No they werent
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The days of owning games are coming to an end
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No they werent
This is why I don't get that people are actually excited for EA access or any service where you buy games digitally. I don't want to buy anything digital that a company controls. I buy physical copies only. Same with movies. I can do anything I want with them and it's there when I need it.
Wont happen for a long, long time, if ever. But if it does, that's the day I quit playing any new video games. I'm sure there are enough decent games that I missed from the last 30 years to keep me occupied for the rest of my life.
When I went to that EA thread I was like "lol can't wait for EA to get torched over this" but nope, plenty of people don't mind not actually owning things they purchase.
When I went to that EA thread I was like "lol can't wait for EA to get torched over this" but nope, plenty of people don't mind not actually owning things they purchase.
SquiddyCracker
Banned
RIP in many pieces the old-school gaming I grew up with and came to love.
Just like LPs & CDs right kids? Hell it's happening now with movies.
PetriP-TNT
Member
Can't wait until they implement the sub service to Origin!
Can't wait for the comeback of physical video games of 2022 yeah boooi
Can't wait for the comeback of physical video games of 2022 yeah boooi
xDUMPWEEDx
Banned
Well I guess there goes any lingering interest I ever had in the new stuff this medium have to offer.
Good thing I have more than 3 decades of games to play still.
I guess like for plenty of stuffs Nintendo will be last to that party and they'll probably be the last I'll have to leave.
Good thing I have more than 3 decades of games to play still.
I guess like for plenty of stuffs Nintendo will be last to that party and they'll probably be the last I'll have to leave.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
My 15+ years defunct Sega Channel subscription says otherwise.
This sort of stuff makes me heavily consider forgoing the PS4/XB1 altogether in favor of the PC, and I haven't regularly played PC games since SimCity 2000 was current. Console games just aren't as permanent anymore for a handful of different reasons, and the closed ecosystems just make things worse.
In all fairness, EA's heavily annualized major titles are the exact sort of games that end up being obsolete and disposable anyway, so it's kind of fitting that they of all people would want to push something like this.
Do people seriously go back and play PS1/N64/SNES/GEN etc. games on the original consoles in this day and age? I can understand collecting them, like collecting coins, but actually playing them? N64 graphics are atrocious.
I'm too busy trying to play modern games. I don't have nearly enough time to play all the new games being released, let alone go back and play games from 10, 15, 20 years ago.
In 10, 15, 20 years from now, I'm sure I'll be far too busy playing VR games on my Oculus 3 with its 12k display to care about some crap game I bought in 2012.
To me, people like the author have a low level of mental illness. A touch of hoarder-ism or something. "Oh no! I can't play a game that came out 20 years ago! Whatever shall I do!" It's just an object. Who cares?
I'm too busy trying to play modern games. I don't have nearly enough time to play all the new games being released, let alone go back and play games from 10, 15, 20 years ago.
In 10, 15, 20 years from now, I'm sure I'll be far too busy playing VR games on my Oculus 3 with its 12k display to care about some crap game I bought in 2012.
To me, people like the author have a low level of mental illness. A touch of hoarder-ism or something. "Oh no! I can't play a game that came out 20 years ago! Whatever shall I do!" It's just an object. Who cares?
Gipsy Danger
Member
Obviously I must not care about the future of my favourite hobby because I buy exclusively digitally. You're taking a risk with digital but I still find it to be completely worth it and it's pretty irrelevant when it comes to PCs only. Most people complaining about these issues should demand consoles be more open rather than telling people to buy on a medium they don't want.
retrogamer84
Member
Good for me that I have my game collection to keep me company. If that is really what gaming is going to come to, then I am out.
retrogamer84
Member
Different strokes for different folks. I still play the 2600 weekly and enjoy every minute of it.
Edit: sorry for the double post, I wasn't paying attention.
Sixfortyfive
He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
I bet Contra: Hard Corps is better than the last game you played.
I've largely abandoned physical for PC. Last one was Diablo III, and Blizzard's standard boxes are like LEs. I won't buy a disc edition that isn't a LE/CE for the PC. Every regular purchase is digital. You just can't beat Steam and many games are digital-only to begin with.
For the PS3 though, I'm buying as many discs as I can. Price and local availability are important factors that I can't ignore, but in 9/10 cases that is in favor of the disc.
Generally speaking, I love discs. I love the boxes, their cover art, the fact that they are a tangible object. I would hate to see them go away.
For the PS3 though, I'm buying as many discs as I can. Price and local availability are important factors that I can't ignore, but in 9/10 cases that is in favor of the disc.
Generally speaking, I love discs. I love the boxes, their cover art, the fact that they are a tangible object. I would hate to see them go away.
xDUMPWEEDx
Banned
You are taking a risk (which I could care less about you taking your own risks), but you are also supporting an anti-consumer agenda which will affect us all.
The point is you own it and it's always available.
