I LoveHate Digital Distribution

Apparently 60 percent of gamers prefer physical media to digital downloads. I used to be like that, I used swear that discs were the only way to go, that nothing beat actually holding something in your hand. But over the past couple years the Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and Steam have done a lot to change to my mind. I’m not completely convinced though.

The love started when I bought Burnout Paradise on PSN. I thought it was awesome that I could start the game at any time just by hitting the PS button. I still love this ability and often use it to jump from one XBLA game to another. I’m so spoiled now that I’m always disappointed when I have to get up to switch discs. It seems like an unnecessary step between me and my games.

Another point in favor of digital games is that there’s no real difference between the physical and digital product anymore. Instruction booklets have become nothing more than ad space, and I wouldn’t mind giving up those annoying eco-friendly cases that make me think I’m going to break something every time I remove a disc. But best of all, I don’t have to worry about shelf space if I download a game (and I am running very low of shelf space. I should probably stop buying special editions). I already install every Xbox game on the hard drive, so I’m just a few steps away from ditching discs completely. Unfortunately even my 120 GB hard drive is nowhere near big enough to store every disc-based game and every XBLA game I have. And that’s a big problem.

Steam seems to offer the perfect solution. I bought a lot of games during the recent summer sale, despite having very limited hard-drive space. Since Steam keeps a library of everything I’ve bought, I can just install a game, beat it, delete it, and install the next one. Xbox Live does something similar, but it doesn’t show me a nice list of games I own but don’t have saved on the hard drive. If it and the PSN had a system like this, space wouldn’t be an issue. But ownership would.

Now comes the hate: What happens if Steam disappears? I lose those games, and that money goes down the drain. Who knows what distribution services will be in place 20 years from now? Valve isn’t currently in any risk of going bankrupt, but I’m profoundly uncomfortable investing so much money into so many games I could potentially lose at the flick of a switch. That’s why I won’t be joining OnLive anytime soon even though I think it sounds like a great service.

So I’m back to square one: Shelf space. If you want to keep your games forever, you have to store them yourself — either on a shelf or a hard drive. At some point I’m just going to have to upgrade: Either buy a bigger storage unit or another plank of wood to bolt to the wall. For now, I’ve still got enough space left so I can procrastinate a little bit longer, but upgrading is inevitable because I’m certainly not going to stop buying games.