Digital Distribution and you

[Blix]

So I've seen many people on different websites who don't like the idea of digital distribution. I don't know how many people like digital distribution versus how many people don't but the impression I get is that there are many people out there that don't like it. Some arguments that I've read say that the lack of packaging, manuals and what-not diminishes the "value" of the games. Other people simply don't like some of the policies of some companies (and in certain cases I agree). Others don't like the fact that they can't sell a game once they no longer want it. At least not without selling the whole account the games are registered to.

The lack of packaging is something I can understand having a problem with if someone likes to collect games. At times you're allowed to make a hard copy of your games for back up (like on steam <3 ) but you're left with a recordable DVD with the brand and the black ink (most likely from a sharpie) hand-written title of the game

The people who want to resell games are pretty much screwed. In steam at least, once you buy a game, it is attached to your account forever, which is a good thing, since whenever you want to play the game again, you can just download and not worry about it if you lost the game's disc (or discs). But while there is the option to buy games for other players or give some of yours in case you bought a whole series and got a game twice, there is no option to sell a game once you acquire it.

Policies is the one argument I can understand most. These vary from company to company but while most of the times these policies are understandable, they can at times be a little too restrictive or even unfair. Someone who comes to mind here is Nintendo on the DSi. Whenever you buy something off the DSiware service, you can only play it on the DSi you bought it from. Nintendo claims that you buy the license which permits you to play the game, but not the game itself. So if you buy a new game and download to your DSi but later buy a new one and would like to play it on that one you can't take the game with you. In steam, for example, whenever you buy a game you can download it to any other computer as long as you log in to your steam account using the steam client.

All in all, I'm pro digital distribution. I don't think I'll buy every single game that way, some times I like to collect games or some times it's just better to get them off the store and not have to wait for the game to download. But you can always buy games that may not be available at stores anymore or those rare games that only get one or two copies sent to the store. Also, special deals are more common this way than any kind of deal at stores. Forget about bringing your old games to trade them in, Steam Normally does weekend deals with 25% off or more and some times about 75%. I bought Tomb Raider: Underworld for just $7.49 about two weeks ago. Direct 2 Drive normally does specials too. And this is possible because the price of making a copy of a game is way less. Also, developers make more money from sales because of this.

So, do you like digital distribution or do you prefer to buy your games at the store? And why?

[Bube]

Although I've only bought 1 game this way, and that was TF2 (they had a pretty good price:)), I think it's a pretty good system. It's easy, cheap and like you pointed out, it's always there for you. But I also think that the absence of a manual, box, and the overall collectible value is a big loss.

The worst part about this, imo, are the huge download sizes and loooooong downloads. I hate leaving my computer on for very long periods. If only internet speeds were a bit higher..

[Blix]

Yes, it kinda sucks. I downloaded Tomb Raider and it was 7GBs. It took one day and a half and during that time I didn't want to do anything else to avoid making the download slower. Also, there's a poll in this thread. Vote. =)

[Vampyr]

I prefer to do a mixture of both.

I am a huge fan of Steam, and I have bought a ton of games from them over the past year or so. However, all of these games have one thing in common: I didn't pay full price for them.

I don't buy digital copies of games that are selling for the same price that they are in the store. This is because I assume retail value of an item is marked to include shipping, handling, and packaging. If all those things are gone, I expect to pay less. I understand it costs something to keep the servers running, but I doubt it's the same as the manufacture of discs, writing the game to the disk, creating of packaging, the manual, shipping, and handling.

I don't mind that I can't resell the games, because I never resell games anyway. Games also don't make good collectors items in the traditional sense: it's cool to have a shelf full of great games, but the value of a game very rarely increases over time. There are only a few exceptions, and those exceptions are often rereleased.

[Thespis721]

I believe in digital distribution but as a compliment, not a replacement. There are a lot of games out there I'd rather just download and play at a cheaper price and then forget about. However, I do like the idea of having hundreds of games over time. A collection. It means nothing, money-wise, but it has a certain niche value to me.

Now, if a digital distributor could find a way to capture that collection value, I'd be down. Kind of like how iTunes has made a way to feel like you have a music collection. Perhaps in software like iTunes that, even if you don't buy from iTunes, you can still upload into the software? An universal launcher or something?

Also, download speeds in America need to catch up with the rest of the world for this to ever be a possibility.

[Typhoid]

If it wasn't for digital distribution I wouldn't have Kotor.

I also support it in the vein of Wiiware and things for PSN/XBL. I wouldnt want to buy a physical copy of I mAde a Game with Zombies in it - but the download only suits it fine.

[BreakABone]

It has its advantages and disadvantages

There are occasional sales on games, but as it stands still find better deals in retail.

With no case or shipping or discs to be printed, it should be a lot cheaper than retail games to begin with.

There's also the problem of sometimes only being able to install the game once or twice, before you have to repurchase it.

And of course, there is DLC which while adds a lot can also and has been abused greatly by publishers. People shouldn't have to pay for an unlock key for more content and the likes.