Poll: do you prefer to buy your video games on a disk or download them off the Internet?

[Fitscat]

which direction do you want the industry to head in?
people I've talked to seem to be split down the middle, with half wanting the video game retail model to stay the same. and the other half wanting the model to move towards downloading all your games.

what do you think is best for both the gamers and the developers?

 

[The Forces of Chaos]

As I use a pc for games, I prefer my games on a disk, but I don't mind using steam to download a few.

 

[Corven]

I buy which ever one offers me the best deal at the time of purchase.

 

[Rawne1980]

All my games are on disk apart from 1 which is a F2P MMO.

I don't do digital downloads I like to own physical copies.

As i've said a few times, the day PC games go digital download only then that is the day I stop buying games.

 

[Electric Alpaca]

If the game is available in a physical format, I prefer it like that. If only downloadable - I have no problem with that.

I just prefer the insurance that should data be erased, games can still be played.

 

[Nietz]

I've been collecting video games for around 15 years, when downloading a full game online was still only done in back door deals in shady inns. So I prefer getting a retail copy because it will fit into my collection. One day I will have my own library full with shelves of games, and digital download doesn't really look good on a shelf.

[edit] I also have to admit that I have quite a phobia of buying stuff online. I do not feel comfortable handing out too much info over the net.

 

[aba1]

I don't like digitally downloading games because it means I don't have control over the game I purchased so if the service goes off or goes out of business or even if I have no internet I can no longer play the game I bought

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Haven't we had a lot of these threads recently...? Anyway, to reiterate my answers from the other threads of this genre: When I give money to a retailer I expect something tangible, something to show for the money I have just given up. I don't believe you truly own something if you buy it digitally. I downloaded Bring Down the Sky and am now unable to play Mass Effect 1 at all because I can't get online (unless I start a new game and screw that). That's just one little example though. I say keep gaming physical.

 

[NLS]

I don't like digitally downloading games because it means I don't have control over the game I purchased so if the service goes off or goes out of business or even if I have no internet I can no longer play the game I bought

That's not true for all downloaded games. Plus Valve stated once that if in the unforeseeable future Steam goes offline forever and ever, they would release a tool that would let you play your games without Steam.

 

[Stormz]

I want a box and a disc if I'm paying 60$. I will never pay full price for a download. I also dislike digital distribution because it also leans in the direction of online only singleplayer games which are becoming disturbingly frequent as of late.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I prefer disk since there is limitation to my PC and it would be rather annoying if I had no internet for a while meaning I can't download the latest games.

 

[TrevHead]

For consoles I prefer disk games but I do love my XBLA titles that are cheap and arnt worth a boxed release. That said I think more XBLA games deserve to be boxed titles, Its annoying when reviewers and gamers mark down boxed 2D games because they think all such games automatically dont qualify for boxed. Especially shmups

For PC games apart from indies, Ild rather have my games not linked to an online account. But since most PC games are linked to one, it makes buying boxed PC pointless since it wont run without an account and when you have to start DLing cracks and app to get them to work, I might as well just DL the full pirated game

That said I still buy boxed PC, because the prices can often be cheaper than DD.

 

[Tanis]

I prefer physical media.

This way I own it.
So even if Steam or GOG or whatever dies/gets bought-out/merges and looses content...I still have MY games.

 

[everythingbeeps]

discs, but I'm not gonna yell and moan when the shift to digital distribution eventually happens.

I thought I would, based on my experiences with books...i always swore I would NEVER get a kindle and would never embrace e-books, but that pretty much went away. Same with movies; once upon a time I needed to own every movie I'd want to watch, but over the past couple years I decided I'd be okay with just using Netflix if I wanted to see something I didn't have.

 

[Commissar Sae]

I now own the vast majority of my pc games in digital format. Conversely, all my console games are on disk. I'm planning to do a major backup of all of the best games i got via steam just in case though.