The "Buying" Video Games Digitally Situation is a SCAM

[@lordoflizardsp]

We aren't buying the game, we are buying a COPY of the game. A copy that we are free to do what we want to. Play it, give it away, sell it to someone else, heck even break it if we want. The game industry wants to stop the reselling part. Because if someone waits until secondhand copies are floating around, then they don't get the profit from that sale. It is GREED, plain and simple.

[@RuuyG]

People who are digital-onlies are just igno sckers. I only buy digital games if they are on sale for like 20 dollars less than the cheapest used copy I can find, and even then I only buy if it's a series that don't care a lot about, if it's one of my favourite series, I will pay 50 dollars more to have the physical copy, I don't care.

[@Korudo]

I was writing out a similar comment, then saw this. Thanks for that lol.

[@Maddddddddy]

Yes I just started my gaming journey and I'm pretty flacky.idk if I'll continue to love gaming next year so all my games I have are 1 dollars or they had to be 50% off or more. Even this cat quest game I wanted to try I got at the library and loved it! So I went home and purchased all three on sale for more than 50% off. I haven't even bought stardew valley or dream light valley because I'm not ​tryna pay disk price until I know I like it. Especially with these games always updating @@RuuyG

[@shiro2400]

Exactly this. I think these companies have forgotten what we, the customers, are paying for: a copy of their product. Imagine brands of vacuum cleaners can reclaim/remove their vacuum from u because u aren’t using it to their ‘preference.’ This situation is crazy stupid.

[@stanislavkimov2779]

Thing is, they still won't sell games for 70-80 euros. I'm not buying games at this price, for a very rare exceptions like Fromsoft games. Such a game comes out once in several months. I'm always waiting for big discounts (40-60%), or to play it on subscription like PS Plus/Gamepass, to get a disc from a friend, or buy a used disc and then exchange it. Exchanging discs is one of the things that motivates people to buy consoles and buy games. Take it away, sales won't go up. Also modern AAAs are not that exciting for people not able to hold their wallets. GTA6 will be a rare exceptions, but most new AAAs can't compete with older games and indies.

[@Nakigirl79]

I've recently cancelled a number of subscriptions and have restarted my DVD and CD collections. The majority of my games are physical already, and any e-books I purchase, I convert and save a copy using Calibre.

[@Meimoons]

Be sure to save receipts and take picture for insurance in case of any disasters!

[@7ctony]

So digital games shouldn’t be the same price as hard copies .

[@smidlee7747]

It's bad for business to undersell retailers. Retailers will not like it to buy copies of a game only for the publisher to undercut them by selling online copies at a cheaper rate.

[@LuisPerez-5]

That seems like their problem not ours.​@@smidlee7747

[@kcidd12]

@@smidlee7747 dude there are digital games right now that ONLY have a digital release for $70 dollars ...no excuse ...

[@Daimon12820]

Aren't many digital games a lot of discounts? while physical games are never discounted.

[@forastero54321]

@@Daimon12820you’re talking about Nintendo, they rarely ever have discounts on digital games and when they do it’s like only $5 - $7 dollars at most.

[@alexgrayisaligman]

Keep physical alive people

[@Casper_Theghost14]

Who cares about being transparent about licensing when the problem is the fact that they can revoke the license in the first place, they shouldn’t be able to do that

[@s.muller8688]

yes, it's a farce.

[@randomreviews4278]

That's why physical is way better

[@AdApT3Rx]

Fax

[@Kanoog]

F No, I'll take my chances any day of the week with Digital, the convince is beyond perfect. I remember having boxes filled with cartridges and trying to find a game, NOT AGAIN. According to your defense, you are going on the assumption ALL digital games will be removed one day which will NEVER happen. You'll sound like a nut job trying to even argue your point, just say you like to collect physical games without attempting to put down digital.

[@brittianyistre]

It's fine. It's rare if you can't play them

[@SuiteLifeofDioBrando]

Physical vs digital is like financial asset vs nft

[@alphonsejohnson5601]

​​​@@KanoogIs it convenience or laziness? Also, Considering that various players lost hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of games because steam accounts were falsely banned, or temporarily shut down with no refunds, Along with the fact that similar incidents have happened with Nintendo, Microsoft, And Sony, People should rightfully be concerned about digital games. You say that not all of the digital games will be removed, But when those digital accounts with all your games shut down, You no longer have access to ANY of those games, Permanently. We're not putting down digital, We're just telling the truth: That digital has more cons than pros, And if you can't handle the truth then that's on you.

[@blazingruin2975]

We should go back to the cartridge days of Video Games, when you bought the game, that full game was yours, no internet needed.

[@theoutlawking9123]

Exactly, THIS! Especially since we now have the tech to make Cartridges much smaller.

[@terrynicholls1991]

Buying it and sharing with friends at school etc is why it's so good. The more obsessed they get with digital the more they screw up

[@TheRealSlimsagey7]

It would also mean the games would actually have to be bug tested properly so it cannot be bug fixed post launch. We had it so good in the N64/Gamecube era and we didn't even know it. Sure the games look nicer now but I don't remember feeling like I had been mugged everytime I bought a game. And the mugging continues once you boot up the game with content that used to be free like unlockable characters being locked behind paywalls and gambling packs. Thankfully it looks like Switch 2 will continue to be on cartridge (I know that bug fixes will still need to be downloaded but at least we will still have something tangible when the Nintendo Switch servers are eventually taken down). I have long since abandoned Xbox and PlayStation, if I am forced to buy digital I will buy them on black friday sales on steam 5 years after they have come out for like 5 bucks unless it is something I truly have to play day 1. At least the Steam servers future is secure for the long term, I have games nearly 20 years old I can still download and play.

