Download(digital distribution) vs. Buying an actual copy of the game..

So which do most people prefer? What are both of their pros and cons?

As for me, quite honestly, I hate the idea that digital distribution will become the one and only way to sell a game. I like an actual copy of the game I can hold in my hands. I want that box that actually looks kinda nice for some games (MuramasaTheDemonBlade), I like setting all my games side by side on my shelf, and most importantly, I like the limited edition boxes, Feelies, I don't like the possible risks associated with digital distributions...

In a much easier to read list form...

For why I like hard copies...

• I like to own an actual copy of the game in my hands
• they look nice in my shelf
• nice cover, manual, Feelies, limited edition stuff, other perks
• I can resell them if I don't like the game!!(F*CK YOU Silent Hill Shattered Memories!!!!!! HATE!! RAGE!!)
• I can lend the games
• lastly...it's easy to transfer around, like if I got a new console, or other reasons.

For reason why I dislike digital distribution

• if something goes wrong with the computer or the system, theres a chance I lose everything
• no collectibles, no manuals, nothing
• no sweetass poster◊
• I can't stack them on shelves or feel like I own those games...

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That said, there are good and bads for the two sides too. Hard copies of a game can be physically broken if you have an Annoying Younger Sibling. And for Digital Distribution, it's cheaper or something.

Your opinion pros/cons of both? Which do you prefer?

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:11:27 PM by Signed

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

Downloads are much more practical. They're cheaper, easier to store and so on. I far prefer actual copies though. Copies with their boxes, manuals, games, and extra goodies (if it came with any) in tact. I like collecting things and organizing them on shelves. I want to slowly build a large personal library.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

that

Well, the box is kinda nice to keep around, I guess. Most of my games these days are on Steam, though.

"Hipsters: the most dangerous gang in the US." - Pacific Mackerel

I prefer physical copies. Mainly because I can trade them back in once I'm done with them.

We already have like three threads for this.

And those don't really count like pros or cons at all, things like feelies or "they look nice" aren't really a good reason for keeping something around and are more YMMV then anything else.

Downloads are definitely more convenient, but I like having something tangible along with my game purchases. In a perfect world, games would be activation codes bundled with some sort of feelie (e.g. an art book and a decent instruction manual or something).

And "Reality" is unveiled. What did it want...? What did it see...? What did it hear...? What did it think...? What did it do...?

Oh the trading back thing isn't something I take into account when I think of why I like physical copies...then again I want to own copies of things I hate too just so I can organize it...

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

not that

If I had the time, money, space, and other resources I would collect absolutely every work in one huge library of doom.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

How do you organize your stuff? Best to Worst? A to Z?

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:27:10 PM by NULLcHiLD27

An interesting question is: What differentiates Feelies from TheMerch other than the fact that the former comes in the same package as the game CD? Why should they have different connotations?

So that game you bought because you thought it was going to be good but when you actually played it you realize it's a dissappointing waste of money doesn't make you rage when you see it on your shelves?

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^ Well, Feelies is video games only...and for The Merch, theres not even a video games section.

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I'll be honest here, I only click thread titles that interests me...so which three threads have this exact same topic?

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:32:18 PM by Signed

"Every opinion that isn't mine is subjected to Your Mileage May Vary."

Feelies sometimes are part of the copy protection and generally contribute to your getting into the game. Like Lucas Arts including fake newspapers based on game events with the game, for example =) They run the gamut from glorified merch to actual collector's items, like Ultima's cloth maps, or those scratch-n-sniff cards some Infocom games had or some limited editions of MGS 3 going as far as having canned snake meat and MR Es bundled with them =)

Merch is merch, it serves a function mostly unrelated to the game itself, other than promoting it. And yes, sometimes they cross over, but I do so love that dynamo-powered LED flashlight from the Alpha Protocol Limited Edition release =)

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:34:11 PM by Noelemahc

Videogames do not make you a worse person... Than you already are.

I first separate it into large sections based on the type of media. I then break these down into smaller categories. These smaller categories are then alphabetized by author, series name, the language of the resource book, the religion of the book, and so on.

So...

