The End of Physical Media is Here…what’s next?

The world is changing for games..
#VideoGames #Games #gamestore

[@astroferret4700]

I’m a big supporter of Physical games, buying digital isn’t the same, I took the family out to target shopping and my eldest boy really wanted Super Mario wonder, the look on his face while holding it was so priceless, him in the back seat reading the box, kids won’t have that anymore and I remember as kid doing the same on the way home, reading the back dreaming of how it would be

[@WalletMonkeys]

The push to digital isn't without flaws, they can ban your account at any point in time and you lose access to all your purchases, its all covered by their TOS. I will keep stacking physical games

[@jonathanrainey1984]

As a best buy Supervisor, we had to pull all our games off the floor because of thieves stealing even in security cases. Our store still has an entire aisle dedicated to movies with a new release stand in the front. Physical media will never go fully away, video game companies will lose the older folks like myself If they went fully digital. Love the video dude!!

[@The_Arrowstream]

You must be the only best buy who has a full aisle dedicated to movies then. All best buy stores I've been seeing are similar to this video.

[@russellmania5349]

@@The_Arrowstream It probably depends on the best buy. If physical media is selling well then they aren't going to pull them.

[@redcrimson1028]

Love your comment. You'd be surprised ! they are a lot of us! Going fully digital will hurt the industry more than corporations will admit, regardless of what these new generation kids think. I have no beef with digital games, I actually like how digital is running concurrently along side physical games giving us an option, but I wouldn't it to be one sided, especially on the only digital side. Once video games go digital, that's when I completely stop buying games and consoles. I'm old school, I like owning my Gamez regardless of the space it takes up.

[@redcrimson1028]

​@@The_Arrowstreamlies! I live in Fairfax County VA, and the best buys here still have dvd and bluejays lol games too. I think this guy is right! Once we go into the all digital future, I think people are going to demand physical media more than ever! U never know what u have until its gone.

[@NaughtyJuri]

@@The_Arrowstream Play station users just lost discovery and half their purchases because of digital. The physical market is not going anywhere. It’s just these American companies just wanna push digital and it’s not going to work these companies can’t be trusted especially with censorship on high now

[@TheZerokool187]

I used to work at Toys “R” Us back in 1999 and I remember that there was a separate section just for video games and console with their own check out section . What a great time it was so amazing

[@Berzerk_Fury]

I remember my supervisor from Toys R Us got arrested and later came out to be a sex offender. But yea the job was cool easy few hours low pay but had discounts.

[@michaeledwards1644]

Kaybee Toys and Toys R Us were the best along with Nobody Beats the Wiz

[@reneb5591]

Yes I remember the one in Los Angeles was like that . Good times

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

Yeah they had those tickets where you pay for the game and then go to the back and pick it up.

[@abcamacho6187]

Screw digital media!!

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

Said on KZbin😅😅😅😅

[@abcamacho6187]

@@user-or6yn8pm3c *Said on a The end of Physical Gaming Video on KZbin 😅😅 fixed it for ya

[@Dcf9318]

It’s a real shame honestly. I remember so many memories growing up going to GameStop at midnight with my mom to get the newest release of certain games and how it meant so much more than just a game.

[@CaptainArmada]

I feel you Sometimes the experience is actually more impactful than playing the actual game

[@mgloco88]

A lot of it has to do with customer service now, back then people actually looked you in the eye and cared about what you had to say, currently these kids could care less, they cant wait to finish the conversation so they can look at their phones. I recently went in to a best buy and I felt invisible, granted I dont miss the days where you couldnt walk two feet without an employee asking if you need help, It is just such a different vibe now that you might as well buy online.

[@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965]

$130 for a super nintendo? PASS just download all the roms and play on your PC for free

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

You can get a retro machine with thousands of games. Back then you would need to be Bill Gates to buy all those games.

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

​@@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965Emulators were around since the 90s.

[@haroldnelson3312]

The very first time the internet gets shut down or goes offline for any amount of time people will realize the power of physical media. Plus all the extras you get with physical media can't be beat. There's no soul in these corporations and that's why they are dying.

[@tonyp9313]

That only happens when I have a power outage. When the power goes off so does the tv. So I can't play physical games anyways. There's also power in Digital media as in there is a ton more selection of games, lower prices & you don't have to worry about a game being sold out in stores or through mailing services online like Amazon. I prefer digital, a lot more convenient. I don't have to worry about 100+ games sitting on my shelves not being played. Once I beat a game I delete it off my console for ever. So if they happen to take away those games I beat, it doesn't matter.

[@lifeisyours8250]

​@@tonyp9313So basically you prefer renting as opposed to owning.

[@skyecloud968]

@@lifeisyours8250 He forgets that there is handheld consoles like switch. If there is no internet there is no service and if you bought your games digital well than forget it. If you have generator you can play xbox console and he forgets too if there is a power outage and no internet you can't play games on psn plus too. I couldn't play my games that I bought on sale digital on the xbox one so I stopped buying them and same as for other games that require internet to play. The games I play needs to have SP so if I can't play MP than forget about it.

[@dauntless0711]

⁠@@tonyp9313your internet connection is not the only factor. See the 2011 PSN Outage. 23 days of not being able to download any of the games you bought from the Playstation Store. My disks were extremely useful at that time.

