Support NeoGAF

[bender]

GoG isn't without issues, particularly around modern games when it comes to keeping them up-to-date, but it solves most of the complaints by the OP. But as shown with other digital mediums, people vastly prefer convenience over ownership rights.

 

[Shifty1897]

OP is literally part of the problem.

 

[ArtHands]

The OP post is a 'tell me you're a boomer console gamer without telling me you're a boomer console gamer'

 

[Codes 208]

Is it already time for the weekly digital = bad thread?

 

[Flash Junkins]

I'm seriously thinking about buying as many PS4 and PS5 discs as I can in the next few years.

Why? You trying to go broke?

 

[TGO]

The OP post is a 'tell me you're a boomer console gamer without telling me you're a boomer console gamer'

The OP is a 70 year old?
Funny I mostly know them to have PC's to play Might & Magic / Age of Empires ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[angrod14]

The OP post is a 'tell me you're a boomer console gamer without telling me you're a boomer console gamer'

I'm a millenial console gamer.

 

[HofT]

Is it already time for the weekly digital = bad thread?

Should be daily

 

[TGO]

I'm a millenial console gamer.

Same here, and while some things I will buy digital like those arcade releases they do on PSN for things like the old SNK games or cheap games releases I go physical every time unless there is no physical release and even then I'm likely not to buy it unless its on sale.
I've never liked the idea of digital since I read the user agreement, the wording is tells you all you need to know.
And the funny thing is some people still think and say you don't own your physical games.
And while I understand the fact the data on the disc still belong to them, that just means I can't duplicate it and sell it because I don't have the rights to.
But I can sell my copy of I can buy multiple and sell them at a higher price and they couldn't do nothing because it's mine to sell.
They sold me a copy of it and that copy belongs to me and any attempts to remove it from my hands would be classed as theft because it's a physical item I paid for.
No if or buts

 

[Codes 208]

Should be daily

shouldnt be spammed at all. we get it already, you console-only players love your disks

 

[IAmRei]

I missed the day without consoles connect to internet. I dont need an account, dont need to stay connected as well. Maybe im just old. But i like older times better. But what can i do, well well ...

 

[Kamina]

And you will buy it that too. And you will like it.

No, i will become a retro gamer or commit sudoku.

 

[THE DUCK]

You can mitigate your risk by buying games on multiple store fronts.

 

[ChoosableOne]

 

[JimmyRustler]

Not sure why people are so obsessed with ownership, especially when it comes to entertainment. Who cares? The way I see it you pay for the provided service.

But maybe I’m a big biased in that regard because I grew up with someone who got into HARDCORE debt just to OWN shit…

 

[Hudo]

I missed the day without consoles connect to internet. I dont need an account, dont need to stay connected as well. Maybe im just old. But i like older times better. But what can i do, well well ...

Ngl, I am still kinda pissed about Half-Life 2 requiring a fucking Steam account to play...

 

[Fredrik]

I've lost more games and save data due to physical media decay than to whatever may happen to the games I got on digital storefronts. So yeah, it's kinda of a non issue.

Yeah nothing last forever. But I still have C64 cassette tapes that works fine. And Amiga 500 floppies. But load errors do happen and when it does it’s a horrible feeling.
I’ve ripped all the important floppies from the Amiga so I can access them with emulators. Just has to have a secure backup solution now because hdd crashes can also happen! (been there…)

 

[SHA]

I don't get why people behaving so badly on online multiplayer.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

Don't cheat in MP games or expose yourself in Uno and you won't get banned.

 

[Laptop1991]

Totally agree OP, something should be done to redress the balance in the consumer's favour.

 

[gaming_again]

Eh I've been on Steam for nearly 2 decades. No issues from me. Just don't choose a ecosystem that doesn't respect you, as the customer.

What happens with Gabe dies/retires?

The trust people have towards Steam is built entirely on one man.

 

[Skifi28]

People who bought The Crew are dead?

That has nothing to do with physical or digital. If you buy an always online game, you know beforehand that the servers will be turned off at some point.

 

[FeralEcho]

All this is applicable to physical games as well tho, it's not just a digital storefront issue.

It's more of an issue of having / needing a profile where everything is consolidated.

No it's not applicable at all,I can make 50 accounts and still play that same physical game on each one,but with digital if the account is gone so is your game.

 

[Red5]

Physical media is becoming redundant these days with the constant need to update. I would definitely buy physical Gold Editions or Final Builds of games but on PC they still need to be tied to Steam so it's all the same.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Well I'm a big advocate for physical media, but if that's not an option then at least get your digital games from stores like GoG since they're DRM free and you can do whatever the fuck you want with them.

This is the way. Prefer digital for the convenience, but everything OP said is true. GoG needs more support.

 

[Hudo]

or expose yourself in Uno

No joke, I've recently played Uno with some gals and they had the worst fucking house rules I've ever seen. So as a matter of principle, I fucked them so hard at Uno that I probably blew my chances of actually fucking them. No regrets.

 

[nemiroff]

It's definitely a chain with many links. But it also has many benefits, and it works very well for me, so..

 

[Clear]

It stopped being yours the moment we connected to the internet.

Truth, right here.

Unless you are hosting and serving your own data, which isn't likely to be free, everything is done on digital "land" belonging to somebody else. And if you don't own the land, whatever you build isn't guaranteed to last because the land-owner is always free to bulldoze it flat and sell it on.

Bit of a clumsy metaphor, but basically what the reality is.

The online world only exists so long as its maintained. Its not like a physical thing which has its own entity, and just "is", until its damaged or destroyed. Its just data, and data is transient.

 

[HofT]

shouldnt be spammed at all. we get it already, you console-only players love your disks

Console-only? Not me. It's about advocating for being able to own what you buy. That needs to be digital as well.