Edit- I recently played Bully on PS2 so yes people do go back and play those games. It was just a random moment looking trough my closet and I felt like playing. You're looking at things too simply not taking in account things like this.
People buy play and enjoy new indie games that often look even more basic then many of the games that came out on those systems. A dated look is no barrier to playing a fun game for many of us.
People still read books from the 1800s, why would games be any different? I've spent far more time playing older games than newer ones because the creativity of many older games is amazing.
Some people do have a lot of trouble with hoarding games; steam backlogs look enormous from my point of view, but it doesn't discredit how good some old games are.
I can't say I collect games, I just enjoy older titles' gameplay focus and themes more than the new ones.
I guess the difference in perspective is that games can be unique experiences, and not just a graphical rollercoaster ride to me. Even still, let me know when they re-make Baldur's gate in VR, you can bet I'll be there too.
Uh, yes. My Saturn, PS1, original Xbox, and PS2 get their use near my PS3, 360 and PS4.
Emulation is shit for most of the PS2 games I play, and the first Xbox had games on it worth playing that I'd play any day over anything on the PS4 right now, to be perfectly honest. Just because the graphics are bad by modern standards doesn't mean they're mechanically bad - just like there hasn't been a better western-released JRPG than Grandia since it came out, there hasn't been a single console shooter to take the crown from Timesplitters 2.
Most of the time the graphics aren't dated. Just simple, and actually very enjoyable and pleasing.
Gipsy Danger
Member
That's ridiculous. I buy around 95% of my games on PC, which is a completely open platform so even if Steam should go down then it wouldn't be difficult to get those games running again, and some of them don't have any DRM on them anyway. So how am I supporting an anti-consumer agenda? And how is Valve selling an anti-consumer agenda? They made Dota 2, which is the best value in a consumer product of all time IMO.
There's a difference between the cutesy 8 bit look and blocky polygons. Notice how no indie dev has borrowed the look of early PS1/N64 titles? Why is that?
If you actually regularly sit down and play your ancient consoles, more power to you. But I think you're in the 1%. A significant number of gamers trade in their old console and their entire collection when a new system comes out.
I'm not one of those people, but I still don't have time to go back and play them. After a while, my consoles get put in a box, and lost somewhere in the basement.
xDUMPWEEDx
Banned
The Valve issue and its differences has been discussed in this thread numerous times already. If you want an answer, read the previous pages.
Gipsy Danger
Member
But I want to know why you think Valve is selling an anti-consumer agenda. I assume you play LoL because I think that's Garen in your avatar. Have you spent any money in that game? Would that be anti-consumer if you had? I spent a fair bit when I used to play it and they could shut those servers down anytime they please and there's nothing I could do about it.
I have an SNES, Xbox, 2 Dreamcasts, 2 PS1s, 2 PS2s, a Gamecube (Wii) and a Saturn permanently connect to several TVs. I currently play FF IX on PS1, and when I'm not in the mood for that, I power up my Saturn an play a few rounds of Sega Rally or Daytona USA Circuit Edition. I regularly buy games for all of my systems and play them when I feel like it.
I don't own an N64 yet, but I plan to, and yes, to play on it. I play on these systems more than I play on my PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U at the moment.
It's fascinating. I "grew up" with a GameCube and a GBA (got my first handheld/console at the age of 9) and never got to experience a lot of these games. I never really went to arcades because they basically didn't exist here anymore when I was young, and trust me, playing Daytona makes me giggle in excitement every time. I play that almost daily.
A lot of my gaming "memories" are from recent years when my taste expanded and I went back to systems way before my time. I wouldn't want to miss these. With the future we're moving toward, this stuff won't be possible. It's inevitable, but it makes me sad nonetheless.
Mihos
Gold Member
You make me sad....
SmashN'Grab
Member
A lot of that stuff is/will be possible on your PC through emulation. That's the best bet for people who only want to play classic older console games without having a multitude of retro systems set up, which isn't really desirable to many people at all.
Flintty
Member
Thanks to you and the others who have clarified this for me. Please pardon my ignorance - as I said, I'm not much of a PC gamer
I get that, but to me, there's something magical about playing on actual hardware. I went down the emulation route for some time, but it just doesn't work for me. I understand that I'm in the minority though.
Gipsy Danger
Member
But all that old stuff will always be there, you would hopefully always be able to find things physically pre-PS360 era. Anything after that, other than exclusives, would come out on PC so if you really wanted to play PS360 and beyond in the future then you could get a cheap PC and play them.
Mihos
Gold Member
This is one of the few media where the possible loss of any private curation and preservation of media is defended and even applauded.
I would like to see what the response would be if marvel went digital only for all comics.
The whole emulation thing is like, "who needs Amazing Fantasy #15, I have a photo copy of it I downloaded!"
I would like to see what the response would be if marvel went digital only for all comics.
The whole emulation thing is like, "who needs Amazing Fantasy #15, I have a photo copy of it I downloaded!"