[@blazingruin2975]

@TheRealSlimsagey7 sadly even some switch games have additional content locked behind internet downloads. I made the mistake of buying Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and half the game was behind internet downloads, meaning if I didn't have access to the internet, I'd have gotten only what was available.

[@captainshiner42]

Nope. Fuck that boomer shit.

[@iloveanime4020]

Game companies need to be saved from themselves. Digital purchases should always be protected to keep faith in the entire ecosystem. When several games I bought for my nieces on the Apple store went poof, I stopped buying them.

[@VilasNil]

I'll miss you, Infinity Blade 😔

[@armedhyde1448]

Even owning a physical disc or media doesn’t guarantee that a game remains playable. Publishers or developers can render a game obsolete through a simple patch. This is particularly evident in live-service games, where updates can make the game unplayable at their discretion. Even for offline play, if your console receives a patch update, it could render certain games unplayable altogether. In the end, the only thing you truly own is the physical resources and materials used to create the disc or cartridge.

[@KingLoper]

No when you buy physical you own it

[@Bambeakz]

And always online games will not work, patches that fix the game can’t be downloaded anymore and some physical games not even have the complete game on the disc/ cartridge Physical was safe before the big patches were a thing

[@von4297]

The key point you made is “live service”. Obviously when their servers are no longer live, the game won’t work. But that’s also why i hate live service games. Offline games will be fine for as long as you take care of the discs and consoles.

[@armedhyde1448]

@@von4297 - As a developer, I can assure you that if a corporation is determined to prevent you from using a piece of software, it will find a way to enforce that restriction. In theory, using a console that never receives updates might allow you to bypass such measures. However, consoles that are kept up to date can be easily patched to block access to a game, even in offline mode, at the request of the software's developer. For instance, a corporation could request Microsoft or Sony to implement a patch that prohibits the use of specific proprietary software during boot-up. Even if the console is set to offline mode, the updated code would still enforce these restrictions. The simpler approach is to deny access whenever the game connects to its host server and receives an update.

[@von4297]

@@armedhyde1448 when has this ever happened? In theory, sure patching a game to block a physical game from executing could be done. But for what practical reason would publishers do this? Even when digital content were pulled so that the latest versions would be the only purchasable version (e.g. Final Fantasy 1-6 in favor of the pixel remasters), the physical copies of the previous versions still happily exist. And if you’re playing an offline game, the vast majority do not need to access a host server. Live service games, of course. But live service are a plague on gaming, so good riddance.

[@excaliburnorth446]

Rule #1 of business. Dont alienate your client base by manipulation

[@teamofone1219]

They should automatically refund you for the full price when they take it away.

[@geminijinxies7258]

Of course, but you're suggesting that they don't?

[@teamofone1219]

@ I heard they didn’t give any refunds for the movies sony took away.

[@caliginousmoira8565]

@@geminijinxies7258 ubisoft didn't give me my money back.....

[@wizrad2099]

This reminds me of the old Facebook games we used to play. I was a big fan of one called Marvel Avengers Alliance that was available and widely popular for several years, with micro transactions, only to get shut down completely with a half-assed wrap up that made everything free for like a month. When it was gone, that was it, no more access to things most of us had paid real money for. For years, that was all there was to it, but then some programmers got together with the intention of rebuilding the game using abandoned assets, but I think they have to recompile and recode the game from scratch in order for it to be remotely legal (I don't fully understand their explanation, so that's most likely worded incorrectly). At this time, they not only have a functional, albeit buggy, version of the game available to the public, they're also adding new content to the game that was never available in the first place. Truly an inspiring effort. The new project is called Marvel Avengers Alliance Redux, if anyone is interested.

[@axelfond8317]

@@wizrad2099 you never got a license to that game. You got access to Facebook. They hosted the games we all played on it. Micro transactions are optional. It's your choice to pay for such things. The game was free to play Mobile games are free to play in play store. They can shut down at anytime within the laws of business practices. But it would be complicated if people purchased the game.

[@The8bitbeard]

There's absolutely a discussion to be had here, but it's not a new discussion. We've been licensing our games since video games were a thing. Even when we bought cartridges back in the day, we only own the plastic the cartridge is made out of. We're technically only licensing the software they contain. With digital copies, not all services are equal. I've had my Steam account for 20 years, and every game I've ever bought is still there. I can still install Half Life 2 and play it on modern hardware just the same as I could in 2004, and I fully expect I'll be able to still in 2044. Even games technically removed from Steam, if I bought them before the removal, I still have them. I can install them and play them. Can you play your Gamecube games on your Switch? That's about the equivalent, and no, you can't. Your Gamecube games are dependent on the continued operation of your 20+ year old console with no modern display outputs that Nintendo is no longer making or servicing in any way, and they're dependent on the longevity of the physical media and whether or not they fall victim to disc rot. Online-only games are a different story. Even if you own a PHYSICAL copy of "The Crew", you can't play it. "The Crew" is still in my Steam library. I can install it, and it downloads all the game files, but I can't play it. That's not a "limited revokable license" issue. That's an "online only game" issue, and it's a big part of what the "Stop Killing Games" initiative is all about. I don't know... I think I'm just annoyed by the sudden influx of people losing their minds about the whole "we don't own our games" thing, like it's some big new revelation. It's not new. It's the way it's always been. Absolutely nothing has changed at all.

