Digital Distribution: Are We Really Ready For It?

You plop down on your couch, weary from a day of work, ready to play some games to unwind. You turn on your Xbox 360, waving your hands through the air to scroll through your video game collection. You settle on Fable 3, tapping forward in the air to start up the game. After a few hours, you get bored and decide to buy a new game. Pulling up the Games on Demand menu, you again scroll through, settling on Mass Effect 3. After thinking it through, you make the leap, buy the game, and let it download as you go about thinking what's for dinner.

 While the above scenario is a little too soon, the idea of digital distribution is not.  It seems to be the hot topic on every gamers lips; Are we ready to give up our library of boxed games for hard drives filled with our virtual libraries? I try to think of both sides of the question, and sometimes the answers I settle on scare me.

 Up until about two years ago, I didn't really collect games. I would buy the games I really wanted, or rent the ones that only interested me. Occasionally I would trade games in when I was low on cash to get that next new release I wanted. The thought of collecting never really occured to me until I settled into my current job where I have some disposable income. I then started researching collecting and the community that surrounded it, seeing the gamer closets and rooms, like little museums that were definitely built on love and memories. So I decided to start hunting at flea markets and Goodwills, snatching up any deal and gem I came across. In the two years since I've started, I build a small modest collection that I am proud of.

With digital distribution, this hobby then becomes obsolete. We will trade our Pipboy 3000 alarm clocks, Master Chief Helmets, and Alex Mercer action figures in for intangible data on a hard drive. That feeling of having a physical copy in your hand, something that you can claim is yours will be gone. You'll swap that disc out for a license to play the game, and your physical book case will become your virutal one. 
 

But then look to the good in digital distribution and can't await its arrival. The creation of services such as Gametap, GOG, Microsofts Games on Demand, and the forthcoming OnLive, have opened the door to a treasure trove of both classic and modern games to people who otherwise wouldn't of had any way of playing these games. I never would've dreamed of playing Freespace 2, Baulder Gate, or Planescape if it hadn't been for these services, as many of these games are out of print. If OnLive delivers on it's promises, I would be able to play Crysis or any other high end PC game on my laptop, and not have to worry about buying expensive video cards or extra RAM to run the game.

The games would also, hopefully, be cheaper. Since game publishers wont have to spend an extra dollar to print boxes and stamp discs, they can pass that discount on to us. Once rare games are finding new lives on digital stores.  Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 goes for an upwards of eighty dollars on auction sites and the black label version of Final Fantasy VII is becoming harder to find. Yet thanks to the Playstation Network, both games are not inexpensive and ready to be experienced by those people who just can't afford the physical copy. With Microsofts Xbox Originals program, gamers can experience Psychonauts and Crimson Skies for on the cheap. I get excited that people can experience these games without fear that brick and mortar retail stores will push lesser known games off the shelf in favor of the next Madden or Call of Duty.

 Digital distribution is a two headed beast. I like having a tangible collection of games and game paraphernalia, and don't want to give that up. Yet at the same time, the future of gaming can have the doors blown off by allowing all gamers access to games at affordable prices and right to our TVs with the touch of a button. 

Just ask yourself if you're ready.

You plop down on your couch, weary from a day of work, ready to play some games to unwind. You turn on your Xbox 360, waving your hands through the air to scroll through your video game collection. You settle on Fable 3, tapping forward in the air to start up the game. After a few hours, you get bored and decide to buy a new game. Pulling up the Games on Demand menu, you again scroll through, settling on Mass Effect 3. After thinking it through, you make the leap, buy the game, and let it download as you go about thinking what's for dinner.

 While the above scenario is a little too soon, the idea of digital distribution is not.  It seems to be the hot topic on every gamers lips; Are we ready to give up our library of boxed games for hard drives filled with our virtual libraries? I try to think of both sides of the question, and sometimes the answers I settle on scare me.

 Up until about two years ago, I didn't really collect games. I would buy the games I really wanted, or rent the ones that only interested me. Occasionally I would trade games in when I was low on cash to get that next new release I wanted. The thought of collecting never really occured to me until I settled into my current job where I have some disposable income. I then started researching collecting and the community that surrounded it, seeing the gamer closets and rooms, like little museums that were definitely built on love and memories. So I decided to start hunting at flea markets and Goodwills, snatching up any deal and gem I came across. In the two years since I've started, I build a small modest collection that I am proud of.

With digital distribution, this hobby then becomes obsolete. We will trade our Pipboy 3000 alarm clocks, Master Chief Helmets, and Alex Mercer action figures in for intangible data on a hard drive. That feeling of having a physical copy in your hand, something that you can claim is yours will be gone. You'll swap that disc out for a license to play the game, and your physical book case will become your virutal one. 
 

But then look to the good in digital distribution and can't await its arrival. The creation of services such as Gametap, GOG, Microsofts Games on Demand, and the forthcoming OnLive, have opened the door to a treasure trove of both classic and modern games to people who otherwise wouldn't of had any way of playing these games. I never would've dreamed of playing Freespace 2, Baulder Gate, or Planescape if it hadn't been for these services, as many of these games are out of print. If OnLive delivers on it's promises, I would be able to play Crysis or any other high end PC game on my laptop, and not have to worry about buying expensive video cards or extra RAM to run the game.