• Books: Novels, poems, plays, resource books (this is further broken down), religious texts, philosophical texts. These are then alphabetized by author.
• Games: Split by console maker and then console. Alphabetized by title of game or franchise.
• Comics: Western and Eastern. Alphabetized by author name for Eastern and series name for Wetsern. Magazines are placed at the end.
• Music: Alphabetized by artist/group name and then release date of album.
• Movies: Split up into film and tv show. Alphabetized by title of movie or series/franchise.

The placement of these groups varies on my mood. Sometimes I break things up into slightly different groups. For example sometimes I bunch up all adaptations of a work into the group the original version is from. Other times I organize the adaptations separately in the media sections to which they belong.

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:37:45 PM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

You are awesome

My family hates when I reorganize things. I usually do this after collecting a sizable amount of new stuff.

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

What I do when organizing those is:

• Books: Segregated by genre, then by edition (so, if there's a certain series of "SF Stories of Our Time", for example, they get their own shelf), then ordered chronologically. Non-series books get grouped by author alphabetically.
• Games: Sorted by console, then genre, then by my preference for playing them (for accessibility).
• Movies: Sorted by genre, then theme, then chronologically, series and spin-offs get grouped together, naturally. And yes, split from TV series, of course. I'm in the process of reorganizing the shelves to allow me to sort them by country of origin =)
• Magazines: Sorted by theme, then chronologically. But this is the only way of sorting magazines EVER, right?

And I don't collect comics ='( It's an obscenely expensive thing to import them and the local releases of Marvel comics (the only ones I was ever interested in) suffer from atrociously bad translations.

On-topic: I buy digital if I know there are no feelies to be had; I buy physical if it's cheaper, I don't care whether it's localized (or I know the language is selectable) or because I can't buy it digital in my region (stupid Steam and their regional limitations).

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:48:54 PM by Noelemahc

Videogames do not make you a worse person... Than you already are.

I've done the genre sorting thing before as well. I haven't done it lately though.

If I had more magazines I'd likely sort on theme, then title, then release date. If I had more radio dramas I'd sort by title and then release date most likely.

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:47:16 PM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

I collect videogame magazines (though I did recently cut the collection down to mostly the one magazine I worship and all the issues of the one I was published in for three years), my dad collects audiophile magazines =) He calls it "reference" material and never references it when making purchasing decisions, but that's a story for a different time.

BTW, any one of you ever re-buy a game digitally that you owned physically? Or re-buy a game at all?

For the first, I got The Witcher (it was easier than downloading the free upgrade to Extended Edition, yeah, I'm lazy like that, plus, the game deserves it), for the second, Star Craft - my old CD died a painfully agonizing death.

Videogames do not make you a worse person... Than you already are.

I've rebought games I own physically on the virtual console for the Wii due to no longer owning the system said game played on. That or I pirate a copy. I've also rebought a few due to losing copies or copies breaking on me.

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:57:47 PM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

I re-bought Super Smash Bros. Melee twice  ^*

, Ko TOR and Turok Evolution.

Gonna have to re-buy all my Xbox games (atleast the ones that work on 360), they all got stolen. Same for all my Gamecube games, except for Resident Evil 4

edited 2nd Mar '11 9:59:04 PM by NULLcHiLD27

Don't have a collection, unfortunately. My trade-in tendencies tend to leave me with 2-3 games at any one time. Not a big deal, since I tend to not know what to play if I DO have any more than that and I end up having trouble allotting time to any given game.

I do tend to rebuy games quite a bit, though. Usually, I get an urge for any given game I've already played and traded back in months after I last finished it.

edited 2nd Mar '11 10:48:07 PM by Electivirus

I would definitely go with buying an actual copy, since I can feel like I'm actually owning a game.

There is only one exception, however, and that is GOG.com.

Shutdown sequence initiated.

Local retail is too expensive for my taste and there are other issues (censorship, horrendous localization) as well. Importing is feasible but comes with small annoyances attached, including shipping prices.

On the other hand, I never sold any game I bought anyway - I even kept Daikatana as a cautionary reminder - and additional material are rare today anyway. So I'm fairly comfortable with digital distribution, at least the ones where I can download the games indefinitely (Steam, GOG, Impulse)