[@ryan2130]

I hope physical media never goes away. There are unique benefits to physical media. A DVD can have cool artwork and DVD doesn't require Internet to play. It's a lot funner looking at a shelf of DVDs than looking at movies on a streaming app.

[@adamw9764]

I feel like big stores doing away with Physical stuff will make smaller stories like this get more customers. I have seen so many horror stories about people going all digital and then not being able to access their content, its heart breaking. I hope to see an influx of business for stories like Rick's and other retro places, need to keep physical media available!

[@donovanbradford8231]

Yes that's started to happen with video games where you buy it but it turns out you just leased it for a couple of years or something.

[@janirobe]

Nobody who is netflixing will ever switch to physical media

[@superj2644]

As far as physical media the only reason it's going away within the next decade. People nowadays prefer digital. The older gen prefers physical. I myself prefer a mix of both.

[@Shuntsalot]

The future is bright for you owning a retro game store.. #neverstopplaying ❤

[@pryan609]

I operated well over a dozen game stores across 5 states for over 20+ years. Due to digital sales killing us, we became a two store operation by early 2020. I stepped away in January of 2023 because the money was no longer there. With myself, that made 4 partners and employees to pay. I just couldn't justify it. I left, created my own new business removed from gaming, and have a new day job until I can turn my my new business into something full time. It's crazy though, that almost overnight, I went from being a big account that traveled to E3 and other places to have face to face meetings to plan for midnight launches and even negotiate pre-order bonuses. I remember leaving E3 2019 knowing it would be our last year attending because we were hit so hard and shrinking in size. Who knew the industry would change so much that in just a short period of time that that would even be the last in-person E3. Wild wild times indeed.

[@BravoFan89]

I think the future for local game shops is to start offering modding services or repair services. As a retro gamer, I want to make sure that my systems will last even longer and look real good.Local games stores can add a lot by offering RGB mods to older consoles, for example. Then again, that’s more overhead and cost. But it might be something to consider as physical games and systems starts to dwindle even more. Support your local game store!

[@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965]

i want to know from you guys in the comments below, how should i run my failing business in a world where you can just download for free nintendo, SNES, genesis etc games on your PC ?

[@bobbyb9907]

This is a good idea as another sales channel to add to Rick's offerings. Would have to be careful how this would work as it could be costly. I would say follow the Apple and that other youtube flipper by having staff trained on basic repairs so that they can do that when the store is quite or alternate between roles in the shop.

[@russellmania5349]

@@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965 Maybe sell Xbox 360 and PS3 games. The emulators for those consoles aren't that good and requires you to have powerful hardware to emulate those games. Maybe offer repair services for their consoles. If you have the expertise you can offer services such as Jailbreaking game consoles like the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Switch, and PS4. I'm sure people would pay good money to have someone jail break their consoles for them.

[@advanceddarkness3]

@@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965 Nostalgia is a weird one, sure these games were fun when i was 10 in 1987, but replaying them as an adult I can only manage 15 minutes before nostalgia wears off and I realize how boring they are. Thats why I just use ROMS for my yearly 15 minute cravings of retro gaming.

[@parsonk4041]

​@@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965you can download those games since over 20 years. What you see now is the that world.

[@Zeiretto]

It's crazy to me that the number one reason for people to go full digital, is convenience. That's it. Like yeah, physical games take up space. But they're beautiful. They have some nice boxart, sometimes a manual or other cool little extra's. You actually get an item you can hold and look at and think, yeah that's cool. You can resell, trade, etc. But I guess popping in a disc or a cartridge is too hard for people nowadays. We're getting lazy and spoiled. And digital's so bad because the games are often more expensive and stay that way too. Basically you're just renting a license from big corporations. And they can take it away from you whenever they want. "You will own nothing and be happy". Yeah.. the future's bleak.

[@Bubblebunzz]

Your 1000% wrong its not convenience... Its price. The fact that everything is digital now makes everything including the old stuff mostly. Its going to make it insanely expensive. It has been for years. Not to mention the youtubers who make all of this stuff insanely over priced. Obviously its not only youtubers but it does push pricing a crazy amount insanely fast.

[@Bubblebunzz]

P.S. Me saying 1000% wrong is dumb. Its obviously 60% convenience but I guess in my world/opinion it has nothing to do with convenience.

[@tonyp9313]

Yup I go digital because it's a lot more convenient. I play over 100 games now, where am I going to put them all? I am not going to buy extra shelves to put my games on them just to look at them lol. Besides I have retro games on my shelves. I don't care if they take all my digital PS4 games away from me. I only beat them once. I never play them again after that.

[@tonydan7749]

Y'all funny thinking digital is cheaper. You can only buy it from one source vs physical you can buy it new or used from many different places.

[@tonydan7749]

Also it's convenient but not by much. If you don't want to go to the store, just have it shipped to your house. Also the biggest thing is resale value. You can't sell digital copies. If I buy a 100 digital games at 60 a pop that money is gone. If I buy 100 physical games at 60 a pop, I can at least recoup some of the cost if I want to sell

[@buckdancer421]

Best Buy should just call it a day already. Utterly depressing the last few times I've wandered into one. You guys will be fine Rick because you offer a unique service and experience, in a market with a pretty high demand and low supply!

