes have, and the constant reminder of the waste of money some impulse purchases were! Although I am concerned that one day the servers will go down, honestly how often do we really play games we bought years and years ago?

    edit:spelling
    Edited by 1 at 27/06/09 @ 12:39

  • Sunyavadin #27 3 years ago

    Agreed - we NEED a system of license transfer, whereby the CONSUMER has the right to transfer the product to the possession of anyone else at any time. At any given time, at least half a dozen of my games are BORROWED by friends. Who often then buy a copy themselves. That's another market that a lack of transferability would harm.

  • miiiguel #28 3 years ago

    I'm so ownership.

    And what twinbee said also applies to me (note-to-self: you have to do that database thing for the videogame collection)
    Edited by 1 at 27/06/09 @ 12:49

  • Bloodhunter #29 3 years ago

    I mostly buy games digitally when they're in deals etc, my steam games list is getting close to 40 now...

    I always buy DVD's though, I prefer to be able to just look at my 100+ collection and choose, rather than wait for something to buffer or whatever

  • miiiguel #30 3 years ago

    honestly how often do we really play games we bought years and years ago?
    That's hardly the point, is it? I mean, how often to you look at pictures you took years and years ago. It's all about memorabilia, it's ones life after all.

  • Retroid #31 3 years ago

    I'm a collector and I can't help it. :(

    /Points towards games collection in his profile

    There's just something very, very satisfying about having the physical box, manual (not that I ever read them) and disk.

  • Averice #32 3 years ago

    In the last paragraphs of the article Steam is likened to Itunes. I have to say I don't agree with this concept. With Itunes you have the music, with Steam when the system is down you're screwed. Sure you have the files on your computer with Steam, but you don't have the .exe.

    Attempting to work with Steam has been, in my experience, more akin to the first page of the article, corporations just wanting to screw you over. I love how when you buy a game on Steam that's it, it's over, you're screwed. If you buy a game from a box you have the physical game. You can return it to the store if it's broken, you can sell it to someone else, you can loan it to a friend. I'm a big Steam hater and will never use the system again, that's how horrible my experience was with them.

  • Ryze #33 3 years ago

    Collector here

    o/

    But I love the immediacy of digital downloads - when the service and the price is right.

    I do tend to forget about games that are on my HDD though, so they do need decent visual interfaces, like coverflow.

    I was very disappointed when I realised that I couldn't browse my collection using the excellent new NXE 3D interface on the 360. They should address this, as for browsing, it beats scrolling through a menu unless you already know what you're looking for.

  • Ryuken #34 3 years ago

    I like Steam for its ease-of-use, that overlay is awesome in games. But it's not all good from what I've heard from other people, especially not if you're concerned about ownership rights or fair prices in the EU. A bit ironic it's mentioned in a positive light here with such an article title.

  • Toothball #35 3 years ago

    I've been doing the collecting thing for many years too, so have the resulting boxes and shelved full of games all over the place. With my music collection, it took me quite a while to pick up mp3s, as I was quite happy using my CDs at home and Minidiscs on the move. These days I still buy CDs, often when they're on sale, and then convert them to mp3 and use them that way. As I only buy and listen to albums, the opportunity to download individual tracks isn't all that appealing to me. So for the time being I don't see anything changing there.

    By and large I still prefer buying physical games, but have been moving toward a more digital solution for some aspects of this. I think XBLA has had a significant effect on this, as for the most part there is no physical option to consider. Perhaps the biggest reason I've taken to it is that I can play my Arcade games on any Xbox with an internet connection, which saves me having to physically carry games about. My PC games collection on Steam has started growing for the same reason too. It also helps that both services often have sales on, which caters for my impulse buying instincts.

    The PSPgo will be an interesting one for me. I already have a few PSP games, so am quite keen to see how their service for turning these into digital versions will work. Ideally I'd like to be able to buy a physical game and be able to convert it at my leisure, in much the same way as I operate with CDs. My least favourite idea would be some sort of trade in, but the logistics of that would likely make it more complicated to operate. Either way, I'm quite keen to have the device itself, so will be keeping a close eye on how it transpires.

