Poll: Would you stop collecting?

[Cirrus]

Would you stop collecting if ALL video games became download only, through broadband, and there was no physical item involved?

Think it's farfetched? It is discussed in this thread: http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=57617&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

I would stop collecting completely. What's the point of digitally owning/collecting games?

[bargora]

I'd still buy "download only" games to play, but probably at the rate at which I buy new sealed games these days--about one per year.

[Gamereviewgod]

I've made my decision that once something is download only, I'm done. I have major problems with things like this. So I download 20 games at $50 a pop and the hard drive crashes. Then what? It's the same reason I don't donload music.

[Stark]

No physical game means there is nothing to collect. Now I have a "collection" of over 4000 MAME roms but I don't consider them part of my video game collection per se. Digital only media has no value in my opinion so that would exclued any games in that format from being part of my collection.

[Gamefaqs]

WELL THATS THE WAY ITS GOING TO BE

read the other topics circus wrote, so like it or leave it. personolly i will still get games this way, if i have too. but who wants this? it sure seems everyone is uposed... still, if a new splinter cell comes out, im obligated, ya know?

[imanerd0011]

If it ever does get like this I will quit collecting new games that's for sure. I will still however collect all the old systems that are out there. By the time games are download only, the PS2 will be considered retro, so I will prolly start collecting that.

[MegaDrive20XX]

No I refuse, I'm not relying on the PC to play games.

I have no problem with it, but I'd rather collect the games in their psychical form

[NintendoMan]

Nope, part of the fun for me is owning the ACTUAL game, case, manuals, etc. It wouldn't be a problem though, since I still need like another 15,000 games to complete my collection. Which I am NOWHERE even close, but half the fun is finding and collecting of course.

[frodo2968]

Certainly not. What's the fun in that? You go online and download a game. No "great finds" anymore, because you of course couldn't get games (the newer ones, anyhow) that way anymore, like at thrift stores, garage sales, etc. No point in collecting, because the size of your collection depends ONLY on how much money you spend.

But really, I cannot in any way see this happening. No way.

[The Manimal]

I would "buy" games to play, but there's no chance in hell I'd try and 'collect' downloads.

[tholly]

id buy the few i wanted to play, but, if you dont own it, its not really collecting

id stick to the "older stuff" and leave the new downloads just to the fun games that i really want to play

[sabre2922]

I also have many "dowloaded" games and roms on emu on my PC but I dont consider them part of my Collection either.

Although I do enjoy them very much especially playing the games of many of the great old machines I used to play as a kid like NES and SNES I have no interest in purchasing a fully downloaded game for full price that exists only on my hard drive or an advanced memory card :roll:

That is exactly why the Phantome (if it ever actually existed) would have been a bigger flop than the Virtual Boy. Theres No way in hell any of my friends would pay $50.00 for a game that only exists on a hard drive.

THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN ANYTIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE the average gamer or person for that matter just is not interested in downloadable games maybe 20-30 years from now but PPL DONT COLLECT WHAT THEY CANT ACTUALLY TOUCH OR SEE its as simple as that.
Its like any other collecting hobby be it stamps , comic books , baseballcards etc I mean do ppl want to collect virtual comic books? or baseball cards that exist only on a PC or cell phone? hell NO they want the real thing.

Some on here have tried to argue that its about materializm but its NOT its about enjoying something that you are passionate about something that may take you back to your childhood or help you cope with the stress of everyday life.

[Nesmaster]

I would stop collecting them but probably not playing them. I mean collecting downloaded games, is just the same as colelcting roms in my book. the only difference is you're paying $50 for the download :/

[Xantan the Foul]

I would stop collecting them but probably not playing them. I mean collecting downloaded games, is just the same as colelcting roms in my book. the only difference is you're paying $50 for the download :/

My sentiments exactly.... though I'd probably stop buying them too. I don't pay for downloads, I pirate them. If I can buy something physical at a reasonable price, I'd rather do that.

[anagrama]

eh, I don't buy new games anyway (unless they're called OutRun 2 ;) ) so it wouldn't make much difference to me.

[Flack]

id buy the few i wanted to play, but, if you dont own it, its not really collecting

id stick to the "older stuff" and leave the new downloads just to the fun games that i really want to play

Head, nail, bang.

[Cirrus]

id buy the few i wanted to play, but, if you dont own it, its not really collecting

id stick to the "older stuff" and leave the new downloads just to the fun games that i really want to play

Head, nail, bang.

Right... so in a way, is it kind of a good thing for us collectors... the possibility of having an "end point"? Even now, games are released far faster than I could ever hope to obtain.

edit: actually, a good thing for "completist" collectors.

[digitalpress]

I definitely wouldn't consider it part of any collection, but I'd still play.

[Kejoriv]

I definitely wouldn't consider it part of any collection, but I'd still play.