[@seanf12012]

I think it's going to be a big mistake going digital only. Especially when u can get the disc cheaper the the digital games.

[@sethlawver5789]

I've been a corporate game Store manager for the last 7 years and have watched the effect the digital transition has taken on the business and closely observed the reactions the corporate front has taken to the shift. It definitely feels tenetive at best and like the further into the digital front we go the more we move away from gaming and more into looking for more general pop culture outlets to generate profit.

[@LUMBEEPHENOM2012]

This will make the physical games jump up in value so much. They truly will become an investment

[@TokyoACR]

Yes. If newer/future consoles become digital only, it will not only be the end for physical games but physical games will sky rocket in value.

[@theomattis9265]

I can only hope 🙏

[@austindeweese8078]

This isn’t true. The supply and demand will literally stay the same as right now. And the new generation will not want to collect physical games, because they didn’t grow up with physical games.

[@TokyoACR]

@austindeweese8078 this will only be true if consoles become digital only. As of right now, physical games do still exist for the alpha generation.

[@BogusNoise]

I was thinking that... buy up as many of the last few waves of physical media releases you can. They'll be scarce, and in a decade a revival of the era could make them skyrocket... That or you'll end up like the Sneak King guy.

[@catserver8577]

They've been saying that for decades. Every time there is any new tech, people are convinced it's all over for physical items. You just have to wait for the next group of nostalgic people to have disposable income.

[@GomuRoux]

Digital was never as pushed as now, specially with digital only console being sold. Very curious to see what’s next gen will be, wouldn’t be surprised to see only digital 🤷‍♀️

[@joshstephens413]

@@GomuRoux And that is where I stop buying new games. I may pirate them but I will never buy them.

[@28Vandals]

There’s a more malicious intent that it seems noones realizing with this digital doomsday. They can remove any and everything you own at the click of a mouse. No matter if you own it or not. It’s already been done to people before

[@jetman80pops]

Yeah but now everything is digital so there's a difference from decades ago. I believe the number last year of games but digitally was like something just under 90%. New physical media is dying and been dying. What is the point of going out buying a new game only to download it anyway?

[@HoLeeFuk317]

Future generations won't have nostalgia when everything is going digital.

[@user-dg7st6io1c]

I believe that the end of physical medias in the video game industry will also be it's downfall....and maybe it's resurrection as they will be thirsty for money. I am on a lot of groups of "fans" over the internet and 80% of us are very saddened with the situation. WE are the people who bought the overpriced collector edition just for that sweet "extra" And now they tell me that "digital ultimate edition" that I cannot touch or put in my collection is the future? Well modern gaming will have to do without me ... without a lot of us.... and our money.

[@joshuawhite3901]

It aggravates me that digital media is cheaper to distribute but they charge the same price, then when I'm done playing a game I can't trade it in or sell it. Win win for the video game company and the gamers lose big time.

[@lordcheesus1013]

Eh. People said books and vinyl would permanently die off too, yet both of those media forms are seeing a resurgence in popularity and collecting. It seems to come and go in cycles. Really, physical media will never truly "die off" as corporations like to hope it will because it'll always be around until it's all destroyed and thrown out. Luckily, you've got a crap-ton of collectors of all shapes and sizes all around the world that help in the mission to preserve physical media and the culture that comes with it. Yeah, it sucks that "new" games and movies/shows won't have physical disks/whatever, but the old stuff will always be around if you want to look for it. The only caveat to that is as time goes on, the financial value on physical media collections are gonna sky-rocket. That's why I'm keeping a very firm grip on my collection and treating it like it's gold and keeping it well preserved. It won't be long now until collections like mine are both a financial and cultural gold mines.

[@grumpywolfgaming]

The difference is optical drives are being removed and we are forced to go digital. When was the last time you saw a optical drive on a pc? Everything is steam, that ship has sailed. MS and Sony are trying to remove optical drives from consoles.

[@tgo007]

books is a bad comparison because there's a big difference between reading a book and a pdf ebook. Vinyl is a better comparison since there's very little difference in experience. It is super niche tho. Incredibly small market. I would say vinyl is as good as dead.

[@KyleReeseCel2029]

In the future most likely no one will care about most of this stuff. At best some investors will want to trade the holy grails like the do comics.

[@Alien_isolationist]

​@@KyleReeseCel2029there are many collectors & people who prefer physical. In the tens of millions in fact. Games are like their own stockmarket eco system, with a fluctuating value for each game based on rarity & supply & demand. Take The Last of Us 2 for example. It was 20 bucks all day, now it's 40 since it has that ps5 upgrade everyone wants to play.

[@therealjaystone2344]

Hard covered books still exist when cheaper made books were made in the 50s

[@jonathanchancey3908]

Theft in stores are on the rise, so going digital saves the stores a ton of $. I hate it, but this is just the way stores have to adapt in order to survive.