  • Burkey123 #36 3 years ago

    I love having games on my shelf. Although sometimes its just easier to download than go down to the shop. Both have pros and cons.

  • Bagpuss #37 3 years ago

    The fact that these 'no soul, big money' publishers want all of you to only get their games via download, should be reason enough not to allow it.

    Remeber how digital distribution was supposed to lead to lower launch day prices......well that was bullshit wasnt it.

    If it benefits them, its screwing you........

  • Xerx3s #38 3 years ago

    The most basic reason to shun big budget DD purchases was given a year or so back. When I buy a game on a tangible medium, I know that I will always be able to play it, even when they discontinue their service (which will happen eventually to all services). couple of years ago Microsoft basically shut down MSN music (for zune marketplace) and told every user to go fuck themselves. They eventually crumbled under the massive criticism but the point stands. Once these services shut down, you're fucked.

    So if you are like me and like to boot up some retro games every once in a while, the only way forward is on a tangible format.

    I also don't see why I should pay the same for something digital as for something in a box.

    I'm not against DD perce but like fuck that I'm going to pay anything more than 15 euro per pop for something that I can't hold and will become unusable when we move to the next system. When I pay for something like this, I want to own it and be able to sell it on, etc. I see no reason why i should pay so much money and still not actually own the product. It's utter bs.

  • BadByte #39 3 years ago

    @Rob Fahey
    "In some cases, whole industries are effectively dragged kicking and screaming into this reality - witness Apple's relentless bullying of music companies into accepting high-quality, DRM-free distribution on the iTunes Music Store, when the music firms themselves far prefer music services with restrictive DRM and monthly subscription fees."

    Right give Apple wrongfully credit..... fast rewind to 2007 http://ww w.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/24/...
    "Apple's digital rights management lock on its iPod device and iTunes software is illegal, the Consumer Ombudsman in Norway has ruled."

    They had two options was A) close down iTunes for norwegian customers or B) remove DRM.

  • JensonJet #40 3 years ago

    For me games are a cheap form of throw-away entertainment. They have a number of hours of fun, after which I want a change. My affection for a game is short lived by comparison to music and movies, which I can go back to periodically often years or decades later. Once I'm finished with a game, that's it. I have no interest in holding onto it. Physical media means one thing for me – the chance to sell it, effectively reducing the cost of the hobby. Games as entertainment work in the same way sports do for me. I'll happily watch my favourite sports all my life, but I have no desire to go back and watch repeats, over and over again. Individual games are short lived (and I include games I've played continually for over a year) and a new game I'm interested in or a sequel to an old favourite proves this every time.

    I've nothing against downloaded games or monthly subscriptions, but it has to work out as cheap as buying boxed versions are today, accounting for the fact I resell them once finished. Considering I buy maybe three or four games a year at most, and sell them on, these other services have to match or better the cost of gaming for me. If it sounds like I'm not into games, this isn't true. I'm certainly hardcore in the amount of hours I play each week, with currently, barely a day going by where I don't spend hours playing. I would probably play more games if they were available incredibly cheaply or free, for example, although to date I've never bothered to rent a game. I buy what really interests me, and ignore anything that won't keep me entertained for months on end.

    In short I possibly spend £10-£15 a month equivalent on games (including XB Live). Given the choice of buying boxed copies and being able to sell them on, or a subscription based service... I'd still stick with the current way. I'm no fan of monthly payments and don't like feeling tied down. I already have this in life with a mortgage, tax and bills. I don't want the cost of gaming to feel like a bill or a tax!

  • Aeterna #41 3 years ago

    I much prefer Digital Distribution in general. I think the time of physical media is over, at least for games.
    But, the problem is; not many seem to share that idea, and if you do want a digital copy; you still pay for everything that happens for the physical medium. It makes no sense, but maybe.. just maybe... it'll change in the upcoming years.

    A system like Steam where you can browse/buy/download is the most convenient way to purchase a game.
    There's no trouble with shipping costs, the added price of a 3rd party for distribution and their profit margin, no physic media/disc/boxes nor booklets.

