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

I prefer digital distribution. As long as the manual also comes with it at least (a lot of the games on PSN didn't come with manuals; whether or not that was a problem usually depended on the game, though).

I used to like getting the boxes and the game manuals, but lately I've just been placing all my games in a CD case, the manuals and other material in another case, and keeping all the boxes in a storage box because my pack-rat nature makes it hard for me to throw away things immediately. I'm going to have to throw away the boxes soon and having digitals means less overall "stuff" I accumulate only to get rid of it later.

Depends on the seller, really.

If I can get the game and have the manual to look at whenever I feel like, it can go either way.

When it comes to older games with lots of extras, I tend to go to Good Old Games just because they tend to be cheaper than getting an actual physical copy. Not that I wouldn't mind having all the physical niceness that comes with games, it's usually just more convenient to use digital distribution.

I prefer digital. Normally cheaper, always convenient and for most games you can pre-order and get the data the night before it goes live so you can play the second it hits official release. Just waiting for all console games to be digital and I can free up a lot of space on my shelf for something else.

But what about when you switch a new computer and need to transfer all that crap to the new one or if something screws up? Theres a chance you'll lose it all.

^That's why Steam uses a Cloud server to store stuff. It already knows what games you've bought, but Steamcloud stores stuff like what settings you have for a game that features Steamworks support.

I prefer steam. Retail is such a ripoff here, it's like 2 times the price of games in America. Steam is at least reasonably priced, also it's easier to store and I won't lose the CD anytime soon. Also, Steam Sales :D

I can transfer data, it's not especially hard. I've lost pretty much every activation code I've ever owned though, so I have to go pirate my own bloody games.

One significant Con I see to digital distribution is:

If the distributor goes down, then its very possible the game doesn't exist anymore.

You can already see this with video: if a Youtube Poop gets taken off Youtube, its Lost Forever unless somebody thought to back it up. Anything that was on film reel, video tape or DVD, on the other hand, is likely to still exist unless there was a concentrated effort to destroy it.

I'm actually kind of feeling the bite of this right now. There are some Japanese cell phone games I want to play, but which I can't get over their digital distribution models—and for all I know, they may have been discontinued. Games released on physical media, though? Hop on over to eBay and paypal that shit!

Digital distribution creates more headaches than its worth.

For what it's worth, I have several games which I own on physical media that I can't play anymore. I can still play every game I have digitally.

edited 3rd Mar '11 6:02:12 PM by storyyeller

I prefer digital because I don't have to bother going to a store and fiddling with a box.

I like both and it's hard to choose.

With "Physical distribution", which is what it should be called rather than "buying an actual copy of the game", I get a "collectible item", printed out and recognized by the creators themselves. It's much like having a figurine.

With Digital Distribution, it's often cheaper, easier, and you have a copy of the data in which to backup on your own. Almost like downloading a rom, except that somehow it's permitted this time. And luckily it's tied to your name, so you can count on them to give you a download again if you need it. And there's just something also magical about owning The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the Virtual Console and Recettear on Steam. I hope to all that they get more Doujin games available for purchase.

So...isn't it possible to run out of room if you download too many games for digital copy?

You mean hard drive space?

I would imagine that wouldn't be an issue. I mean, there's always external hard drives and all (assuming some DRM shit doesn't keep you from using it)

edited 3rd Mar '11 7:02:49 PM by MoeDantes

Yeah having a couple of external hard drives and such seems to be much easier to store in a practical manner than hard copies of everything I own. Were I to convert everything to a digital form I'd need a lot more space digitally speaking yes, but it would take up a much smaller amount of room physically speaking.

That's if we're being practical though and practicality is not my thing.

edited 3rd Mar '11 7:13:25 PM by Aondeug

^Doesn't hurt to practice, though. Do at least keep a USB drive in case you might lose something digital.

If there's one thing I learned from skimming Maximum PC, it's that it never hurts to be prepared for whatever.

Anyways, getting off that tangent, I still use Steam most of the time, but some of my games do come in boxes (like my Deluxe Edition of Command And Conquer 3, which includes the Kane's Wrath expansion pack). A lot of those games, however, I am too lazy to install, for what it's worth.

I prefer digital. Space has always been a huge problem in my life. Cleaning my room is like an archaeology dig. I used to work at a bookstore where death by fallen stacks of boxes was an actual risk. I think the people who like collecting stuff don't quite realize how huge the collections will end up being.

I keep the stuff on my computer backed up. So...most of my games. I should probably digitally back up the rest of my crap and have been thinking of doing so.

As for my not realizing how huge collections will end up...I realize this quite well. It takes me a good day or two to fully reorganize my stuff. Moving these things to another home is another issue. One that I understand quite well due to moving frequently. And it's just going to get even bigger and worse. I am beginning to honestly think that my death will be caused by falling books, stacks of boxes, or shelves.

edited 3rd Mar '11 7:32:59 PM by Aondeug

Digital distribution, mainly due to my living out in the ass end of nowhere and having the nearest retailer a good 20-25 min drive away from me (if traffic on I-95 is favorable).

Thankfully, I have bookshelves...one of which is in danger of collapsing completely.

I need to donate/sell some of them.

Going digital means never accidentally leaving games behind in a move.

When you move as often and far as my family has, THIS IS GOOD.

I need a few more myself...One to replace one that is currently breaking and a few to be able to hold the rest of my crap and the new crap that will surely be coming in.

Traveling to a retailer is eck...I lack a car so I have to take the bus to where the mall is. That's about an hour. I make my trips lovely all day outings. Complete with lunch and people watching.

^I haven't done that recently but it always sucks when that happens...

edited 3rd Mar '11 7:38:01 PM by Aondeug

Other advantage to digital distribution is that if your computer dies, you can simply retrieve the games from the platform when you get set up with a new one.

Don't know if this is true outside of DotEmu and Steam, though.

edited 3rd Mar '11 7:40:06 PM by RocketDude

To be honest, space has been an issue with me too.

I take the opposite tack though: I simply don't need that much stuff. I've already got a library of 127 games or more—that's 77 games that I haven't played and probably never will play. I should just get rid of them.

For that matter, I should get rid of my film and cartoon and book collections. The only thing I need to keep is my pitifully small anime collection.

I prefer digital downloads myself, mainly because its easier to lose physical games especially those tiny tiny DS carts or PSP UM Ds.

I just love the feel of opening the untarnished, unopened casing of a new game. Smells like fun. :3