[@smidlee7747]

Exactly. You own the cartage of a Mario game but Nintendo owns Mario which is why they are going after Switch emulators hard.

[@blazingruin2975]

At least with a cartridge with the license software, no internet can forcibly corrupt that cartridge to then not work. (Thinking of N64 and GBA titles, but the list expands beyond just these) And I think this is one of the key points that upset people. Nowadays, the majority of our games are internet dependent and internet locked.

[@The8bitbeard]

@blazingruin2975 Something like that. I think the crux of the issue isn't the theoretical revocation of licenses. It's enforceability. The software on your cartridge has a limited revokable license, but to revoke it they would have to send goons to your house to physically take it from you, same with GOG offline installers, Unlike digital distribution where a theoretical revocation is as simple as flipping a switch. However looking at Steam, you'll be hard pressed to find an example of a license being revoked from anyone in their 2+ decade history. I don't count shutting down the servers of an online only game. That's a different issue, albeit a valid one.

[@caliginousmoira8565]

@@smidlee7747 where are you people coming from thinking that we think we own the IP's? i guess it's all ok because you don't really own your land or house either and if you don't renew your license ever year you lose them. now about those NFT's and CRYPTO....................................

[@SuiteLifeofDioBrando]

As a physical only guy outside emulation, always has been.

[@s.5242]

Physical is basically digital at this point. 360/PS3 era was the last generation worth going physical. The license on the disc can be blocked as easily as a digital license can be.

[@RandallStevenson]

@@s.5242 which is why I hopped off of the console train with the PS3, will replace my broken PS4 if the price is right, only because I already have games for it.

[@LuisPerez-5]

​@@RandallStevenson. you hopped off the console train on the 0s3 but own a ps4. WHAT?!

[@RandallStevenson]

@@LuisPerez-5 well, I did own a PS4 for a while first, but it broke, and I was "gifted" a PS3

[@DirranProductions]

Everything comes to PC eventually. Vast majority of the time, I'm not spending more than $10 on a game.

[@excaliburnorth446]

Really enjoy your take on this situation. Could not agree more. This is true and its the reason why indie is getting more popular, while AAA games are having mass layoffs/closedowns. Lets be real, this is the exposure we need for any hope of owning games in the future.

[@AntiGrieferGames]

Indie Games were always popular, look on Terraria, Dead Cells or Hades example.

[@excaliburnorth446]

@AntiGrieferGames I own all of these haha. I think you misunderstood. Many traditional gamers are now opening their eyes to more indie games and it's amazing to see. I've always enjoyed indie, but many more are taking note

[@atomiswave1971]

I bought 3 PSN games in 2007 with my first PS3, realized what a bad dream it was, woke up.. never went to sleep again. WAKE UP PEOPLE! Apart from digital vs physical there is an eco system of gaming stores and jobs at risk.

[@kingabomination]

I'm so tired of hearing this bad take. This is not a good thing protecting consumers. this is a bad thing protecting companies. now you cant sue a company for taking away your purchase because they just put a legal exception into law. the worst part is people spreading this absurdity around like its a good thing.

[@rhindlethered]

So let me see if I understand your take. You would prefer that companies continue to mislead consumers so that said consumer remains ignorant and can possibly sue later, despite their issue being caused by their own ignorance (with which you are apparently okay). You think continuing the charade is better than educating the consumer to understand what they are paying for.

[@momob4276]

I think you are grasping at straws to find someway to justify hating on California (As that's the cool thing to do among gamer bros ). No this is a good thing. It's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction.

[@kingabomination]

@@rhindlethered if this law was in place when the crew was sold they wouldn't be able to have this lawsuit. so who is benefiting from this new language being put in place? Its so much easier to manipulate and take advantage of you when you're thanking me for doing it.

[@c.daubz.5386]

‼️Need Federal Digital Consumer protection so companies have to treat digital games/movies same as physical, after purchase you own it and they can’t take it back, we should be able to buy digital copies from any reseller and should also be able trade or sell them online‼️

[@selenityshiroiYT]

The Animal Crossing thing is actually something I would kill for on some of my mobile games that hit EOS. There were some that I loved playing and, yes, sunk some money into. And now they are gone. To have the chance to continue playing them for a one time fee would be extremely nice.