    Games could be much cheaper than they are, without affecting the quality at all.

  • lavalant #42 3 years ago

    I don't even mind Digital content that much, such as mp3s as I can back these up on discs and harddrives, but I hate buying stuff on xbox live as I can't back that up which makes me feel I never really own it, if my console breaks i have to use some DRM transfer tool and re-download it off some server.

    What happens in a few years?? or in the 'next gen' will this content that I've purchased still be available for me to download on my new console free? or even stored on the servers at all? it's that unknown and feeling of being at the mercy of large corporations.

  • atomboy #43 3 years ago

    lets not forget that thanks to secureROM many box copy games also require internet authorization. Okay some of these games allow de-authorization but it certainly puts a finite lifetime on a physical copy.

    I might sound like i'm backing DD but it has done wonders for indie games. I also loved using rental services as it allowed me to get the most out of the few wii games worth playing.

    On a side note its quiet interesting that DD services like GoG and the VC are pretty much the only way of maintaining old classics legitimately.

    It seems for the majority of people the real issue is price and that publishers are unwilling to experiment with price discovery.
    Edited by 1 at 27/06/09 @ 16:50

  • peterv #44 3 years ago

    If games are going to cost the same as they do now, then i would rather keep the retailers and all the jobs that go with them.
    Besides,when the wife is clothes shopping i bugger off and browse the games in the stores.What the fuck am i going to do if
    you downloaders have your way.

    Think of all the miserable married men before you start down this road,PLEASE I BEG YOU!!!

  • sega #45 3 years ago

    I'm not a huge fan of digital distribution. I have some Wii Virtual Console games but I, like others, get worried of what will happen to them in the next gen. Not only that but say Nintendo lose the rights to a game and your Wii breaks - is there then no way to get the game again if it has gone from the download service?

    I also don't like not being able to bring the games round to a friend's. For example if a group of my friends want to play Pro-Evo but I don't own the game, how would they be able to bring it round to my house to play (assuming I have a bigger house that's better for social gatherings) - we'd have to go to the place of the game owner instead, or for him to carry his full console round.

    The thing that has got me the angriest, though, is the DRM on physical discs. Because of work, I often need to upgrade and replace my PC a lot. I always need to keep ahead of the technology so I hate the idea that if I replace my PC 5 times, my games will no longer work for it. It seems like 5 times is a lot and will be a long time before the game is unusable, but I like to own the game for as long as want to play it, which could be a long, long time.

  • atomboy #46 3 years ago

    @peterv

    You have a point there!

    I completely forgot that game shops act as substitute crèches whilst mommy's gone to Iceland!

  • curtlikesmeat #47 3 years ago

    I might be wrong here, but once you download something off itunes, if you then loose it off your computer, you can't download it again?

    I downloaded a video a few years ago to test the service for a couple of quid and I don't have access to it anymore, so it's not the same as Steam really?

    Also - having to have an internet connection (in a country like the UK, where speeds and general service is still dire) to play offline games is another big sticking point for me.

    I prefer the box please.

  • Simonkey75 #48 3 years ago

    @badbyte in all fairness, Apple never wanted DRM on the iTunes store, the major record labels insisted on it when the original deals were put in place in 2002-3( or thereabouts). When, several years down the line, the labels realised that in doing this they had basically given Apple a monopoly in the digital music space which Apple had grasped with both hands they then started bleating about the Drm, inking drm free deals with Amazon etc to try and undermine Apple's market dominance and power.

  • layleeloo #49 3 years ago

    Definitely another one for physcal media here. Downloading something just doesnt feel 'special' at all. Its too spur of the moment.

    Having 1700 albums, 600 dvd's and 100 bku rays I would say I will never convert to the download brigade, not matter how much they push it. I like to see where my money has gone, not just when I am playing it.

  • b00n #50 3 years ago

    I buy boxes. First I love the art, love owning them, it's fun to browse through etc.

