A Boxless Industry - Digital Downloads

Next Generation is running an article entitled Gaming's Digital Future, discussing the reality that digital downloads are likely to be commonplace in the industry in the near future. Today they've polled publishers for their opinions, with developer and distributor opinions later in the week. From the article: "While the digital distribution of music took that industry by surprise, and Hollywood is still figuring out the best way to utilize digital distribution for movies; the videogame industry has embraced digital distribution as a new revenue stream for videogames new and old, at least on the PC side of the games business."

The end of the stores and the end of publishers

[MBraynard]

Good riddance with both, I suppose, as games will be either less expensive or better produced without the middlemen of publishers and retailers both taking a cut.

What purposes will a retailer serve? From the article:

We believe that retail stores will continue to be a key distribution channel for games for the foreseeable future as consumers are still interested in the social experience of shopping to purchase their games.

I go to EB for the 'social experience'? Please. I don't think the other shoppers I run into there, much less the staff, are well known for their 'social skills.' It's not like you're ever going to meet a girl in there.

I'd much rather set steam to download in the morning and it's ready when I get home from work.

a day late...

[vettemph]

Sure, act like we haven't been downloading games since the 80's. Sharing games via Pirate BBS pre-dates music sharing on the internet by a long shot.

I prefer boxes

[Digital Vomit]

I prefer having something tangible when I buy software; a nice box, manual, and disk. I don't care what any shrinkwrap license says: I own this software when I buy it, and the physical nature of it is what makes it my property.

Old Games

[Anonymous Coward]

What will really be nice is if they give us access to older games for cheap. Sure, Home of the Underdogs has lots of games, but it would be good if the companies gave us an inexpensive and legal way to get the games of yore.