Why do people hate digital games so much?

[VanceIX]

sundin13 said:

VanceIX said:

 

sundin13 said:

A Love Letter to Physical Games:

There is something special about the feeling of having a physical game. Even when I'm not currently playing it, all I have to do is look below my TV to be reminded of all the great times I spent playing it. And when I have yet to finish a game, it is always sitting there, staring at me, begging me to come back and finally be moved to the side where I keep all my completed games. And the feeling of finishing a game and moving it over with all the other great memories that now sit beside it is absolutely wonderful. It is no comparison when I just move a digital game to a new folder or delete it from my hard drive. Physical games give an extra boost to everything great in the game and serve as a reminder to all the great times I spent with it, and because of that, I will always choose physical over digital.

Yours Truly
Sundin13

So, you're saying that the only reason you prefer physical over digital is because of purely emotional attachment, even though the games are all identical other than pure convinience?

People said the same thing when publishers moved from cartridges to discs. People didn't like that discs were flimsier and wouldn't last nearly as long, and that they didn't have the retro feel of cartridges. Publishers didn't care because discs were cheaper and could hold much more data. The same thing is happening now, as digital downloads are much cheaper for publishers and HDD installations are superior to running off of discs, so why not go pure digital? As more and more people drift to digital downloads, Sony and Microsoft will feel less need to include disc drives in all their consoles, and developers will decide to go purely digital more often. There are already rumors that we will be seeing consoles without disc drives this generation, even.

Of course...isn't the whole purpose of games to have fun with? If I can have more fun for a longer period of time with a physical copy, why would I buy a digital copy? I love physical copies because they give me more enjoyment. If the gaming industry goes to all digital I will always be missing out on that one little bit of enjoyment that I get from moving a game to the "completed" pile. There is also some stuff about how I am a bit of a collector, but in the end it really all comes down to emotional attachment. I don't see anything wrong with that, in fact I think it is wonderful. I will be a sad man if physical games are ever done away with...

baloofarsan said:

I was on the edge of buying a PS3 to get to play Ni No Kuni and with prices like that....

Just sayin' but Ni No Kuni isn't very good....if you want to look at something pretty, watch a Ghibli movie :P

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with an emotional attachment, by all means it's your game and you enjoy it the way you want.

What I am saying is that my digital version of the game and your physical game are exactly the same. No difference, other than you have a physical disc that can easily get damaged, while I have a download that I can keep stored on my console, as part of my digital collection. I just have all my games available to play instantly in one place, that's the only difference. 

Publishers don't see that though. Publishers care about maximizing profit, not in that tiny bit of magic you miss out on by playing a digital game. Digital games mean that more and more developers can publish their material without having to pay for manufacturing and shipping, along with competing for retail space. This means that more games get published in the long run, and more money can be spent straight on the game rather than manufacturing and shipment costs.

There are still many people who miss the "magic" of cartridge gaming, but publishers don't care about that. They'll do whatever is best for them and the games they release.

In the end, that's just the cold, hard truth.

Edit: Also, Ni no Kuni is freakin amazing.