    Secondly, and probably more importantly, what will happen if the Xbox 3 comes out or the PS4? What will happen in 15 years with the WiiWare, PSN, XBLA games I bought and downloaded when MS or Sony or Nintendo decides to stop 'the service' because their next console is coming? What happens if Steam goes broke? What happens if I die? Will my kids get the downloadable games I bought on a different name? Legislation around all of that is way too vague for me.

    And i just love boxes :)

  • captain-future #51 3 years ago

    50% of the people (possibly more) want a habtive shopping experience, meaning that they want to feel/touch the box on the shop shelf and they want to carry it home.

    Digital distribution is nice but all the DRM fiascos have made me very sceptical. Also you won't get "reselling / used" with digital distribution... also a big disadvantage for us customers.

  • clockworkzombie #52 3 years ago

    "lavalant
    What happens in a few years?? or in the 'next gen' will this content that I've purchased still be available for me to download on my new console free? or even stored on the servers at all? it's that unknown and feeling of being at the mercy of large corporations."

    Lavalant is spot on, what happens when these consoles are no longer supported. 360s are not the most reliable console ever made, I am happy to buy physical media.

    I never owned an original xbox so have been buying discs I did not download any of the originals because of the cost it is cheaper to buy the original discs. another related point for the 360 anyway is HDD space, who could download and store all the content they purchase now? Certainly not an option on a genuine MS HDD.

    If everything moves to download only there will be no nostalgia / retro purchases, you may even see people selling consoles full of DLC with the attached user name so it all works. Empty the friends list, advertise with "X" amount of content and gamerscore.

    The publishers are certainly driving this as they want a cut of every sale or resale and consider the purchasers of second hand games to be thieves. I think a middle ground is more appropriate. Buy the games on discs and download additional content, that way they make money on every resale, if the content is good enough. If you buy a new game and dislike it you can return it to EB Games in seven days and swap it for something else with downloading you are stuck with it. The Magic the Gathering game being a good example. I would gladly delete it and get my points back, what a piece of shit it is.

    I buy a lot of games at RRP and also many as second hand. I would certainly buy a lot less if everything was download only.

    And to the point of the article :) I do have a large collection of games I have not yet played and I collect series of games like Elder scrolls and Call of Duty so it is nice to have them on the shelf. I do not buy music in compressed format but I then digitise the music in a lossless format to my HDD and put the discs away out of sight.

  • Hawkins #53 3 years ago

    Physical media for me for the quality, the retained monetary value, the reliability and the Art.

  • muters #54 3 years ago

    I think all that comes with physical media - the second-hand market and retail competition - is too important to write off simply for the sake of convenience. A boxed game gets released and within, say, a month its value will have dropped significantly below the RRP (and will likely have been available at a fair discount from day one) From there, in most cases, it'll only get progressively cheaper as people eBay it away and shops look to shed their stock.

    With digital distrubution, though, its value will freeze at whatever the hell the distributer wants to charge. In some cases, for example, indie games like Plants vs Zombies or old rarities on VC, where a physical method of distribution wouldn't be practical of cost-effective, it's perfectly reasonable and is perhaps a better model. But for the latest and greatest releases from the big publishers, you'll be paying a premium because they have the clout to make it the only legal option. A £30-40 title will continue to cost that much until the centralised publisher decides to offer a discount - not because of competition or the consumer-side value of the game, but because of marketing.

    As for the prices of digital media being lower than a physical product, I see no reason why it'd ever be the case. If DD isn't providing a world of bargains in its fledgling years while it still has to compete with the physical media market, it's not going to start when it becomes the industry standard.

  • Darren #55 3 years ago

    The fact that new games for example cost more to buy from places like Steam than from online retailers means that, for me, there is absolutely no point in purchasing such games that way. I buy the odd cheap sub-£5 game from Steam when they have an offer on but that's about as far as their worth goes in my eyes. Steam represent everything I fear will happen once games go download only, that we'll end up paying the RRPs only for these games and will no longer be able to shop around and pick up new games for typically £10 to £15 cheaper.