Same.
SmashN'Grab
Member
Speaking personally, I'd prefer to see choice. I don't want other people's preferences for physical media to be ignored, but I myself would rather spend money on an ongoing subscription that let me download and play titles as an when I want them, and I'd happily give up my ownership to achieve that.
For me, it's a question of how much free time I have to play games, and having spent lots of money and several years to cultivate a 'collection', now I'm faced with the feeling of not knowing why I bothered. I simply don't have the time to play even a fraction of my games to any great depth. I'd rather move over to a Netflix model where I don't own any of it, but can 'consume' it when it's available and I have the time and opportunity to do so.
Mihos
Gold Member
So sell them... you know... because you own them and can.
Yep.
E3 2013 was a solid, hard proof of this.
I prefer physical media, myself. It's miles better, long-term wise.
SmashN'Grab
Member
I guess, but I'd claw back about 5-10% of what I paid for them, so what's the point? They devalue too quickly, making the ownership less important.
I'm with you.
I have a music subscription service. Pay $10/month for unlimited access to my music, anywhere, anytime. I end up spending more money on music now than I ever did before, but I find that it's more valuable. The same could and should apply to gaming.
Gamers should have choice. The problem with the Polygon author and similar writers is that they're trying to discourage digital options out of some paranoid attempt to preserve physical distribution.
old manatee
Banned
Surprise, EA's version of digital distribution is bad just like everything else they do. Good thing I can still buy games on gog and have them forever.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
It all comes down to price for me. I'm not a collector so I'm fine with services to just get my media from the cloud if the price is right.
I'd love a Netflix streaming with every mivie and show available on DVD or bluray. A playstation now with every game.
I don't need the clutter and it would make moving easier which is big as my fiancé and I want to live in different places and see the world.
But the price has to be a reasonable monthly fee, not things like the absurd PS Now rental tiers. And internet speed needs to go up and monthly caps need to go away etc. So we're a long way off from that in any grand scale.
I'd love a Netflix streaming with every mivie and show available on DVD or bluray. A playstation now with every game.
I don't need the clutter and it would make moving easier which is big as my fiancé and I want to live in different places and see the world.
But the price has to be a reasonable monthly fee, not things like the absurd PS Now rental tiers. And internet speed needs to go up and monthly caps need to go away etc. So we're a long way off from that in any grand scale.
Forever Giraffe
Member
To be fair, this is happening to all media, not just games.
But in my case, really the opposite is true - it's my digital media that I feel like I can own forever, not the physical stuff. I mean, right now I've got so many Xbox 360 games cluttering up my closet. Eventually I will have to go through them and either sell or throw away most of them. I am never going to play them again and they are wasting space. Also, my Xbox 360 itself has started to crap out - half the time I have to use a butter knife to open the damn disk tray.
Meanwhile, I've got games on my Steam account that date back to the mid-nineties. I don't have to worry about those.
Yeah, I get it, Steam might disappear tomorrow and everything could be lost. But the risk of a provider going down, compared to the risk of physical stuff breaking or just winding up in the trash, feels pretty inconsequential to me.
But in my case, really the opposite is true - it's my digital media that I feel like I can own forever, not the physical stuff. I mean, right now I've got so many Xbox 360 games cluttering up my closet. Eventually I will have to go through them and either sell or throw away most of them. I am never going to play them again and they are wasting space. Also, my Xbox 360 itself has started to crap out - half the time I have to use a butter knife to open the damn disk tray.
Meanwhile, I've got games on my Steam account that date back to the mid-nineties. I don't have to worry about those.
Yeah, I get it, Steam might disappear tomorrow and everything could be lost. But the risk of a provider going down, compared to the risk of physical stuff breaking or just winding up in the trash, feels pretty inconsequential to me.
Haunted
Member
Too late.
Impossible to stop. Microsoft, Sony, EA, Ubisoft, Valve, Activision, Nexon, Tencent: all the biggest entities are on the games as services track.
Who could stand up to the concerted effort of those that represent a lion's share of the money in the games industry? It's certainly not its sheepish customers.
Nintendo? Becoming more irrelevant every minute the WiiU is on the market. CDProjekt? Valiant guys with heart, but on the grand scale of things just a speck.
So being that this future seems kinda unavoidable at this point and I don't see myself abandoning gaming as a hobby altogether, guess I'm throwing my lot in with Valve. They seem the most customer-happiness-oriented of all the big companies in play right now.
Haunted
Member
I understand where you're coming from, but a provider going down would be the real life equivalent to a house fire destroying your whole uninsured collection at once. It's not about one or two games breaking or CDs ending up unreadable, it's realising that everything you owned is gone and you have nothing left.
That said, Valve keeps promising that there'll be a way to continue on even if something should happen to Steam, but who knows.
UncleSporky
Member
Do they? I think this was something kind of mumbled in the early days of the service and was never spoken of again.