Gaming with lwgrs

Digital vs. Physical Copies

I was thinking recently about physical vs. digital copies of games. I'm not new to the idea of digital games, as I had to purchase MLB The Show 16 for the PS3 digitally as the disc version was not available in Canada. I was able to install it on my PS3 without deleting it - a good thing because you can't download purchased PS3 title anymore1.

It's a debate top-of-mind for me recently as I'm starting to get back into gaming. I see the allure of digital games; no need to get off the couch to switch discs when you want to play a different game. There seems to be more discounts on digital titles; and it's easy & convenient to buy a game when you want to and play it as soon as it installs.

Yet I return to the digital PS3 library, remembering that I don't have access to anything I bought (luckily it's just the one game, but the point stands). Yes, PS4 & PS5 consoles are going strong and there's no immediate danger of losing accesss, but it's still a real possibility. Amazon recently removed the ability to download purchased ebooks; it's a reminder that we don't own digital media. At best we are paying a large upfront fee for a long-term rental.

(Would we be less incensed if we could rent games and movies digitally for low costs, the same as the days of Blockbuster?)

While changing discs will be forever a nuisance, I will take that trade-off when I can freely borrow games from the library or buy/sell/trade physical copies. I'm fine with "buying" free copies (see Star Trek Online) - I've only invested time if access was removed. It might bug me for a day or two, but I won't be upset over lost money.

So I'll skip the digital copy of Star Trek Resurgence and keep an eye out for local deals.

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  1. Turns out I'm partially wrong - you still can with some workarounds but the PS store is definitely disabled on the PS3 itself.