    And what about Christmas presents? I'm someone who receives games, CDs, DVDs and BDs as gifts from others because I like them as well as sending them to others. Sending or receiving a slip of paper that entitles you to download the product of your choice just isn't the same but I guess, at worst, it can be compared with gift vouchers. Receiving gift vouchers is nice, sure, but not from everyone!!!

  • Darren #56 3 years ago

    @atomboy - "Lets not forget that thanks to secureROM many box copy games also require internet authorization. Okay some of these games allow de-authorization but it certainly puts a finite lifetime on a physical copy."

    That's only on the PC though, console games will be playable for as long as the hardware continues working (or not in the Xbox 360's case!!!). However, there are means of getting round the problem on the PC with NoDVD hacks.

    While pirates certainly use them illegally to play the downloaded versions, I also use them with my legally bought copies to avoid having to put the DVD in the disc drive. It's just more convenient and avoids wear and tear on my precious discs. Similarly I buy CDs for all my music but I rip them to my PC for convenience and keep the original as a backup.

    Speaking of backups... if we're going to be downloading huge amounts of content digitally then we're going to have to consider backups, as any sensible person should, unless they like redownloading GBs of stuff when you lose everything because of a duff hard drive. I'm sure their ISPs are going to love them for that!

    Currently the Xbox 360 for example has no means of backing up its content as its all DRMed and for me that's a big no-no. I can backup all my PC and PS3 stuff to external HDDs (and I do regularly). If Microsoft want digital distribution to succeed then they're going to have to reconsider their approach to DRM and allow the DLC, etc., to be backed up to external media and hard drives.

  • ISmoke #57 3 years ago

    The day DD becomes the only way, i'll be putting down my pads

  • bioreit #58 3 years ago

    @ Darren

    Personally, I'm hoping that Microsoft allow the future Xbox to have Windows Home Server integration. Use it for running backups, gamertag storage, hell, even install games onto it and 'stream' the content via ethernet.

    I definitely want to have an easy way of moving my gamertag (with Live account) from one 360 to another in my house - have a main setup in the living room, but then sometimes I want to play upstairs. WITHOUT having to unbundle all the cables, etc. Even swapping over the HDDs is a bit of a pain, plus it also increases the risk of damage.

    And as people have said, if all your gaming content exists on one HDD, with your only option for 'backing up' betting on the fact that Microsoft will somehow keep terabytes of obsolete data clogging up servers, I can bet there are going to be quite a few consumer and governmental compaints.

  • 3william56 #59 3 years ago

    I've definitely jumped the fence. Used to think it was physical media or nothing, but nowadays I prefer the instant gratification of having as many games, music and movies on the HDD as possible and not farting around swapping discs. I still buy plenty of CDs, DVDs etc. but now they're straight into the PS3 or Mac to be ripped, then the physical media is straight up to the loft to gather dust. Apart from the painful download time on a full game, it's digital all the way for me. Obviously it's a long way away before a big game like KZ2 is going to be available as a download, purely because of the size (download time, and HDD size too, even with a 250gb in the PS3). But if I could install the game onto the HDD (not like the half arsed 360 version which still requires the disc) and archive the disc, I'd be happy as. It's not as if 2nd hand games are worth much anyway.

  • Retroid #60 3 years ago

    So long as my digital content is attached to a profile which I can move around / recreate (like Steam, PSN, Xbox Live) then I'm reasonably happy with it. Especially with the occasional cit price offer :)

    However, if it's like the Wii and locked to the (in my case faulty) hardware instead.... no sale. I find it unbelievable that there's no way to move my DRM rights to another Wii. >:(

  • bioreit #61 3 years ago

    @ 3william56

    That's what I do (with DVDs anyways - rip 'em and tream 'em), but that's kinda the point: with physical media, you have the choice to do that and unless that physical object gets destroyed - by fire, say - you'll always have it to go back to. Purely digital media has so many issues right now, not least as shown by Microsoft's music service, that you can actually still have the content on your PC, which you've paid for, but if they turn off the verification servers, you're screwed.

    I guess the best thing would be for MS et al to allow digital downloads at a reduced price, with the option of buying the disc as well for an extra premium. The platform owner stocks the 'download-only' model and the traditional retailers get the boxed product - that way, the hoarders and those who want backups are happy, as are the 'everything digital' crowd.

