The way in which consumers have been able to access, purchase, and use media has gone a long way in a few decades. As a new decade gets underway (I like to call it the 20-teens), services like iTunes and NetFlix have all but taken music and movies digital. Will the gaming industry follow the trend and take their products digital as well? In a recent episode of Game Industry TV, some top level gaming names gave their opinions regarding the future of digital gaming.
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It's a step forward for Stop Killing Games.
Going digital will just make it 1000 times easier to pirate games.
Napster started music "piracy" a long time ago, but today people still pay for their iTunes and other music downloads. Piracy will always be a problem for media companies to address, however, the benefits of going digital for the consumer is what is really exciting.
But will companies still charge the same for downloads as they do for physical media? And I don't mind downloading stuff just as long as I have the right to back it up on some secondary device just in case.
@Onyx: Yeah I agree, I would like to "own" what I buy rather than just "buy the right to use it." As for pricing, savings developers will get from not having go through retailers/distributors should translate to savings for the consumer. Also through digital distribution, game makers wouldn't be restricted to only making "full scale" games and could create products that could sell at a cheaper price.
Maybe somewhere in the very "far" future this would become a possibility. Several things that keeps this from working is the fact that some of these games are "HUGE". Meaning if someone were to have to wait for these things to download; it'd get very annoying very fast & also the "Need" for credit card?! & the list goes on and on. Not to mention Id prefer having something that I have total control over (mine) and displays my purchase in all its glory. Virtual has nowhere near the appeal of something physical imo.
I could go on & on about this & why this would alienate the gaming industry and become just downright annoying but "whatever". Only way it'd work is if it were "optional" and not the only means to acquire said game.