[@maydaymayday3193]

Just think movies, this has always been the case. Back in the 80s and 90s when you would buy a copy of a movie the vhs would have message at the start from the FBI You're not allowed to reproduce this movie to larger audiences, it's for your own personal use, you do NOT have the rights to copy it and redistribute it without permission You've never own any piece of media ever unless you're the one that has created it, not vhs, not cassette tapes, no cds, no movies, no music, no videogames non of them have ever been yours

[@cloudkitsune17]

As someone who enjoys music, I can confirm that there are some cases where songs are just... gone. Half of it is because of copyright taking them down, and others they just aren't available on certain sites. There were a few songs I love that I have on my digital playlist, but found on KZbin... that just aren't on KZbin any longer, no matter how much I dig to find it to share with a friend by link without having to *send it* over as a file to download. =/

[@CardyBoy]

1:05 I want to clear up that yes, what you said applies to all physical games, a lot of physical games still to this day have a perfectly playable build still on the disc. Meaning you can install it without the internet whatsoever, so you own that version of the game since that can't be revoked from you. Spider-Man 2 as shown is one of those games, along with many more. Only games that say something like "internet required" on the box are the exception, but not the rule

[@TheRealAlpha2]

Unfortunately, there's nothing stopping a lot of companies from putting arbitrary online modes on mainly single player offline games that can result in the whole game being useless later.

[@JoBry2003]

Literally chose to write a college essay on this topic. Cool to see that it’s finally gaining more traction.

[@gameplayer7383]

Yesss! I agree with building your house on truth rather than LIES AND DECEPTIONS.

[@hilmalumay]

buying the game in the 80's to 90's even to early 2000's.. everything was physical, no updates . no additional downloads required. all on disc or cartridge.. they couldn't take that away from you..

[@icarusfluffybottom899]

There ARE actually songs that get harder to find over time. Either they were made for a certain soundtrack, or only released on a certain album, etc, and they end up not being included on the streaming services, so you just have to cross your fingers someone not only uploaded it to KZbin, but that they didn't consequently have it taken down by the rights holders. It's not terribly common, MOST stuff is available, but it does occur. There are also albums that can just be a bit spotty. I remember years ago, I think it was on Spotify, they replaced some Megadeth albums with the remastered versions, and the remasters sounded like ass, but that's ALL they had at that point. Or there's an old cover band called The Black Mages, they do sick covers of Final Fantasy music, and on at least two different occasions, I have gone on Spotify to find the albums were taken down. It was SO irritating. As someone who stopped buying CDs back in the mid-00s, these issues (as well as a few other things) caused me to start buying physical music again. I have a growing collection of CDs, and I love it. Video games, movies, music, it all has this issue. Digital services are convenient, but ultimately they all seem to have the same issues, and if you actually care about the medium, I still find it best to just buy physical for whatever it is you want. I won't buy EVERYTHING, I'm not a lunatic, but for the things I genuinely care about? Yeah, gotta own it. Music included.

[@nyoon690]

Best make copies of them like burning another disc or putting that on a hard drive

[@RandallStevenson]

I have at least one CD that is so rare that it doesn't exist anywhere on the internet, so yes, music is being lost

[@rayvenskye3274]

Can't get sued if you only buy retro 😊

[@_ghr0_]

That law didn't go far enough to state that consumers own the products retroactively, because they never clearly stated it was a lease or rental at time of purchase. Ask any average person and they would say they own the game they bought on Steam. People need to send letters to state senators and basically say "Big Tech is stealing the games away from your Grandchildren, that they paid for" just to dumb it down enough so they understand.

[@liamcollinson5695]

it's just pure false advertising it's really closer to renting and can be taken away with no refund to the customer at anytime

[@Steve-Cap]

I remember that too Wood. Those were my favourite moments in Black Friday and Boxing Day was purchasing physical games and movies. Good times.

[@Redrage11]

Physical doesnt save you. Look at everyone who physically bought anthem

[@caliginousmoira8565]

i'm playing anthem right now.

[@jasontoutges7270]

It makes no sense to pay full price for games that we used to own but supposedly can't own anymore. If I can't own it, than I should be paying a rental price. No of this logic about not owning games makes no sense. How is it, when it comes to 95% of what we buy or pay for we own, wether it be food, clothing, toiletries, tools, toys, etc. Once you pay for it, it's yours to keep as long as you have it, it's always been that way. But now that media is available digitally, that is supposed to somehow justify our purchases being taken away because now everything is considered a rental even though we're still paying full price and not rental price. This is why I'm done with modern day gaming tired of all this BS!!!

[@GoldChocobo77]

Rental price of games is exactly what gaming memberships online are, and what Microsoft and Sony are pushing for.

[@stateofhibernation]

Sucks when you buy a physical product and its basically just a key for a digital download. Also those always online games, which are fine, but when it's basically just a single player game...

[@2palancasdemando]

I love how this happened to a very very few "always online" games but this people act like is the end of the word😅

[@akaimizu1]

That I knew for years. It's why I have a good stockpile of Physical games I'll always be able to play, way past whatever day of execution for them. The majority of them can be fully played (over 95% of the Switch ones) without one connection to the internet..

[@d4rk1ink]

When you are buying physically you are also just buying a license if the disc breaks the company ain’t replacing it

[@chaosunicorn82]

I just recently learned this recently about the digital versions. Thank you for going into this more so I can understand it better. I am going to start buying more of the physical copies now. I always thought that game companies would try to switch completely over to digital for everything in the future and stop producing physical media in the future. What stinks is when the game is only avalable on digital to buy. Thank you for referring to gaming as an art because it really is. I agree your statement that people really support music as an art but why is gaming often times looked at as any different?