    The retailers could get hissy about the predicted loss of sales and refuse to carry games for whatever system implemented it, but, at least initially, the market segment for downloadble games will be so small that not carrying games for an entire platform would actually be detrimental to their sales. And if the publishers responded in kind by refusing to supply any games to retailers, they'd die off pretty quick.

  • Xerx3s #62 3 years ago

    "So long as my digital content is attached to a profile which I can move around / recreate (like Steam, PSN, Xbox Live) then I'm reasonably happy with it. Especially with the occasional cit price offer :)

    However, if it's like the Wii and locked to the (in my case faulty) hardware instead.... no sale. I find it unbelievable that there's no way to move my DRM rights to another Wii. >:("

    The 360 binds it to both the machine and the profile.

  • jonsaan #63 3 years ago

    'an often overlooked factor which is extremely important to many consumers, especially the over 30 age group.'

    Seems an odd comment to make. I am well over 30 and the demand for space in our household is extememly high. I am long past the phase of hoarding and downloading games is an important factor in my war against clutter.As I have got older I have gone to great lengths to eliminate stuff I don't need. Your comment is strange IMO. Most of my firends are in the same boat as me.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/09 @ 20:08

  • secombe #64 3 years ago

    I agree with jonsaan, everyone I know in the same boat as me (fairly recent first time home buyers) has gone to great lengths to clear out pretty much any physical media they own.

    I was a collector when I lived at home with my folks, hundreds of Laserdiscs, DVDs, games etc. Owning the physical item was as important as actually watching/playing, I had DVDs I probably never watched.

    Now I own my own house, it's simply a case of the less clutter the better. DVD purchases have been replaced by Lovefilm (the irony being, I actually watch a lot of films now) and games get sold on or traded in as soon as I've finished them.

    The convenience and impulse purchase factor shouldn't be overlooked. Bored on a Thursday evening? Log on to Steam and download a game, maybe even one you would never consider buying in a shop or waiting for an online purchase to arrive.
    Edited by 1 at 28/06/09 @ 22:59

  • General_Zod #65 3 years ago

    Absolutely love Steam and often my purchasing decisions are based on if its on Steam or not. No more lost discs, no more worrying about losing the manual with the KEY on it, so for me it is fantastic.

  • ludoergosum #66 3 years ago

    I moved house recently and left a bag full of CDs (everything I already had saved to HD) for the local charity shop. I'm so over physical media now and really surprised by the number of people saying they still want to own a box with a picture of the game/CD/DVD/whatever on it. If I had the option to get rid of the all the garish, multi-coloured game boxes under my TV and have them all stored on their respective consoles I'd be so happy I think I might hurl.

  • dadrester #67 3 years ago

    i think trophies etc are almost as important these days...

    i can see my shelves of games, but everyone else can see my list of games... i own almost as many PSN games as i do boxed titles (though i do actually own boxed versions of GT5P and warhawk), and seeing my list is kind of the same feeling. incidentally all the bought PSN games go in a separate folder to demos, which makes them feel more.... real.

  • brappbrap #68 3 years ago

    I want my games on a disc, in a box with a manual please. Then i can keep them on a shelf and my friends can say "ooooh" and "ahhh" and then, when I'm finished with said game, I can flog it to someone else and get most of my money back.

  • neonemesis #69 3 years ago

    Digital distribution is alright until something like a hard drive failure means the end of your collection. Same with music and stuff too; I prefer to have physical copies of everything. Also, as somebody who collects retro games 9as well as current stuff), a lack of packaging is kinda pointless :(

  • Hawkins #70 3 years ago

    Think of it this way, one is like a variable currency exchange whilst the other is simply money down the drain (plus more money to provide your own hard drive space and long term internet connection). I've been able to buy a few new games because I've sold on some of my old games, in fact, sacrificing part of my DVD collection helped pay my tuition for a year. Given that the cost of DLC equals and exceeds that of the glossy total package why throw away potential returns for the sake of...what again?