Digital vs Physical Games - Retro & Other Gaming Forum

LtSarge · 2023-09-23T11:32:40+00:00

This topic was brought up years ago on the forums and back then I stated that I'd rather buy physical than digital games. Recently, my stance on this subject has actually changed, for multiple reasons. The first reason is that I'm beginning to dislike hoarding stuff. If I want to move, I don't want to bring with me too much stuff. Right now I have three boxes of games and that's excluding my backlog. It just makes me incredibly stressed to own so much stuff. The second reason is that I don't have space anymore for games. I have a drawer for all my backlog games and it's close to being full now. I spent this morning emptying it of titles that I'm not interested in playing at all. I just don't have as much time anymore to play everything that I want to play. Not to mention that I'm currently buying more physical games than I'm completing and it doesn't help that I'm also playing long digital games. Then there are multiple advantages of playing games digitally. For starters, the games don't take up physical space. On top of that, you can always buy more digital space. But most importantly, thanks to subscription services, I can just delete games that I've finished since I don't own them. Which brings me to my next point in this topic: ownership of games. It's true that you get more of a sense of ownership when you own games physically compared to digitally. But then comes the actual problem: when will you have time to play all the games you want to play? What's the point of owning a game if you're never going to play it? You might get through your entire backlog eventually, but during that time, new games will come out. It just won't ever end. That's why I'm beginning to appreciate subscription services more. They help me offload any potential backlog that I would've had. It's more stressful to know that you own hundreds of games that you still haven't played than to know that there are hundreds of games on services that you haven't played. Even if games leave the services, you still have tons of other games to play. Now I haven't fully adopted this approach. But I'm beginning to see the benefits more clearly now. The benefits of digital games and subscription services outweigh the benefits of physical games for me. It's simply much more convenient. In reality, I still buy physical copies of games that I'm really interested in. But in this day and age where there's so much to play, it's great to have the option to experience more games digitally and through a service, for a much lower cost I might add. In short, my stance today is that I'm starting to lean more towards a future with digital games only. There are obviously both pros and cons with digital titles, but ultimately I think it makes more sense. What's your stance?

Posts 21 to 23 of 23

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johncalmc
Wed 18th Oct 2023

I only ever buy digital games, even if they're more expensive. The only time I get physical games is when I can't think of anything I want for Christmas except for games and so I get them boxed. I don't like things in my house. I'm over having a collection of stuff. And yeah if there's an EMP or whatever, all my digital games are gone. But then if there's an EMP or whatever I'll probably have more to worry about than not being able to replay Assassin's Creed Syndicate.

johncalmc

Bluesky: johndoesntdance.bsky.social

22
Th3solution
Wed 18th Oct 2023

@purple_mouse_gaming You make a valid point about one of the perks of the digital distribution movement — finding old or rare games is no longer an issue. It’s a benefit that I often forget about, but I certainly remember a time when I’d have to search 3 or 4 GameStops to find a copy of something. Especially Japanese games or other niche releases. Of course Amazon and eBay helped in this regard also, but even then you’d end up paying a mark-up sometimes when you found a copy online. Of course it’s still nice to snag a physical copy of these limited release games when possible, just as a value proposition, but it’s a relief to not have to feel pressured to pre-order something out of concern for the game selling out because they only printed a finite number of discs.

@johncalmc I’m coming around on the declutter argument for digital too. But part of my declutter approach has become selling back my discs and getting a little credit for them whilst simultaneously offloading my shelf of ‘stuff’. AC Syndicate is netting $2.75 at GameStop. That might pay for your petrol or bus fare to the store. 😅

I usually sell back games in bunches so as to make it worth the trip. I have held on to some of my games for nostalgia and because ‘I might replay it someday’. I’m discovering that I’m just kidding myself. Am I really going to play RDR2 again? If I do it will probably be when a PS5 or PS6 remaster is done of it so I should just sell the disc now and get $9 out of it and clear some shelf space.

I’ll probably flip 3 or 4 physical discs from my collection this weekend and use the credit towards Spidey 2.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

23
tomassi
Wed 18th Oct 2023

I never buy physical.No room for it. Same goes for music and movies. All my old stuff like that is in the loft. Only PS game I have physical is Disney Infinity for the kids.

tomassi

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