[@ChampionOfSkyrim]

Shrink is actually still below pre-covid levels at this point. A lot of these companies have been lying about how bad the shrink issue is to protect their share prices, using it as an excuse to close underperforming stores without shaking investor confidence

[@TodokanaiKoi]

Theft is not a reason for such a drastic change lmao

[@TariqKhan-ew8qk]

It's also great for the game creators and companies cause they don't have to spend money on making physical copies they will save ... just give the download link and a code and still charge the top $$$ without paying to manufacture a physical product. And for the consumer they will never get to trade it , sell it or give it someone when they don't want the game anymore. Only option is delete it. That's like a robbery for the consumer spending top $$$ and not getting a physical product to own

[@chadthackston1992]

Toys R Us used to have slips of paper under the empty game box. You'd take that up to the register and they'd pull the game from a glass case behind the counter. This was in the early 90's.

[@PastorBrad83]

Crazy to think about how far we've come, I used to work for funcoland and electronics boutique back in the day, and your store seems to do the best job bringing those fond memories back as I watch, keep up the great work! Also how do we get a sticker, those are rad!

[@Schwarzwald83]

Well I know the big box retailers are pushing out physical...I think the small stores need to do a coop to keep physical media alive, used and new games. Be the solution, Rick!

[@corycg9624]

The problem is it will all eventually be obsolete it’s just the change of times

[@TheReflectiveCoachPodcast]

You're absolutely spot on - what a horrible store you went to, in terms of experience. A corporate, bland experience. As soon as you flipped back, just being in your store room the excitement of toys, the retro consoles, the games, everything about your store captures what a true gamer wants. Even if you don't have a true gamer essentially and more of a casual, your store offers so many throwbacks. Even the signs above the games i.e. Nintendo that in itself is so cool and I loved that and I know many others will too! I believe you're in a great place, as long as you keep doing what you're doing and offering what you have. We don't have enough here in the UK of what you do - but those conventions, the store, the products, wow what an experience. I'm immersed into your channel and videos because of the throwback and style. Keep it coming on a storefront and platform as you can really keep the life alive!

[@colemileafplaysfighters6080]

100

[@grantt4532]

I think it goes without saying that the game companies would love nothing more than to go digital only. Think how much more money they will make when you can't buy pre-owned games on eBay, or whatnot, or in a used game store. Sony is currently going through a lawsuit for monopolizing their digital games

[@CountDracula2727]

they also removed peoples digital games and movies and said you dont own the item if you buy it digital so im good with physical stuff wont ever be digitial

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@CountDracula2727and most people don’t care 15 years later when all of their stuff are gone because they don’t need it

[@thepuppetmaster9284]

@@CountDracula2727 No they didn't removing digital games and the movies you're talking about are own by Discovery / WB which Sony already made a new deal with WB that those movies gonna stay on PS Store.

[@DangerousDevilOfficial]

I will literally have no reason to ever go into Best Buy again… The days I used to go there on Black Friday and load up on DVDs and Blu Rays. And even CDs. I would spent $300-$400 on media because it was all on sale. And it was so fun to go shopping at those times. Also going to the rental stores like Blockbuster and local chains. That’s an entirely whole other topic. My kids were little and we just made a fun experience of it all. Now? I buy nearly all of my media online, because it’s nearly nonexistent in store. Definitely a different world. And I think one less rich in experiences to be honest…. ☹️☹️☹️

[@bugnokumaguy]

Maybe pivot to being an all around physical multimedia store? Our local shop in town does this with games, cd, DVD, vhs and even older media and they are a very busy place. This might become big for consumers to have a place to still buy their stuff instead of "rent" or "license" it out

[@derrickrepko1670]

I think retro stores are going to charge even more outrageous prices then they all ready are!

[@Security848]

retro prices are dropping on most things not going up

[@therealjaystone2344]

Small businesses are going away too

[@cc8328]

I realized this in the mid-2000s when iPods were introduced. I think it is a large factor in why I want to search for physical copies over the digital. I try my best to not feed into the digital trends but I feel like the resale market is a little....unfair at times with pricing. One of the largest reasons I follow Retro Rick is that he believes in the physical media. Can't wait for next October in Conway! I;ve never been to Arkansas

[@therealjaystone2344]

Companies have been losing to pirates for decades

[@janirobe]

No they haven't. Piracy doesn't spread like it used to. It used to be that like 1/5 people got their PS1 modded to play burnt games. That doesnt exist today. Once a pirate, always a pirate. Once you become a physical hoarder or collected... You stay that way. Once you switch to digital you never go back. There is only one funnel movement in those three points

[@lchiu003]

I personally will always try to keep physical media for the things that I really like. When the internet goes out and i lose all of my streaming services and games, i am glad i still have the discs and old games to play.

[@triplelindys]

Take a note from Record Stores. They serve a niche audience in a world where the digital forms of their category is all about streaming. I love going to my local record store, I look forward to it just like I was a kid again.

[@Blazemanau]

Digital has proven already its not the way forward, its failed multiple times its dependant on your internet connections Australia where i live disney has already cut us off from physical releases, The big corporations are the issue pushing this, fact is there money talks and their money controls everything. Its why i love seeing you and your store because you have a heart and truly love what you do there will always be a spot for a shop like yours as the key difference is experience just seeing videos of Game point makes me want to gly to the US to visit the nostalgia the amount of time I'd get lost in the shelves looking. I barely shop the big corporations stores now there hollow abd suck the life out even if i need clothes Experience is huge keep that going niche is good the niche market will eb N flow but corporate will die a grey death, think they need a visit frim three Christmas spirits😂

[@kzzbtt]

What physical releases haven’t we got in Aus?

