If I asked this question 15 years ago what would the answer be? Obviously no, but oh how the times have changed. Today gamers no longer only have one option when it comes to buying games. You can ether head on down to the local Gamestop or just buy the game right on your system. Sounds pretty great huh? Not for everybody. Internet speeds around the world still have people opting for the disc. Personally where I live I get around 8 to 10 Megs download speeds. Of course if you play on Xbox One it doesn’t matter if you buy the game on disc or on the online store, you still have to download the entire game before you can even play it. On another side of the console market, Sony obviously has the better solution when it comes to buying the software in store. They allow you to play the entire game while it installs on the PS4’s hard drive. Of course there is always two sides to every story
Everyone has their reasons for buying the way they do. I can see why people enjoy buying their games on their consoles store. Convenience, not having to go to town to get their games. Not having to stand up and put your Blu-Ray in the system. And once again internet speeds. If you live in a big city, there’s a good chance you have a fairly fast internet speed.
Obviously a lot of people still buy disc’s for multiple reasons. As I previously mentioned Internet speeds. Of course there is still the collector type gamer. They love to have games on their shelves. This is also another reason I have mainly bought physical. Of course there is always the factor of price. If you look at the PlayStation store you’ll see that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End runs still runs at $59.99 5 months after release. And then checking Amazon.com, the game goes for $44.56. Quite the difference that would sure sway people to buy physical.
According to Statista.com, 56% of gamers buy games digitally, with 44% opting for physical. Yes physical is on its way out and digital is the future, but for this gamer, that future is still a long way away.
Have a passion for video games!
Follow me on Twitter: @guygamer65