[@ZBatt1]

As a guy who isnt politically affiliated, Gavin Newsom just inked his name on that bill as a way to strategically build his credibility, probably in a way to appeal to gamers if he runs for president in the future.

[@Chavo00769]

and I will be voting for him. 🫡

[@ZBatt1]

@@Chavo00769Cool, man

[@ricardo9013]

Send him an Email with your concerns and he may respond

[@ZBatt1]

@@ricardo9013 I think it helps his case with gaining favor from a large subgroup of americans

[@Veany]

This reminds me of how whenever anyone buys anything from iTunes, they don’t own anything at all.

[@VinceNysse]

We used to 'Own' our games. I've got SNES games in my attic that i bought 20yrs ago... I still own those games and can play them whenever I want. It's a shame we don't own our games anymore whether purchased digitally or physically.

[@FortyTwoBlades]

I feel like we need further protections like a minimum guaranteed length of service such that if a game gets pulled within a certain period of the date of purchase they're legally obligated to issue a refund. It would also be appreciated if offline versions of the game had to be made available when closing one out if there were any sort of in-game purchases made so that people's investments were protected.

[@JMcCormick66]

I think it fully depends on the type of physical media you are looking at - a new PS5 game is so big that you need to download half of the game’s files on day 1 due to disc space limitations, so a license on the disk (frustratingly) makes sense. But a Game like Pokemon FireRed on GameBoy Advanced is something you own outright since the second you have the physical cartridge, you have everything the game has to offer. I think this is a practice that slowly transitioned for years right under all our noses, as games became too big to fit on discs

[@GoldChocobo77]

I get your point but the disc limitation isn't new, they could do like ff7 rebirth and do 2 discs... hell back to ps1 all FF games were on 3-4 discs. They CAN, but they WONT do it.

[@rulebrad333]

I feel this way about overmatch 1

[@John_TalbainN]

Holly Crap. I've never thought about this from this perspective. Heck, all in for physical copies !

[@nawab256]

This is the kind of video I would want on main channel that has far more pole than your little tiny channel.

[@alphonsejohnson5601]

Fortunately, I only have one digital game in my entire library. My other six games are All physical.

[@Cato_Sicarius66]

“One digital game”: Oh wow that’s quite a small number “Other six games”:

[@alphonsejohnson5601]

​​@@Cato_Sicarius66Hey dude, With how prices for food, clothing, rent, are going up but my paycheck isn't makes it hard to buy switch games left and right. I have just bought sonic superstars not too long ago on mercari, and it should be here in a few days making it 7.

[@AntiGrieferGames]

One digital is alot to be honest.

[@alphonsejohnson5601]

​@@Cato_Sicarius66With prices going up but my paycheck isn't, I can't buy video games left and right due to my responsibilities. I just managed to get sonic superstars because it's a little over $20 bucks on mercari.

[@bailey64]

Another possible reason companies gloss over the fact that you don't actually own the game is that it makes the claim that "piracy is theft" sound more legit (it isn't). Since people are actually just paying for a license to play the game, then pirating the game is playing the game without a license (and copyright violation), which does not sound as serious as "theft" or "stealing" (still illegal though).

[@t4nk3d402]

same thing with people purchasing digital movies. I will NEVER purchase a digital movie as its the same thing your only purchasing a license to view the content which can be pulled at any time. Ill take my physical media over digital ANY DAY

[@pierresakurai4812]

Most physical and digital games should have a seal written with :" this license will be unplayable or un-updatable at most 10 to 15 years from now".

[@takedakurosawa5416]

These videos crack me up! First of all, neither Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo or Steam have a reason to revoke your digital games. Second of all, The Crew was an online only game. It makes sense that if the company shuts down the servers, that you would lose access to game as well. Last, even if you buy a physical game you may lose access to the DLC. So your physical games are not yours either.

[@Stormbringer88]

I know that us who have a large collection of physical games (Switch, PS4/5, Retro) shouldn't be concerned, but then I just realized some truly terrifying. This is also true about STEAM GAMES! RIP

[@CasualViewer-t4f]

I double dip on titles I care most about. Digital on Steam, Physical on Switch.

[@TLgamer_TL]

I have a history with Valve where they literally stopped me from being able to use thisr store and being able to register a key, so I cant pay for it even if I wanted to. So I have no problems pirating any game only available on Steam. Also its perfectly legal to back up a copy if any movie, game or other type like that as long as you dont redustribute it so its irrelevant what Nintendo wants. Petitions dont mean anything

[@Doublepulse]

Pretty much this narrative of "buying the license" will further illustrate their marketing that if you subscribe to their monthly or yearly service, they are saving you money! See you don't need to buy the license for $60 when we can let you rent all of our licenses for much less!

[@TWWang-o1t]

Aside from that, digital games for consoles require you to buy external memory card for example 64-128G to install games or save data if the console hard drive is small. You end up paying more than just buying physical games (your console internal memory all goes into save data instead of used on installing games.) Also, physical games can be played on any console rather than tied on one digital account and can be traded in game shops.

[@MATT-2043]

I've been saying this FACT for years finally people are starting to wise up.