[@xmelseru]

I also own a video game store. I spend a lot of time thinking about this issue. I think the future for stores like us will be rough. I am personally shifting my business more towards accessories and merchandise since about a year now, just to make sure i can survive in the long term, but I am seriously considering getting out of the business in a few years to start something else

[@xianning]

I really miss the physical stuff. When I buy electronics, I hope to get an item. Hoping it will retain at least parts of its value if I want to resell it later. With digital you're pretty much stuck with it.

[@MotorCityMeltdown]

your store will become more and more valuable over time when digital media takes over. I have made it a mission to add more physical media, specifically DVDs with the announcement coming. I don't want to be cornered on the application market on our TVs with not every Movie available. I will keep collecting to the point where I can watch and play what I want....nostalgia has a market..always.

[@mickeylikecrazyy]

I understand why. I mainly play PC games so most of my games are purchased through Steam, so all digital. But there is something special about a physical copy obviously. Like all my PS4 games and Switch games I have bought physical because they are just more cool. Even for PC games like World of Warcraft, I miss the old big boxes. So while it is sad to see it go, it kinda does make sense. It is just more convenient. It sucks from a collectors point of view. What will collecting be like in the future for these consoles? Will it even exist in any way? That is the important stuff imo.

[@juicybear1986]

I won't stop collecting until the day I die. I hope many others feel this same way. But I think this is the natural progression of media in general.

[@killerspee08]

My man

[@tonycisbetterthanu]

I’m an electrical contractor and we do the Best Buy’s, 4-6 months ago those 8 feet sections per console were 24 feet long. So they started this process of eliminating already.

[@IowaRetroGamerDad]

Now is the time to hit up some of those retail stores. They gonna stop selling these games and probably gonna do a sale or clearance them.

[@alexhampson9684]

I think physical media may turn into what vinyls are to music - specifically… numbered variants (not gigantic special edition boxes) which will then also bring buyers to originals. There will always be consumers that only care about convenience, but I actually think this move for big box stores to get rid of physical media (printing to excess demand) will actually weirdly enough grow the hobby.

[@BlasphemousMusic]

I'm sad but there will be more places like limited run I believe. However, 5 years from now a retro game store will survive without physical media but 10 and 20 down the road I don't know. You won't have the games anymore that come out today and become classic down the road.

[@therealjaystone2344]

LRG is still shady

[@BlasphemousMusic]

@@therealjaystone2344I dont disagree but many new companies are forming and doing it

[@JWUniverse]

The way Technology is today I would have thought the first thing that would have been Gone was Digital Cameras since our Phones and Tablets have better cameras on them. Physical Media being gone is just another way of me saying goodbye to movies. Because I will never buy them Digitally nor Games. So this will be my final Generation of Gaming. Going back to collect Old School Games back when they were complete out of the box no updates or anything! Take me back 27 years to when I was 10 and got my PS1 with Die Hard Trilogy. I look for stores just like yours nowadays I found 3 here in California! Great video Guys.

[@quandaildingo1278]

I don't think the move away from physical media is going to happen anytime soon. Maybe as a more regional retailer decision, but this would drastically limit customer reach and ability to scale technology. This is due to digital gaming's dependency on high-speed internet. Although high-speed internet is becoming more accessible, it's still limited in rural areas, and the increasing download times will continue to diminish the excitement of gaming. I will say that seeing my nephew set up his new XBOX was not that thrilling when he spent the first couple hours downloading his first game.

[@pnvgordinho]

Digital will only win if we let it win. Im glad that there are companies that release digital games in physical media. And Im also glad that there are still people out there that make games for the older systems.

[@HoLeeFuk317]

Digital is definitely winning. There probably will be limited physical media available for a while yet but it's definitely dying.

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@HoLeeFuk317until the internet stops

[@decsnspace]

Keep on selling physical media and pushing it as a valid product. I applaud what you guys are doing. Similarly to video games, the vinyl record industry also died in the early 90s and despite streaming music taking hold, phyical vinyl sales has found a way to come back massively in recent years. Physical media is huge and will always be so. These big corporate sellers are a complete joke trying to push digital only sales when consumers demand to have a physical product so Imo their approach is completely flawed. If these big corporations refuse to sell physical media, then buyers must speak up with their wallets and find other viable options where a demand for physical media still thrives. There has got to be a push back. Consumers need to show they are boss and not bow down to this digital only push.

[@therealjaystone2344]

You forget about cassettes too

[@tranquilitybase72701]

IMHO Best Buy’s leadership has no clue how to run a brick-and-mortar business in 2023. I used to spend so much time and money at Best Buy when they sold music, movies, video games, and electronics. It was the experience of browsing, discovering, and touching products that made it worth the visit. It was also a social experience.

[@ZeroXMarquis]

Keep doing what you're doing, just have an exit strategy when it's time to close down (and be willing to accept it). Something you can do: Start offering more experiences. You have a lot of space, so maybe consider running some local tournaments/arcade section.