The games would also, hopefully, be cheaper. Since game publishers wont have to spend an extra dollar to print boxes and stamp discs, they can pass that discount on to us. Once rare games are finding new lives on digital stores.  Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 goes for an upwards of eighty dollars on auction sites and the black label version of Final Fantasy VII is becoming harder to find. Yet thanks to the Playstation Network, both games are not inexpensive and ready to be experienced by those people who just can't afford the physical copy. With Microsofts Xbox Originals program, gamers can experience Psychonauts and Crimson Skies for on the cheap. I get excited that people can experience these games without fear that brick and mortar retail stores will push lesser known games off the shelf in favor of the next Madden or Call of Duty.

 Digital distribution is a two headed beast. I like having a tangible collection of games and game paraphernalia, and don't want to give that up. Yet at the same time, the future of gaming can have the doors blown off by allowing all gamers access to games at affordable prices and right to our TVs with the touch of a button. 

Just ask yourself if you're ready.

one word:
 
steam

" one word:  steam "

 
I'm ready and I've already given in.
 
I don't want the physical media or the crap that comes with it, I just want the game.

Well considering my internet gets capped at 10 gig no i dont think im ready.

One thing obstructing digital distribution, on consoles anyway, is space. Downloaded games take up a whole lot of space, so until console companies lower the costs and raise the amount of GB we can store, we'll be able to embrace digital distribution with open arms. Another is price. Looking at the high prices for the XBL games-on-demand, Microsoft is going to have to realize that those aren't reasonable, and it's only stopping them from creating a long-lasting, consumer-trustworthy service.
 
On the PC, there's really no reason to buy a physical copy of the game over a digital copy. I'll use Steam as an example. It's more efficient, usually cheaper, and there are plenty of specials that brick and mortar retailers such at Gamestop would never be able (or willing) to offer. 
 
The fixation with physical media is just that: a fixation, and nothing more. I feel just as good playing a game I bought from Steam or XBLA than if I purchased it at Best Buy or EB Games. The experience is still the same. Plus, there are plenty of ways to chronicle your collections digitally. You may not be able to "touch" your games, but who cares? They're games, not antiques.

Answer: yes

I'm definitely ready. The only thing I'm slightly worried about is not being able to get good deals all the time on the games. And when there are digital sales, games will probably take a while to get a permanent price drop.

I am certainly ready for digital distribution. It's true that fewer people have broadband than we'd think, but on the other hand, think about what you need just to get the "full experience" in a game today. A 300-400 dollar system, a 500-2000 dollar HDTV, 60-80 bucks for a game. The people who are willing to pay all that money to play some games are probably the same people who have a fast enough internet speed to buy digital. The tangible product argument is another good argument, and a year ago I would have probably agreed with it! But now I am 100% ready for digital distribution to take over.

I've been noticing more and more lately that the arguments against digital distribution are seeming more and more irrational with each passing thread. For instance, the notion that a tangible disc is more than a license to play the game, and the inclusion of superfluous memorabilia, like action figures, miniature helmets, or other useless trinkets.
 
Well, if this is the only thing justifying the gross mis-allocation of resources that we playfully refer to as the "video game retail business", then good riddance.

It's already happening, wake up and smell the ashes.

Steam.
 
Steam.
 
Steam.

Yes.  Why go to the store and hope they have the game when you can just download it in literally 15 minutes from steam.  I don't want any game boxes, serial keys, and installation discs laying around, and I hate it when they make you put the disc in whenever you want to play it.  I don't get why people need to have a cardboard box and disc on their shelf just to be satisfied.  Wherever I go I can log into my steam account and have access to all my games, as well as all the games available through the store page.

Honestly, as much as I love steam, and the ability to purchase games I otherwise cant find, If given the option, I will always buy a physical copy, because I like being able to look at what I have, and if worse comes to worse and If something happens and I have no internet, I can just pop in my old disk and install from there.

People are ready for that concept, though with all new technologies there will be those who dont want it, but its peoples access to the internet (some places especially countries or smaller countries have no access to it), download speed (I generally download at 100kb/s so download a game so a 2gb game takes at least 8 hours or more (depending on other factors like whos on my network and the server im getting it from) and bandwith cap (if you have all the money in the world but a 80gb cap then you can download a limited number of games (not including wanting demos, videos or even generally browsing) so most people naturally meter themselves so cant just download all the games they want (its common for games to be 5gb or more on PC not including updates which are usually at least a couple hundred mb's).

But the want and (server side) infrastructure is there and is already becoming the norm for PC games (Not just Steam and Direct2Drive but I would include MMO's in this). We seem to be personally ready for it, publishers are ready for it but the thing holding it all back is ISP's.

Though a side note, I want my boxes's so I can return to it years later or let friends try the game. While steam would allow me to redownload (or XBL/PSN etc.) I am at the mercy of the publisher/platform provider who could easily say "You have had your fill of downloads" or they decided to no longer host it but they cannot do that with cd's.

What's there to be ready for? I don't get why people are so apprehensive about digital distribution.

While Digital Distribution is convenient, there is a sense of security in having a physical copy of a game. Not to mention, there is a sense of pride of having a physical collection of games, which I won't give up when I get one. Ever.

Seems you're a few years late for this topic.

kind of, i have a slow internet broad band. i download games from steam. i don't want to see consoles becoming like that. steam u can backup the games onto a disc. so, lets say ur going to ur grandma's house who doesn't have internet u can put the game in the computer and play it. with consoles it will most likely require u to be online.  
 
i really don't want to see console gaming to become like that. i really like having a physical copy then memory one that is on the hard drive.