I don’t support digital downloads.
I don’t support digital downloads.
For a long time I've played console games, but lately I've begun exploring PC gaming mainly for cost reasons. Yet something is holding me back from fully embracing digital—this seems linked to my early days with physical media like CDs and cartridges. I find myself drawn to the digital side, even though it's convenient, because I worry it might harm the industry. In my view, as time passes big publishers may pull games off shelves for various reasons, perhaps licensing issues. It’s disappointing since once a game is sold, players can only access it through platforms like YouTube, and it feels unfair when a digital purchase means no resale or trading rights remain.
It's a middle ground you're facing with PC. Still, some game discs exist for PCs, but nowadays most contain only installation files and remain linked to platforms like Steam. I believe the main issue preventing digital game resales is how simple it is. It might encourage people to share games easily without any hassle or time investment, making transfers possible over distance unlike physical copies. I used to enjoy owning discs for music and movies, but now digital options appeal more. The source is nearly unbreakable—even if your hard drive fails, you can simply re-download it. It's also simpler to handle than physical media.
They continue producing DVDs for PC games... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Call-Duty-Black...k+ops+3+pc
You can always share it. I’m not suggesting you do, but if the game isn’t available for purchase anymore, then why not?
Physical copies are eventually pulled from sale too. That's not an issue specific to downloads. And if you worry about games being lost, it's downloads, especially DRM free downloads from GOG ( is there a console alternative to that) that give you more options to preserve them. Optical drives experience data rot like any other medium and consoles come with a single drive and as far as I know no utilities for backup. On a PC you can keep your game install directories or setup files on RAID volumes using file systems that prevent data rot. As for resale rights, I suspect they're not long for this world for consoles either. Microsoft wanted to prevent resale with the xbone and only backtracked when Sony said they wouldn't do it for the PS4. There's no guarantee they won't both clamp down on it with the next generation of consoles.
I'm 32 and share many of your views on physical media. While others still rely on tangible games, I prefer the freedom of digital play without the hassle of discs or drives. PC gaming has evolved, offering better competition and fairer pricing compared to console markets. My take is that console resale favors GameStop more than it helps players, and PC gaming works well without it. The main worry now is streaming services like PlayStation Now. With Steam, we still keep copies on our drives, but those could vanish if Sony makes a game exclusive. If that happens, the files would stay on Sony’s servers, limited only by their policies. While streaming has slowed down recently, it’s not completely gone—so stay wary of digital ownership. For peace of mind, buy games from GOG.com, which offers DRM-free versions and lets you download installers, burn them to discs, or store them as backups in special collections.