[@JDOPost]

As a business analyst you’re playing it well. Your business sells to be people looking for a nostalgia hit and collectors. Then you’re using the internet (what’s killing physical gaming), to promote the business. It’s kind of best of both worlds. I see a couple potential issues: 1. You don’t want to continue to increase inventory, if it’s not selling. Eventually when the money runs dry, you could have a serious cash flow problem. 2. The economy. If the economy tanks, people will spend less on these types of items. This is not just specific to your business, but a majority of businesses in the country. I would imagine revenues could drop 50% depending on how bad it gets. That’s a crystal ball scenario though, bc we can’t see what will happen in the future. My advice: Take as much as money as you can from this cash cow and save it for a rainy day.

[@wantsome-zs5sq]

No physical no buy. I need something in my hands when I spend my money. My most anticipated game is Metroid Prime 4. If there's no physical I guess I'm done with modern games.

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

Dont use Netflix???

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

Its called software for a reason if it can be stored on your console or a cloud you can use it wherever and whenever you like.

[@wantsome-zs5sq]

@@user-or6yn8pm3c Rarely I've only used Netflix 2 or 3 times. I've never paid for it.

[@wantsome-zs5sq]

@@user-or6yn8pm3c I went digital with my music back in the early 2000's. I regretted getting rid of all my CD's. I started buying CD's again about 5 years ago. I'm all phsyical CD's DVD's Blu Ray's Games. I refuse to buy anything digital.

[@NewtypeChild6]

My closest Bestbuy was pretty stacked with video games still. Might be certain locations it was one of the nicer areas but the movie media section was very limited and was just store big box items in the aisle while you gotta maneuver and grab any more behind em.

[@chriscjongeneelen2960]

This is sad, because there won’t be hard copies of games or videos because my late parents used to always say to me “ get what you can “ because as they said “when one good solar blast causes the internet goes down via EMP the digital media is gone for months,maybe years again, so why and what good would such an dumb idea cost those who are thinking like that big of dummy “….!? So I can see that one day happening if they go to this kind of action of phasing out physical media more so then ever before in the near future …my late parents said “ all it would take is one good blast from the Sun itself , yep just one good blast “…( solar eruption) …. This is because if that happened the digital media stuff would be the last thing to get fixed they’d ( the governments of the world) would work on the other staple services and devices first…. This is because in the best case scenario of such an event , that everything is reset like new ie. only your save data is gone and everything with the device is set to default system reset option settings, and that’s why digital media would be the hardest to fix for most governments tech experts wise, the other stuff wouldn’t be as hard today as it may have been 20 years ago…

[@JustinRich-zn3gz]

If anything the big stores stopping physical media theoretically should help stores like yours out.

[@TodokanaiKoi]

Dedicated video games shops will be the only place you can get physical games now since big box companies are starting to pull out. A definite win for sure.

[@Arcadehollywood]

Great video Rick! Long time gamer, music lover, movie collector…there is nothing better than having the physical media. Interesting times.

[@ChampionOfSkyrim]

I think physical is going to become a niche product for enthusiasts. We've seen the final tier of physical music media (CDs), then film (Blu-Rays). There won't ever be anything past these formats. I think the next generation will be the last "jump" and at that point we're going to see mostly or all digital, but we may be seeing a console generation last 10+ years. So I think new physical games will still come out but only for enthusiasts of physical media. I think the new wave of new releases for old consoles will end up giving us physical media for years to come.

[@NsaneHOG]

Today KZbin had shown me the video of your 1st day of opening. Watched it, loved it. I check KZbin after dinner and family time and it this pops up! Good thing too because i forgot to SUBSCRIBE earlier :D Love the store!

[@josephlbradford]

Good night man, all the fun is leaving dang it. I start to feel bad having all this physical media and then I see stuff like this and it makes me want to be a mega hoarder lol. I appreciate what you do and if anything you will have a store catering to the love of nostalgia and physical media that we can all make the pilgrimage to!

[@lewistaru]

I think physical versions of modern games are going to become super valuable in the end…. I’ve been leaning heavily into downloads as it’s way too convenient (especially when you have to download the physical copy anyway) but I’m gonna try and horde the physicals now I think.

[@LatinLector]

Anytime I can get my hands on physical media that’s the way I go. I also rarely get games on release day. I’ll pick them up years later since like you said, the prices drop significantly.

[@henryblazer20]

Was in there and your Mario Bros cabinet is on a setting where the first level only shoots a fireball endlessly and you can’t finish the level

[@kb6530]

They will simply stop supporting your download and you will own nothing , digital is owning nothing.

[@snackpack1739]

I currently work at Best Buy, and I think the timing of when you went to the store was just bad luck. The week before Xmas we had similar situation going on with our shelves. Every physical video game we got in sold out very quickly. At one point we had almost 200 copies of Mario Wonder in stock, and in less than a week they were all sold. We still currently have a full isle of blu-rays as well as a new release stand, but unfortunately we aren't receiving much in the movie department. Love the videos!!!

[@osareme2462]

This is the reason why everyone is collecting the games they want now

[@ynotbdifferent1]

Rick ! Finally in the first few comments ! Hope you had a great Christmas and everyone else as well ! Letting it play now , another good one so far !

[@RetroGamerBoy]

Physical media is in its twilight years. It's a sad fact, but industries need to innovate and move forward. But just like vinyl records, gaming media will live on in specialist stores and in communities.