 

[coffinbirth]

Same here, and while some things I will buy digital like those arcade releases they do on PSN for things like the old SNK games or cheap games releases I go physical every time unless there is no physical release and even then I'm likely not to buy it unless its on sale.
I've never liked the idea of digital since I read the user agreement, the wording is tells you all you need to know.
And the funny thing is some people still think and say you don't own your physical games.
And while I understand the fact the data on the disc still belong to them, that just means I can't duplicate it and sell it because I don't have the rights to.
But I can sell my copy of I can buy multiple and sell them at a higher price and they couldn't do nothing because it's mine to sell.
They sold me a copy of it and that copy belongs to me and any attempts to remove it from my hands would be classed as theft because it's a physical item I paid for.
No if or buts

It upsets me to no end that there aren't physical collections of those SNK and Arcade Archives releases. I understand why they don't do it...but I still hate it.

 

[Salmon]

Yes, digital is worthless to be honest. What else is new?

 

[makaveli60]

We tried to tell you like 10 years ago but you didn’t listen. Next time hopefully you will.

 

[AJUMP23]

You don't own it and there is always the looming concept that they could remove it from your library at anytime.

 

[Rayderism]

More and more all the time, it's the gamers who are getting played.

 

[Bond007]

"Convenience" isnt worth the losses.
In a few years we will all be crying. Cause i thats what happens in this hobby.

Its great at first and then eyes are opened and its hated.
Paying for online
Battle passes
microtransactions
Gamepass recently not as favorable in the eyes of many.
Special Editions
Game prices
Muliple skus

We ultimately lose- every time.

 

[rm082e]

I went all digital in 2011 and haven't bought a physical game since. No problems and no regrets. The emulation/piracy/enthusiast community will "fix" most real injustices if I really care enough to go work at getting something a digital store doesn't want to sell me.

Life is short. Stop worrying about what bad things could happen. Games should be a source of joy, not stress.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

While I love physical, I actually think digital can be better but one exception.... It must be DRM free. That's why I stick almost exclusively with GOG.

The problem with physical media nowadays is that so many games practically require patching to work correctly so a lot of these discs and cartridges are basically coasters.

With DRM free digital, you can back up the game with all the patches and DLC and have the full game on backup physical media.

 

[Moriarty1889]

- The games you purchase with your hard-earned money aren't yours, but theirs.

- Your account isn't yours, but theirs. They just allow you to use it.

- Your games are tied to your their account. Can't resell, trade-in, transfer.

- Your trophies are tied to your their account.

- Your save data is tied to your their account.

- You are able to play your their games just because they let you, for as long as they want. And you pay them for that.

- Text something they don't like? Get banned.

- Say something they don't like? Get banned.

- Share something they don't like? Get banned.

Fuck this. REBEL. Buy physical. Trade in. Sell. Buy used. Troll everyone in MP. Be a free bitch, baby.

You're entitled to the things you buy. And no one but you, or your fate, should decide how long to play a game.

Spoiler: Spoiler

I went all digital long ago. Can't beat the convinience. But all of this makes me kinda sad sometimes. Perhaps someday I'll go back to physical. Anyways, we need more consumer protections.

Agree with everything said 100%. Problem is, those of us who agree with you are being outnumbered by mindless sheep who don’t care about anything in life and buy digital cuz it’s ‘convenient’ for them. They could care less about owning anything and it shows. I will always support physical and buy used to save money when I can. Digital can get fucked for all I care along with all the mindless lazy drones who support it.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

- The games you purchase with your hard-earned money aren't yours, but theirs.

- Your account isn't yours, but theirs. They just allow you to use it.

- Your games are tied to your their account. Can't resell, trade-in, transfer.

- Your trophies are tied to your their account.

- Your save data is tied to your their account.

- You are able to play your their games just because they let you, for as long as they want. And you pay them for that.

- Text something they don't like? Get banned.

- Say something they don't like? Get banned.

- Share something they don't like? Get banned.

Fuck this. REBEL. Buy physical. Trade in. Sell. Buy used. Troll everyone in MP. Be a free bitch, baby.

You're entitled to the things you buy. And no one but you, or your fate, should decide how long to play a game.

Spoiler: Spoiler

I went all digital long ago. Can't beat the convinience. But all of this makes me kinda sad sometimes. Perhaps someday I'll go back to physical. Anyways, we need more consumer protections.

Gamestop's and every other retailers physical goods sales would seem to contradict all of your points, as clearly 95% of consumers are fine with how things currently work.

 

[rofif]

On steam you have access to you game files. You can backup, modify, change version etc.

On psn?! Absolutely nothing. You can download and not be able to play if you dont connect for 2 weeks. No version control either.
Discs at least let me own, play offline and play 1.0 if Inso desire. I can fight radahn 1.0. Digital folks cannot.
And with discs, retailers can have competitive pricing

Steam is good. Discs are fine.
Console storefronts are tragic.

 

[Lumpyoatmeal]

More and more all the time, it's the gamers who are getting played.

Developers are getting played too by paying massive fees to digital store clients off their hard work. Look how desperate Epic Games is trying to establish their store so they can exit out of game development as well.

 

[Nintendo's Witch]

Owning fucking toys should be the number 1 commandment of human rights OP. You have my sword.

 

[Fbh]

I (almost) never buy digital at full price for this reason. It's an inferior product to me and as such I'm not willing to spend as much money on it.
Digital is fine for sales, once you get to the $35 or under range I'm fine paying that for a game I might loose access to at some point in the future.

PC is a bit different as there is no alternative, but games are usually cheaper anyway, I have more confident people would crack DRM and make my games playable if Steam ever goes under, and for a lot of older stuff Piracy is a valid alternative to me if I ever loose access to the games I bought.