I know this sucks, but idk how to feel about it. I had a large collection of physical games, much like I’d imagine most gamers do, only to one day come home and find it all stolen. Insurance pulled the rug on me, and I didn’t get much for any of it. Since then I’ve bought everything digital and, while I know it can happen, I haven’t had any taken from me since. Of course, buying all the games physically would have been way more expensive as some of them are rare collectables now. I’m just happy I get to play them. I know I could lose it all again on a whim of some CEO, but I just feel there isn’t any reasonable solution.
Make sure you guys keep receipts, take pictures, secure your games, and pay extra for any collectables insurance. And don’t let insurance dictate the aggregate value lost, itemize everything and get quotes. You’ll still get ripped off, but hopefully you can rebuild what’s important if it happens to you.
I don’t keep my physical games, I buy and sell them regulary, so I keep my cost per game low, even for new titles. My problem with digital is that I cannot resell, it’s just a license I rent for full price
Thing is, if “digital” actually meant “own” we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Is this one of those things where the old “block chain” could be helpful? Like, a mechanism for actual digital ownership where one can have reasonable assurance that the thing one has downloaded actually belongs to them? That, so long as there’s a unique key, one can access that digital item whenever one desires–AND can transfer that to someone else by way of sale or trade?
I’ve said this before it’s indefinite access you’re paying for when you buy a disc not ownership of the game. The only difference is, is that you don’t lose access to those games when you buy physical, when you buy digital your games access can be heavily modified.
At the risk of now upsetting cryptobros (but no, I’m sure they understand all too well): we need laws. not blockchain. Even if the perfect solution was created (looks at physical), there is no incentive for publishers to use it.
And we’ve already seen what amazing things publishers have done with blockchain. /s
So far, it’s been very rare for digital ownership of games not to stay preserved. Ex: You can’t buy games from the Wii U anymore, but can still install owned ones. Some games are delisted from Steam, but you can install them.
Notable exceptions: Online games (not helped by discs) and Sony’s big attack on movie licenses.
In terms of resale ownership, yeah, it’s not so favorable. I’m ambivalent on that, because resale motivated a lot of changes in games - more online, more perpetual GAAS, fewer short singleplayer experience.
I’ve never been one to sell games, but I give, lend, and borrow games frequently with my friends. This (and some locked away exclusives) are the only reason I still even own consoles. Sony et al have decided they don’t want my money anymore.
I think that for now Nintendo Sony and Microsoft are keeping old stores accessible even if it costs them because they calculated the negative PR would cost them more (people wouldn’t hoard digital licenses for titles that don’t have time to play if they knew there’s a potential to be removed from their account before first install)
Ubisoft instead had no problems in removing titles from the Uplay accounts, instead
I know this sucks, but idk how to feel about it. I had a large collection of physical games, much like I’d imagine most gamers do, only to one day come home and find it all stolen. Insurance pulled the rug on me, and I didn’t get much for any of it. Since then I’ve bought everything digital and, while I know it can happen, I haven’t had any taken from me since. Of course, buying all the games physically would have been way more expensive as some of them are rare collectables now. I’m just happy I get to play them. I know I could lose it all again on a whim of some CEO, but I just feel there isn’t any reasonable solution.
Make sure you guys keep receipts, take pictures, secure your games, and pay extra for any collectables insurance. And don’t let insurance dictate the aggregate value lost, itemize everything and get quotes. You’ll still get ripped off, but hopefully you can rebuild what’s important if it happens to you.
I don’t keep my physical games, I buy and sell them regulary, so I keep my cost per game low, even for new titles. My problem with digital is that I cannot resell, it’s just a license I rent for full price
Thing is, if “digital” actually meant “own” we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. Is this one of those things where the old “block chain” could be helpful? Like, a mechanism for actual digital ownership where one can have reasonable assurance that the thing one has downloaded actually belongs to them? That, so long as there’s a unique key, one can access that digital item whenever one desires–AND can transfer that to someone else by way of sale or trade?
I’ve said this before it’s indefinite access you’re paying for when you buy a disc not ownership of the game. The only difference is, is that you don’t lose access to those games when you buy physical, when you buy digital your games access can be heavily modified.
At the risk of now upsetting cryptobros (but no, I’m sure they understand all too well): we need laws. not blockchain. Even if the perfect solution was created (looks at physical), there is no incentive for publishers to use it.
And we’ve already seen what amazing things publishers have done with blockchain. /s
So far, it’s been very rare for digital ownership of games not to stay preserved. Ex: You can’t buy games from the Wii U anymore, but can still install owned ones. Some games are delisted from Steam, but you can install them.
Notable exceptions: Online games (not helped by discs) and Sony’s big attack on movie licenses.
In terms of resale ownership, yeah, it’s not so favorable. I’m ambivalent on that, because resale motivated a lot of changes in games - more online, more perpetual GAAS, fewer short singleplayer experience.
I’ve never been one to sell games, but I give, lend, and borrow games frequently with my friends. This (and some locked away exclusives) are the only reason I still even own consoles. Sony et al have decided they don’t want my money anymore.
I think that for now Nintendo Sony and Microsoft are keeping old stores accessible even if it costs them because they calculated the negative PR would cost them more (people wouldn’t hoard digital licenses for titles that don’t have time to play if they knew there’s a potential to be removed from their account before first install)
Ubisoft instead had no problems in removing titles from the Uplay accounts, instead
I had a couple hundred bucks worth of titles in my Amazon Digital Comics account when they shut all that down.
Now Sony cuts out the middle man and steals it from you directly.
Unironically, I can see physical game theft rising again as the supply is cut off altogether and plastic rot destroys what already exists.
Screwed from both sides.