[@MhmdFyruz]

It's always has been that way since the beginning of software distribution even during the "physical" era: you just bought the "license" to use the software, you don't actually "own" it (they stated it in their EULA). Though in those times, they have no way to "revoke" the "license" as long as we have it physically and in working condition, legally it's still "ours" to use. Perhaps they were hoping that wear and tear would do the job for them, until the dawn of "digital preservations and distributions" era begins...

[@li0nhart4477]

I stopped buy games that are not complete on disc and need online services a few years back. I don't play multiplayer games. Alot of physical discs are just keys to allow the download of it digitally (which is a totally stupid idea). The only reason for this is to further con you into thinking you have and own the game. £50 - £70 for a licence to play a game is way too much, so as it's just a licence, they should revaluate the pricing. Especailly considering some games you can actually buy a full copy of a game in physical form too. I just stay away from companies that pull this bullshit. If i can't own their product, they can't own my money.

[@GMAceM]

I really shouldn’t have been surprised that even if you have a physical version of a game it can still be ripped off of your console. The wording situation is awkward to say the least because if they did call it a license and if we knew they could take that away from us at any time, why would we pay what we’re paying? I can’t say I’d want to pay the same price for something I own as for something I only temporarily (even if it’s for 10 years+) own. It’s not gonna stop most people from buying (licensing) because almost no one would want to miss out on playing the next big game but it does feel “not right” to say the least.

[@forest_gamingredux8156]

You should have also added to that the EULA states that your physical copy has to be destroyed when you are done with the game. I am sure I read it somewhere in the EULA agreement.

[@keisuketakahashiREDSUN]

When giant company says in the box "disc free(/)" go digital , people to hype with digital game because it's 50% sometimes can UpTo 90% cheaper then physical release , but not care about game taken down and shutting down , but physical it's have same thing too don't get me wrong , if you physical collector you will avoid buying a game need to play 100% online like the crew , there is no need to be physical actually , if you collector you in nature know what game to avoid in physical but I never heard offline game can be taken down and shutting down too "this is crazy to hear" but game you buy inside your smartphone it's normal to see it's taken down and shutting down it's normal

[@mrpaavo1590]

People are awfully used to how the companies have the consumers by the throat in terms of the digital or semi-digital products. Future generations are going to be mind blown by how people used to play physical video games even after the games' respective studios and publishers had long gone.

[@DragonOfTHa3ast]

Wood my man, you have to understand the words you're reading, yes some companies participate int this contract mess and yes even some disc are worthless because of it, but not all. Ubisoft had the crews online mode bound to its offline mode that's what made the offline mode discontinued. Again every company doesn't participate in this. Some game companies are actually against things like this. Keep your eye on news like this.

[@LikeMadCops]

Ive literally been talking about this for decades. The problem is: this is unavoidable. Hence emulators. Thank god there are so many old games ive never played.

[@imkayjaylea]

Seeing the Animal Crossing Pocket Camp stuff made me remember this bs from Ubisoft. Ubisoft let down Rocksmith fans by delisting Rocksmith 2014 and forcing a switch to Rocksmith+. As someone who’s supported the series since 2012, it felt like being cut off from something I’d invested years into. The “compensation” of one free month of Rocksmith+ was insulting and only highlighted how little they valued the existing community. For newcomers, Rocksmith+ might be fine, but for those of us who loved Rocksmith 2014, it’s a downgrade in every way.

[@ProfRoquePR]

@imkayjaylea Recently GOG made a statement about old games. Went ahead and got SimCity 2000 and 3000 because of it. I have physical, but there is no way to currently play them.

[@mikeuk666]

Yet pocket camp is returning

[@jackykwan2580]

It is very easy for Ubisoft to just provide a means to disable the drm protection through those internet merchants but they refused to do so. Also the game files are installed in your pc, you can make a copy of it essentially you still "own" it but because of the drm it doesn't work unless there is a crack

[@joeherrera8826]

My question is why do these video game companies want you to rent their product rather then own them cause once the servers go down you don't have that game anymore.

[@HattoriZero]

We should be able to revoke our payment and give the reason "We are not giving you our money, just loaning them to you and we will take it back whenever we feel like it".

[@julianx2rl]

I feel like the 3DS was the sweetspot for buying digital goods. It was advanced enough to let you buy a plentiful collection, but it wasn't SO advanced that publishers had the power to take away stuff from you. Look, the eshop is not even functioning anymore, and as long as I keep my console and SD card safe, I'll always have access to the stuff I bought.

[@pdraggy]

other than the fact that SD Cards degrade... and I hear even faster than disc-based media. But yeah, keeping it in a nice temperate room should buy you a good 30-40 years AFAIK the worse off are those poor Europeans without AC in most of their homes.

[@OmniscientInfographics]

@@pdraggy This is such a weird comment that I had to respond and ask. Those "poor Europeans without AC in most of their homes." you are talking about, could you by chance give some more details? AC's are not a defining factor in how wealthy you are and a lot of places here don't need AC's in every house.| On top of that, stop calling us 'Europeans', PSA to all US people, we are not European. We are French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, etc.

