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General discussionIs digital distribution devaluing games?(83 posts)(83 posts)
(83 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 13, 2019
I have definite thoughts on this, but would like to hear other viewpoints.
Posted June 13, 2019
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kai2: I have definite thoughts on this, but would like to hear other viewpoints.
Nope.

AAA games still sell huge on release day at full price, $50-$90 USD.

Indie games sell plenty enough to keep Spiderweb Games in business.
Posted June 13, 2019
In regards to indies, maybe too many people were inspired as kids to make games, and thus too many want to make games now and having so many games ultimately forces the prices downward, thus few can make a living off making games because there are, ultimately, too many games/oversaturation and not enough time.

We need to send kids back to work in the salt mines so they won't have hopes and dreams. Or just crush their hopes and dreams.
Posted June 13, 2019
low rated
Digital sales have increased each year, so no.

The introduction of subscription services (GamePass, Ubisoft) will be interesting to monitor in terms of consumer habits, heck even how the games included are covered.

If anything, digital growth has increased the value of physical releases as a collector's market. Limited Run Games etc
Post edited June 13, 2019 by Linko64
Posted June 13, 2019
low rated
All games are digital one way or another, whether you install them off a physical disc or via download, they're always digital data in the end.
Posted June 13, 2019
Although I agree that gaming as an industry is growing and newly released games -- even digitally distributed new releases -- certainly haven't decreased in price, I think there's an argument to be made that virtual goods don't have (or at least don't hold over time) the value of physical goods. In fact, I'd argue that the success of Limited Run and other companies like them would tend to bolster that argument.
Post edited June 13, 2019 by kai2
Posted June 13, 2019
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kai2: Although I agree that gaming as an industry is growing and newly released games -- even digitally distributed new releases -- certainly haven't decreased in price, I think there's an argument to be made that virtual goods don't have (or at least don't hold over time) the value of physical goods. In fact, I'd argue that the success of Limited Run and other companies like them would tend to bolster that argument.
one of the "promises" when going digital was that it would lower the cost of games, as the physical part (printing, cost of disks, physical distribution networks, covers) no longer needed to be paid.
Posted June 13, 2019
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kai2: Although I agree that gaming as an industry is growing and newly released games -- even digitally distributed new releases -- certainly haven't decreased in price, I think there's an argument to be made that virtual goods don't have (or at least don't hold over time) the value of physical goods. In fact, I'd argue that the success of Limited Run and other companies like them would tend to bolster that argument.
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amok: one of the "promises" when going digital was that it would lower the cost of games, as the physical part (printing, cost of disks, physical distribution networks, covers) no longer needed to be paid.
I think we can file that promise with the auto industry touting their vehicles extended miles per gallon being good for the environment. Sounds good, but in practice didn't work. In the case of autos better gas mileage meant more miles driven... thus, sadly no change whatsoever.
Post edited June 13, 2019 by kai2
Posted June 13, 2019
Yes and No.
Posted June 13, 2019
IMHO the digital marketplace has created a "democratization" of content -- a place where almost everything is available at all times. The only gatekeeper is price. So, I would argue that the first aspect of value -- the search for a product -- is reduced to a few keystrokes.

The second aspect I think about when ascribing value is... how much do I enjoy seeing the physical product? A digital product I cannot see. Certainly there can be digital elements that can be viewed via computer, but I can't look at a game box inside a hard drive.

That leads to the third aspect... virtual games take up no physical space. I don't have to reconfigure my desk or book/game shelves. I don't have to have a relationship with the item and think about whether I have room for it in my library. No, it sits like a ghost on a hard drive taking up bits and bytes that I cannot see as anything but an abstraction. Certainly a digital game takes up memory / storage but again, it's not a space that can be physically experienced

That abstraction creates what I'd call a a "false" relationship with a window listing everything on a drive.
Post edited June 13, 2019 by kai2
Posted June 13, 2019
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amok: one of the "promises" when going digital was that it would lower the cost of games, as the physical part (printing, cost of disks, physical distribution networks, covers) no longer needed to be paid.
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kai2: I think we can file that promise with the auto industry touting their vehicles extended miles per gallon being good for the environment. Sounds good, but in practice didn't work. In the case of autos better gas mileage meant more miles driven... thus, sadly no change whatsoever.
except that games are generally cheaper now? even AAA games drops in price / goes on sale very quickly
Posted June 13, 2019
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kai2: I think we can file that promise with the auto industry touting their vehicles extended miles per gallon being good for the environment. Sounds good, but in practice didn't work. In the case of autos better gas mileage meant more miles driven... thus, sadly no change whatsoever.
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amok: except that games are generally cheaper now? even AAA games drops in price / goes on sale very quickly
But that's price... not really value

I'd argue that price drops becoming more common are because games -- especially digitally distributed ones -- are in fact devalued.
Post edited June 13, 2019 by kai2
Posted June 13, 2019
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amok: except that games are generally cheaper now? even AAA games drops in price / goes on sale very quickly
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kai2: But that's price... not really value

I'd argue that price drops becoming more common are because games -- especially digitally distributed ones -- are in fact devalued.
But the price a game developer gets was never what you paid for it. You pay £40, £20 goes to the retailer, £10 goes to the distributer and cost of producing the box, manual, etc and you're left with £10 at best

These days no costs of materials, a smaller percent goes to the store so for £40, you take far more. You can actually afford to sell it cheaper, ie £20 and make the same money.

The real devalued games are those that are sold as bundles and then resold through G2A etc
Posted June 13, 2019
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amok: except that games are generally cheaper now? even AAA games drops in price / goes on sale very quickly
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kai2: But that's price... not really value

I'd argue that price drops becoming more common are because games -- especially digitally distributed ones -- are in fact devalued.
depends by what you mean by devalued...

If you mean that there is more games made than ever, they are cheaper and easier to get - then yes.
Posted June 13, 2019
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kai2: IMHO the digital marketplace has created a "democratization" of content -- a place where almost everything is available at all times. The only gatekeeper is price. So, I would argue that the first aspect of value -- the search for a product -- is reduced to a few keystrokes.

The second aspect I think about when ascribing value is... how much do I enjoy seeing the physical product? A digital product I cannot see. Certainly there can be digital elements that can be viewed via computer, but I can't look at a game box inside a hard drive.

That leads to the third aspect... virtual games take up no physical space. I don't have to reconfigure my desk or book/game shelves. I don't have to have a relationship with the item and think about whether I have room for it in my library. No, it sits like a ghost on a hard drive taking up bits and bytes that I cannot see as anything but an abstraction. Certainly a digital game takes up memory / storage but again, it's not a space that can be physically experienced

That abstraction creates what I'd call a a "false" relationship with a window listing everything on a drive.
Why would any of this really matter to people who aren't hardcore collectors?
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionIs digital distribution devaluing games?(83 posts)(83 posts)
(83 posts)