[@FloodXL]

We used to have a store called Zappers in Buffalo when I was a kid. They had the consoles setup to be able to play, and you could try games there. It was a game rental store. It was the only place you could rent Gameboy and Gamegear games around here too. Something to consider...

[@Travels-GardeningwithDJ-1990]

I've been hearing this over and over I've talked to people at Walmart Target and GameStop where I live and they say that they don't think that physical media will go away anytime soon they are always getting new copies of stuff all the time at those stores

[@js6131979]

I got a STEAM TRUNK full of DVD'S and BLU RAY'S! Even more DISCS GAMES for RETRO and NEXT GEN CONSOLES. And I still plan to BUY MORE!

[@yosoyunjeef1027]

I think stores like yours are set up for continued success with physical media. Obviously big box stores will stop selling it as the profit margins decrease, but there will always be a least a small demand for new physical games and a large demand for retro ones. With this you will be able to capture both markets as people stop relying on target and Walmart to carry games they might start to head straight to you guys for any new releases and possibly pick up old favorites while they’re there. This is the way it seems to be for record shops that still exist, they carry mostly vintage but will still have a section for new releases and they have turned themselves into way better options than Walmart for purchasing records even though Walmart does carry the new releases now. Block street records up in Fayetteville is a good example I think.

[@SuperNomnomcat]

I hate digital, I want to own my games and be able to trade them in or hold on to them for memories. I’m tired of paying for 20 subscription services. They will have to pry my physical games out of my cold dead hands.

[@sharpiemuscles]

Rick the real question is not what you think about physical media going out, but what do you think the prices will be for used games once physical media disappears from retail stores? I would hope that there are shops that would have decent prices vs it going up drastically. Like every generation of consoles eventually companies will stop making games for previous gen consoles and focus more on the new consoles, but used games are still pretty decent.

[@fortysixteruk5672]

The first big console company that releases a digital console ONLY with no other console to play physical media on and expects ME to go digital only can go to hell. I'll invest in a beast of a pc with a few really big hard drives and simply raise those sails when it happens.

[@pwcorgi2000]

Anyone who supports Digital Only should face heavy repercussions.

[@deinioljones3636]

You could have a ‘not on streaming’ section for VHS/DVDs/Blu Rays. The amount of Disney films not on Disney+ for example is staggering. You could even, for that true nostalgia hit, rent them out…!

[@AutobotWheeljack]

It’s going to suck if we loose physical media

[@danielbedgood8248]

honestly for the physical media thats already ben produced it will only go up in value if we get into full digital entertainment. i personally will only purchase physical media so i have the ability to trade/sell when im done with it. love the content and your store. stores like yours are still keeping the hands on experiences for the new generation as well as us 80’s/90’s guys to relive those experiences. so props to you guys for keep this niche market available to us. new media lacking the hands on experience will crash in due time🤙🏻💪🏼❤

[@pwcorgi2000]

A game has to be $30 or less before I even consider buying a game digitally. I'm not paying out $31 or more.

[@Simoss13]

The way the internet has been used, has got to be the worst invention for mankind

[@Koval_71_chuk]

Gotta chime in again while I’m watching this, if bestbuy, say target, Walmart, isn’t carrying physical…can physical still be bought online, wether it’s bestbuy, target, Walmart or Ricks?

[@johnpenguinthe3rd13]

I'm thinking that by 2026 or 2027, the ONLY games that will be getting physical copies will be the big budget AAA games (EX: Spider-man 3, the third and final Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth / Remake , etc) and the games featuring iconic franchises (EX: Super Mario, Zelda, etc). Those are the games that NEED to be seen in public stores (especially the expensive big budget games, that's extra publicity to be seen on store shelves). However, 99% of games in the mid-tier (EX: Alan Wake 2 being a current example) will be digital only and 90% of low-tier indie games will be digital only (with only 10% getting physical releases, but through those limited run companies that sell primarily online through their stores like Limited Run games, Strictly Limited, and all the others like them). The same will apply to movies. The expensive big budget movies will still get physicals (like 2026's Avengers: Secret Wars) since they need to be seen in the public as much as possible. But all the mid-tier budget movies and the vast majority of the low-tier budget movies will be digital only (exceptions being niche low-tier budget movies that will have some small company release a limited amount of physical copies for collectible purposes).

[@jadahe2702]

I think vinyl record sales are a good example. People still want to own things. Now which company will be smart enough to keep a physical option available? My guess is Nintendo. They are predominantly a game company.

[@nattmoland5346]

I saw the other day our local video store is done as well. Was amazed it hung in this long. I am going to keep looking for and continue to buy my favorite DVDs NES and even a few VHS. There are ao many good movies that are gone from streaming. People just need to demand it coming back

[@NCSUWolfpacker2010]

When was this filmed? During the holidays after the main BF rush? My local Best Buy still has a pretty big media area. The switch section is pretty large. Even the movie section was big when I went on Black Friday, surprisingly since I know that’s specifically what they are getting rid of. I have started to double down on physical media myself. And even in that insomniac leak it looks like Sony still does like 60% sales on physical media. I think it’s easier for stores to just sell them online versus stocking in the store maybe?

[@78zappaf]

I hate downloads. Love buying games, but hate when the updates are huge. The Best Buys in my area were gone months ago.I also noticed that some stores, even Dollar stores removed the music in their stores. It's amazing how people notice the dead air in the stores. I'm glad your store exists, but sad that these stores don't exist here.