[@nyoon690]

​@@OmniscientInfographics I get where you're coming from, but I think this person meant "poor" in a non-literal way. They pitied us across the pond for ACs not being *culturally* present in our homes. Also, European is a good umbrella term, regardless of how ignorant some people from the US can be about non-US geography. Also, you don't even need AC for decent temperatures. Just keep your items in places that heat up less. This is easy if you live in Eastern Europe with colder climate. And backup your SD card contents. Even better to just homebrew your 3DS to rip the games you own onto your computer or external storage.

[@AntiGrieferGames]

That's the same on wii and dsi.

[@mrpaavo1590]

and while you still can redownload them today and "for the foreseeable future", it will not be forever or even very long maybe. It is nice to have the ability to play it as long as you have the hardware and the files.

[@StarDragonJP]

In a few months Gamestop won't even have video games. All the ones I've been to lately only have like 40% games, with bunch of random merch & Pokemon cards taking up the other 60%

[@tekarthobbyist9598]

Yeah, we need laws to be updated otherwise tech companies are going to run away with this.. plus physical copies of games might not be any different from digital on the current and nexg gen consoles.. coz we are easily entering an age where you wont even have access to your console unless you connect it to the internet first..

[@GamingWithNeytiri]

dude, it's physical games i never bought. my god, imagine buying a physical game.. which can not get updated.

[@MrNineties]

All the more reason I prize my older physicals. The artistry and detail in some physicals makes it worthwhile to keep and cherish them. Setting aside they may still just be licenses in the end.

[@DavidBerger-g2h]

Good Old Games should always be mentioned in Videos like that ! Hope Physical PC Gaming comes back.

[@NioDraws]

But crazy enough, even with a physical copy of a game you still have to install the content from the disk to the system, so even doing that they still could revoke your“license“.

[@drivillain4967]

Digital is the only reason why I haven't gone full PC yet. I'm in a middle ground where I get games on Steam, then go back and buy the physical on my PS5 later on when it goes down in price.

[@gamingtechandbeyond]

I agree with you to a certain point, Wood. When you purchase a game physically, you own the disc, meaning you own what's inside the disc, the disc is yours with the content inside. As long as the game is fully inside the media, you can play it or install it regardless if it was delisted. As long as the disc works, you can continue to enjoy that content that is inside that media for years to come. As long as the game is not dependent on online servers, you can play the game. Let's say Sony decides to delist God of War on PS2, which is true, you cannot purchase that game new from Sony, if you own the plastic disc, can you enjoy the game and play it? That's my point. As long as you have a media, whether is movies, music, videogames, and that media that the data is on works fine, you own it and can continue to enjoy that movie, or game you purchased for decades to come, regardless if it's delisted or not as long as is not a live service game that depends on servers to work. That's why, in my opinion physical media is superior to digital, and you do own said media physically. That's why companies want an all digital future, so you don't own anything you purchase.

[@VonSinclair]

Like movies and music, you only buy the license, but if the company decides to remove a product from the online store, it has the obligation to give notice to consumers that the product will be removed from the store in 30 days. so that the consumer who bought it downloads the game before it is removed and the one who has not purchased it has time to do so if he is interested in the game and download it, the company does not have the right to remove the downloaded game because the license is a purchase permanent if the company removes the download they could face a lawsuit for theft and will have to return all the money to those who paid for the license.

[@1979billyjack]

i think that they shouldnt be able to take away your ability to play what you already bought and only be able to stop selling new copies

[@Kenjionigod]

I feel the Blu-ray thing: that was prime movie buying season for me. There's still Amazon, Walmart and Target, but who knows how long that will last.

[@Shadowwarrior996]

The solution to this is GOG (Good Old Games). The library is limited but they legally sell PC games digitally with absolutely 0 DRM software (digital rights management)

[@icarusfluffybottom899]

@14:35: Homie just now learning about games that require internet connections to be played >_>

[@MissLissaDreams]

I can assure you, Homie already knows about games that require Internet connection to play. I think you missed the shocker point there, as even in offline mode they couldn't play the game. So many games you can play offline mode as long as you've booted up with an Internet connection once. Was the game in question an online only game? I missed the title of it for that article.

[@icarusfluffybottom899]

@@MissLissaDreams They were talking about The Crew, which is an online only game. He acted surprised like he thought you could buy a disc and still play but like... that's how online only games have always been. I can't go back and play my copy of Shadowrun on the 360 just because I have the disc, for instance. It's not exactly a new thing :p

[@MissLissaDreams]

@icarusfluffybottom899 Maybe he also missed the type of game it was then lol Because we have had this discussion before on his other channels for sure. 😂

[@graylinware4294]

Isn’t that why the correct saying isn’t “I bought the game” but “I bought a copy of the game”?

[@Kanoog]

About the Animal Crossing, I get it would suck IN THEORY that waiting 10 years to get it all for 10 dollars, but that's like saying "I could have waited 10 years to watch that movie for free" ect ect this applies to mainly anything. So yeah, people can always wait to get stuff cheaper, BUT is it worth the wait? Because I personally am not going to wait to play for example Elden Ring just to get it free on game pass, I got that day 1.

[@jacobkart8210]

I’m waiting to play Elden ring until it comes to the switch on game pass

[@wick8605]

Does this really matter if all my digital games are downloaded to an SD card. My entire switch is digital but I have a 1.5 terabyte SD card so I can have all my games downloaded and I won't have to worry about not having my games available whenever the online system shuts down many years down the road.

