Its the era of online storage, cloud computing and video streaming. In this Digital Age everything from movies to money can be found online. If it can’t be streamed; it can be downloaded. If it can’t be downloaded it can be ordered. The opportunities are endless. While there are still some stuff which don’t adapt to an online presence kindly, video games by their very nature seem to fit into this online culture easily. But is that really the best way.
In simpler times, people used to go to stores to buy games, just like every other item. Even today gamers lineup outside stores during the midnight release of a video game (Yes, not movies, not music albums, but video games). But now, people can download games from their consoles. They can order them from their phones. Times have changed for sure, to the extent that every gamer now gets that familiar feeling of doubt everytime one of his favorite game releases. Do I got Physical or Digital?
The 2 editors over here at IndianNoob discuss
Physical Copies
Physical copies of games have been present from the dawn of ‘Generation of Gamers’ and they do not seem to ever get outdated. In developing countries like India, buying a game first day physically is better than having to wait for the game to download in a day or two. It’s simple- Buy, Install, Run. Many of you might say that some games come with partial data, but to that I say, it’s on the developers.
Another good aspect of the physical copies is that we can fill our rooms with all sorts of goodies such as figurines, maps of games and other trinkets, though you will need a room with just your console or PC and lots of shelves. The one thing that distinctly stands out about the physical copies is the fact that we have an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction when we see our whole collection of games on a shelf. A physical reminder that you played a game; even after years of having completed it.
And somehow, we still don’t trust the Internet. We can say that we trust the physical copies to run without a flicker of doubt in mind and if the game doesn’t work we can always exchange the game in the store, next to our homes, without any hassles. Hell some stores might even buy the used game off your hands and exchange it for another newer game for a fraction of the price. You onliners can wait for the sale, while we play the latest Fallout 4, for half the price, on DAY 1.
-Pratyush ” Raj
Digital Copies
Here is a Haiku.
I wanted to play WWE 2K16 on Day 1.
Flipkart was shit and I have a job.
Haiku Over.
So I decided on Friday night enough was enough. I had a high speed internet (and if you don’t, why??), I disconnected all my other devices and bought WWE 2K16 online. The game was downloaded to my console overnight. The next weekend was gleefully spent playing My Career and 2K Showcase, instead of frustratingly waiting for Flipkart to arrive or criss-crossing across Delhi trying to look for a store which had the game in stock.
This my friend is the power of the internet. It might not be at the same level as USA or Europe, but we are getting there. And just look at the other advantages of digital copies. Everything is stored on a single hard drive. You just need a console, a gamepad and a TV, and whoof you are ready to go. I dont have to carry tens of disc cases with me from one place to another as I move cities. I don’t have to worry about a disc getting damaged. Hell I don’t even have to worry about my PS4 getting damaged (Ok that’s not entirely true), because I can always re-download my games for no extra cost, on any system I choose.
And have you ever heard of Steam. I mean, there are millions of games, many which will never see distribution on disc ever. Others who are so old, their copies can only be found in eBay auction sales. All these games and more; are available at prices which are nigh impossible for a retail shop to compete with.
And to top it all off, most games gets Day 1 updates anyways. Followed by continous stream of patches and DLC contents. Going digital just simply makes more sense.
-Ayush ‘theIndianNoob’ Chauhan
So what do you think? Where on the fence do you lie? Do you like to feel a disc in your hand, or are you happy with all of that stuff being in the cloud. Let us know in the comments.