Why Physical Media Continues to Linger

There’s no denying it – with services like Steam and Xbox Games on Demand, video games head closer to an all-digital market each day.

Take Sony’s last portable failure as an example. The PSP Go was a sign of gamers waking up and realizing how they’re paying full price for less than half of an object. With most digital copies, you own nothing, and the publisher maintains the right to pull the plug whenever they see fit. Most gamers aren’t ready to completely let go of physical media… at least not on dedicated systems from companies like Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony. Sure, the iPhone is an all-digital handheld, but remember – everyone owns an iPhone, and most of the games are dirt cheap.

If game companies desire a completely digital market, then they’ll have to drastically lower prices for digital items if they want to succeed on the market. And if the prices aren’t low enough, then fine… at least get rid of the clause in the agreement contracts that read “you’re paying full price for a game that’s not yours, and it could very well disappear at any given time.” Physical media doesn’t have to survive (and it won’t), but I doubt many companies will achieve mass profits if they fail to realize that more customers are now voting with their dollar.

DRM, however, was always protested when the gaming community felt a publisher was taking things too far. For instance, the internet was in an uproar when Ubisoft stated that Assassin’s Creed 2 would only function if the player remained connected at all times. Seriously, how are consumers supposed to enjoy a single player campaign if they’re concerned about a disconnected service hindering their game progress? Again, smart individuals choose what they purchase, and poor decisions like this greatly reflect what gamers buy from these companies in the future.

As for Ubisoft, there are miscellaneous claims of the DRM being removed, but the damage has already been done. After all, nobody can blame the consumer for simply wanting their money’s worth, which in this case is an uninterrupted session of a game that’s supposed to be “offline.” There was also a case where a supposed group of pirates removed the DRM themselves. That being said, I never thought "charitable scumbag" would be a legitimate statement.

Many publishers also feel that migrating away from physical copies and stronger DRM implementation negates pirating. In reality, these moves provoke it. It’s scary to think where the future of mass game publishing will take us in the next decade. Thankfully, most organizations and developers still have a level head, minus a few bad apples. There’s also an abundance of extraordinary indie titles at the loyal game fan’s disposal, so even the most pissed-off consumers will always have a more suitable choice.

If too many publishers get too greedy, then they’re likely to fail in the next few years. If they don’t, then the general consumer – including myself – probably deserved to get ripped off all along. Here’s to making all the right choices for the next eight years. And if physical media hangs around for another decade, that's fine with many other gamers.