[@RTheu2109]

I see it more as a problem in a more general perspective. Like, you can still buy old retro games for like Ps1, N64, and they still will last for a while with good care, but a lot of digital only games won't be available in the future for people to buy and try for themselves. Imagine if all the retro games were released digital only, outside of piracy, they would be mostly wiped out today unless a company would rerelease it.

[@UniqueJ]

Physical over digital! I've been telling people for years now.

[@Ghotet]

Racing games have a maximum 10 year life cycle, sometimes due to music but they also have to license every single car. Anyone into racing games is aware of this. We would all love a NFS UG2 or MW remake but EA will never try to solve the licensing hell to make it happen and I don't blame them.

[@rmjrmj4]

Ren's "Sick Boy" song has been removed do to a licensing abuse by the cooperative party, they did something dumb and have to pay a fee and so they looked at the purchaser of the song instrumental track and was like "hey Ren, I want money that was not part of the agreement on buying it... I messed up but I want you to pay or I'm suing you." Ren was confused as hack, and rightfully so. In short, the things people do for money is really dumb nowadays. Ya do stupid things, ya won stupid prizes.

[@pierresakurai4812]

Many physical games now including lots of Switch games on first install requires an "update" when running them with NO option to run offline (some do have he option). This means they are already basically completely non-playable 10 to 20 years from now. Out of my 90 games collection 12 are like that.

[@shanedeanhofmeister-yi1kw]

I have been buying digital games on the Xbox Consoles since 2010, I have currently 1979 digital games in my library with alot of games being backwards compatible, and as long as the games are playable on future hardware then I see no problems with the licenses!

[@EpicCyberGamerPunk]

Another pro to physically games is you don't need an account to play them on PlayStation and Nintendo switch and hopefully in the future there will be a website for the game patches so you can install the patches on to a usb thumb drive for PlayStation

[@HedeccaTamer]

Tbh music's going a similar way. I mean things don't get removed and made unavailable at the same rate, and physical music has only ever been on 3 formats so It's easier to own classics But most of Prince's discography wasn't on streaming for like the longest time, same with The Beatles, It's super weird

[@stofopdenaald132]

I'm only buying games that need NO internet whatsoever, otherwise you'll just end up with a coaster in a couple of years.

[@danielvetencourt7586]

I might be completely wrong here, but 80% of my gamecube, ps1, n64 and wii games dont work anymore because they are either too scratched or just dont want to work anymore. So whats the difference with me not been able to play my physical copy of the game because the hardware doesnt work properly anymore and not been able to play digitally because the game is no longer available?

[@aricruz_]

Yeah 🤷🏻‍♂️ is the same thing Ppl just wanna own the actual game when in reality one way or another something is gonna die out whether it’s the console, game, or digital store. Yeah you can keep your games “forever” but the moment console and/or games dies you can’t play anymore by then digital store will be shutdown and also won’t be sold in stores anymore how are you gonna be able to play that one special game

[@sasuke65743]

@@aricruz_ You turn that into an ISO file (or whatever type of file needed) and emulate it on pc or modified console. It's their final destination if worse comes. BUT if they remove your digital game and block your physical one that still needs to be patched to work, it will be useless. So it's better to backup them when they are still operative.

[@aricruz_]

@@sasuke65743 yeah you right so there’s hope still!

[@RTheu2109]

Physical media mostly stops working when they are left uncared for, if you take good care of the physical games they can last for years and years, while digital media anytime a company can pull the plug.

[@axelfond8317]

Agreed. Physical copies aren't going to last, nor the hardware they are played on That's why emulators exist on phones and PC. Game stores and sellers will hike up their physical price copies and their hardware, which has been happening for a long time now. And it's only going to get worse

[@nutkase6666]

Kept telling everyone that even if you have physical doesn't mean that it still will work!

[@RandoMashemup]

also keep in mind that those game companies enforced their garbage poorly thought-out and trash launchers like rockstar launcher or ubisoft launcher. I have a friend who had gta v on his epic account, has the receipt and everything that he "licensed" the game someone hacked into his epic account and pretty much linked his epic to some unknown rockstar account rockstar support just told him "it's his game now, we won't unlink it" or trying to waste time intentionally making him somehow prove the owner ship of the hacker account. I am not joking they literally just want to close teh ticket. he can't play a game he owns because they are probably looking at it from licensing perspective or something the fact it's locked out even when he owns it on his epic account is INSANE.

[@matthewblankenship7968]

I was quilty of buying few games digital ..but never ever again ..if I can get a physical copy I don’t buy ..if it’s not on physical copy I don’t need to play it ..there loss ..

[@yukihyo7645]

this is why i have always waited or avoided digital as much as humanly possible, i waited for stray, baldurs gate 3, black myth wu kong, i always wait for a physical if there's even a hint of a physical ever existing, and if there isn't, i'll buy it digitally preferably when it's on sale, and if it does get a physical i'll still get that to support physical (i.e core keeper i bought on steam forever ago, but came out physically on console last month because it hit version 1.0, so i got it)

[@jonwalsh5985]

This is your best video, great presentation.