[@SnakePlissken224]

I remember when best buy had a quarter of the store set aside for dvds, another quarter for video games, a third quarter for cds and the last quarter was tvs

[@Mrx7tloma]

I feel like it depends on locations. All of the stores I go to have plenty of games in stock

[@Dancer182014]

I think there is always going to be some physical games. Personally I really only get physical games unless it’s on steam. I work at a used game store myself and so many people still love physical games so even if the big stores stop selling them in store I think they’ll still be available to order physical copies online at least I hope so (for new gen) retro gaming will most definitely be kept up by us who have used game stores

[@janirobe]

You saying that about steam shows exactly where this is heading. They stopped selling physical PC games in stores and then game companies stopped making it all together. That's the next step. Only chance is if amazon does something to keep it alive

[@mathewkolakwsk]

In 10-15 years, video game stores will be very much like today’s antique shops - extremely niche and much more spread out. You guys should look to hire people that can repair old consoles, 3D print parts, and maintain older machines like SNES/Genesis through to PS3 (somewhere around there). I might even consider expanding to other physical products like Lego. The model is for corporations to get us subscribing to everything (become renters, not owners) - but some people will still want to own things (*how many people remains to be seen…)

[@PixelRealms]

It's so odd for me to see so many videos of different people around the country showing empty video game sections at their stores. I work for Nabisco as a merchandiser, and so I go to a lot of different Wal-Marts here in Missouri. Every single one of them has mostly, if not fully, stocked video game, and DVD/Blu Ray sections. Maybe that's because no one is buying them?

[@matthewgreen3101]

Keep going rik and co. Your shop looks awesome. Your right, It is all about the experience. Games will be rarer in the future.

[@onetruegamer]

glad the videos are up to date now

[@alexandrevigneault2155]

Rick is right. The price of video games are increasing every years by around 1-3% per year. I remember that Western Digital or in french version Solution Digital are planning to make a new Campaign to make old video game with better color, save setting and on the go!!!

[@NinjaKittyAsh]

It’s sad to see the changes happening in physical media one of my favorite past times was going to the shops with my parents and literally spending the whole time reading boxes for new movies and video games. Even if it was like every week with no new releases 😂

[@8-BitHero]

Most Best Buy stores that have empty shelves are due to the fact, that alot of the games are behind the counter up front. Some stores have game cages at the front of the store. I do agree that having empty shelves really sends the wrong message.

[@derekw83]

My local Best Buy is fully stocked with games and has all the newest released games. Same with target Walmart ect.

[@BananaGeekLord]

At this point I have more or less stopped with physical media for a lot of things. I tried to hold on, but as far as games go, I just buy Switch games. As we can see in the video, its so hard to find a lot of stuff for other consoles. Theres still GameStop, but even their game selection has dropped over the years. The best I have is our local retro game store, who does sell newer games, but for the PS5 its still not a huge selection. I mostly still go for Switch games because their selection for that is pretty large. Bigger than some other consoles. But if it wasnt for that, at this point I would likely have given up. I just dont feel like spending this much time having to hunt down each and every individual game. It sucks, but at this point its where the market is heading, and it will only go deeper and deeper into digital only. EDIT: Also, I dont think that it helps that more and more of us are living in apartments. I dont have the room for all the games, movies, CDs, books, and comics I want. Most people I know who collect physical media collect maybe 2 of those, and the rest just need to be digital. Like I love reading, but having moved a lot over the years, thats just a ton of heavy books to move. Many of which i will never read again. So at this point I am just moving on. I will collect for the Switch, but this might be the last new console I buy physical games for.

[@ZacharyGalloway]

I just grabbed a few of those heavy hitters Pokémon boxes today while out of town for work. We really missed out on the box before the current update a few months ago that had Evolving skies, Chilling reign and fusion strike packs for the same price. I'm not a member but lucky one of the guys working for me was a local and let me use his. I grabbed 4 for myself but boy they take up a lot of space for a sealed collection.

[@PikachuLover0927]

I think it’s extremely sad to see physical media dying out. I prefer to see, feel and funny enough smell the new games and movies whenever they are opened and it’s starting to seem like that is going away. And what I’m afraid of is like what is happening to the 3DS and Wii U. The Eshop shut down and now all of the games digitally are gone. If we are going to the digital only era, all the games you want to buy will now have a time bomb attached to them and if the digital shops shut down at any point or the games get removed, they are completely gone forever. I had a friend that bought something on their ps4 and for some reason, it was gone. It was completely deleted when they didn’t delete it and they had to buy it again so even if you buy the games there are a chance that you could lose it

[@JoeNayDoh]

Even when buying physical games I do most of my shopping online. Funny thing is I still go to Best Buy or Target to buy my games. GameStop likes to sell you a "new" game that isn't even sealed (sometimes in a generic case) and Amazon goes through so many 3rd party sellers now even for New games I've gotten a couple European released games despite the listing being the North American version. Honestly you can say to keep on buying physical media, but it doesn't even seem like anybody wants to sell it anymore outside of the Mom & Pop shops

[@RetroX-uu6cq]

I can never get out that way since I live in upstate New York. Lol but the day you guys open up a online store. I will be there.