Agreed. I would probably not buy that many of them if I just had to download it. I love owning the game, box, manual, etc

[PentiumMMX]

I may download a few games (Mostly Mega Man), but I like having the disc\game cart and instructions around.

Other then that, I'd stop collecting except for older systems

[Daria]

Honestly? I'd end up pirating them. Download only games would become as valuable to me as an MMORPG disk. A genre I won't pay for because it basically sucks up your money and gives you a game in return that you can only play for x number of years until it's obsolete. Then you have yourself a $50 coaster. Downloadable games will only last as long as your hard drive doesn't wipe and the company decides to continue uploading them. Game isn't selling well? Why waste the server space, delete it. Oh no it's now completely unavailable forever. Not like you can buy it used or find back stock.

Both games will eventually depend on fan servers (pirating) for support. And lets face it, why pay for the same product you'll end up getting for free anyway? It may not morally be the correct answer, but it's honestly what I could see myself doing. I'd just spend my money on the old physical games instead.

As for collecting? Well... hell... I "collect" roms when I'm broke. Again I don't see downloadable games as much different then that. But as I said before, only for free. :P

[calthaer]

Buying a physical copy is never going to go away. Retail is too firmly entrenched in the marketplace.

The question is a little difficult, because I am primarily a gamer before I am a collector. I want to see more new and innovative games released, and quite frankly the retail channel keeps a lot of these good ideas from the marketplace. I wouldn't at all be opposed to some download channels as a method of buying games - but I will probably always buy some physical copies.

[Garry Silljo]

I'd collect the old games and play only the really good new games if I got a decent price on the download. But downlading would/will be a bitch (I'm a dial up man). Still, I just don't see this happening.

[Aussie2B]

I'd still have to play a few must-have titles, but for the most part, it'll be the same as it is now for me - buying old game almost exclusively.

[maxlords]

I'd buy almost nothing if that happened.

[Slipdeath]

I would go cry on my bed. :eek 2:

[Cirrus]

I think it's pretty interesting that nearly HALF of people here would stop getting new games at all. On top of that, very few are interested in the idea of collecting "downloads." Of course, we are a different breed of gamers, but still...

I hope they always offer an alternative, download for 40 bucks, buy it for 50, or whatever.

[maxlords]

I think it's pretty interesting that nearly HALF of people here would stop getting new games at all. On top of that, very few are interested in the idea of collecting "downloads." Of course, we are a different breed of gamers, but still...

I hope they always offer an alternative, download for 40 bucks, buy it for 50, or whatever.

I'd spend more for the physical game. I refuse to pay for downloads of games. Just don't like that at all...too much risk of loss involved, too much hassle, etc.

[Fuyukaze]

I would stop buying "new" games. Only so far as downloads are concerned. As is, most people would consider anything available on the NES, SNES, Gen, Sat, DC, or any number of older systems to not be new. I am of the oposite in that if I have never played the game, how can it be old? Old implies something you have played previously where new implies it is something you have not experienced. As such, even a 2600 cart can be new then.

A part of me wants to believe that the odds of them making games download only is imposible. With all the potential for abuse from hackers and copys, it just wouldnt be so profitable. I must admit though I can see where it has its potential. Now there would no longer be the need for an acutal product. It would eleminate the middle man and increase profit by atleast 50% if not more. Think of it this way, if a game sells 100,000 copies at 50$ a copy, how much did the store pay for it? If it was a retail chain, lets say, wal-mart, then chances are good that they paid no more then 25-30$ per game (i cant believe they pay that much as I have seen paperwork a few times before). Now, once all said and done the game has made $5,000,000 off that. If the retailer bought the game for 25$, that means that the developing company only made half that money. Going digital allows the company to sell the game for 20-30% less then the total price while increasing the profit revinue. No need to deal with store chains, no need to deal with as high of sales quotas. The biggest expenses would be development and bandwith. The fact that they would be alienating a percentage of their customers who do not subscribe to the internet or have access to high speed probly isnt a concern for them. While I realize this is a simplitic aproach to the subject at hand, I had to play devils advocate.

Honestly, I hate to say it but I see it happening in the not to distant future. I dont look forward to that day as I know it will be the death of "new" games to many people like myself. I like going to a store, buying a game, opening it on the ride home, and sitting on the can while reading the insturctions before playing it. I like disregaurding what ever the instruction says on controls and learning what all I can and cant do as I play it. I also like being able to play it when ever the hell I want to. No updates, no patches, and no security to wait thru. Just plug the cart in, put the CD in, power up, grab a controler, and play.

Another note I dont remember seeing is the changes this could have on discount titles. How many of us who live on empty wallet status consider the 20$ and under titles the only way we can play new games? If games go d/l only, wouldnt companies want to remove the games before they got that cheap? Also, wouldnt this effect the number of games being released? Wouldnt it kill the re-sale market?