The Video Game Critic

Sut wrote: But it has an air of inevitability about it.

I've posted before I've gone all digital for music and books but as yet I'm not prepared to go digital on games. Although I do feel I may be in a minority outside the mainstream gamers.

Interesting you should bring up books. eBooks had an air of inevitability about them too. Then the market started to speak long term.
http://www.thebookseller.com/news/us-e- ... own-6-2014

http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/ebook-s ... 015/102698

http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2016/aa ... 7-percent/

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/ ... book-sales


Turns out, what I always believed was true: Mot people who bought eBook readers or downloaded the apps weren't (wait for it) readers. People like sut are clearly the minority (i.e. people with ereaders who actually read). Most people with eReaders are likely like the people I know who bought eReaders. People who bought another gadget (like Wii Fit, BowFlex, kitchen gadgets, etc) convinced it would help them "become" something they were not: people who read.

I think the same thing happens in games. As long as you race to the bottom on Steam, iOS, etc. you can sell a lot of digital games. But gamers? Like core, industry driving, money producing gamers? I think the ones who like to buy real media are a bigger part of the real market than we think. Like me and my bookshelf filling bibliophiles have turned out to still be the actual book market.

If Liquidsky goes well, all I really need is an android phone or low end pc and high speed Internet and I can be a pc gamer.

It could be worse. You could have a system that has physical games available for it, but all the games you want are available as digital only. Case in point; PS Vita. I want Tactics Ogre, Xcom and Banner Saga. Other than Hot Shots Golf, which is on a cartridge, those are the only games really appealing to me.

Atarifever wrote: Interesting you should bring up books. eBooks had an air of inevitability about them too. Then the market started to speak long term. Turns out, what I always believed was true: Mot people who bought eBook readers or downloaded the apps weren't (wait for it) readers.

It is interesting. I am a reader, and I have always loved physical books for many reasons, but of interest are how they run a huge spectrum of time because even cheap paperbooks have long outlasted how long they were designed to, and how wonderful browsing books can be. Over the last decade, I've seen many used book sales in my area be discontinued because 'people don't read physical books' anymore'. FInally, I see no reason digital books are so expensive. Think of all the steps and things that go into a book - how much goes to the author. An ebooks should be a fraction of the cost of a physical book, but instead the prices are about the same. I resisted ereaders for some time because of animus at this.

Yet, in the last few years, I found ebooks have many advantages. As my eyesight has diminished, ebooks are easier to read for many reasons. I can carry a small library with me. Amazon always has recommendations for me. Digital bundles have given many fun books. Finally, in a complimentary way to going to used books sales and buying books from decades ago, I now have access to books that would never have been probably never been published before.

I hope physical and digital books find that happy medium. With video games, I am leaning more toward digital. Maybe I am not consistent.

Only way I would buy disc free is a cheaper emulator console or handheld. I don't like the idea of buying a game that is download only that I can't trade or sell down the road.

scotland wrote:

Atarifever wrote: Interesting you should bring up books. eBooks had an air of inevitability about them too. Then the market started to speak long term. Turns out, what I always believed was true: Mot people who bought eBook readers or downloaded the apps weren't (wait for it) readers.

It is interesting. I am a reader, and I have always loved physical books for many reasons, but of interest are how they run a huge spectrum of time because even cheap paperbooks have long outlasted how long they were designed to, and how wonderful browsing books can be. Over the last decade, I've seen many used book sales in my area be discontinued because 'people don't read physical books' anymore'. FInally, I see no reason digital books are so expensive. Think of all the steps and things that go into a book - how much goes to the author. An ebooks should be a fraction of the cost of a physical book, but instead the prices are about the same. I resisted ereaders for some time because of animus at this.

Yet, in the last few years, I found ebooks have many advantages. As my eyesight has diminished, ebooks are easier to read for many reasons. I can carry a small library with me. Amazon always has recommendations for me. Digital bundles have given many fun books. Finally, in a complimentary way to going to used books sales and buying books from decades ago, I now have access to books that would never have been probably never been published before.

The problem (and I don't mean one that completely negates the medium) with digital and recommendations though is what I have heard called "the loss of serendipity." How often did I pick up a book or series because it was the "only" book that looked appealing on the shelf, or was a book I caught out of the corner of my eye while looking for something else. I bought "The Illearth War," "The Scions of Shannara," "Escape from Freedom,"and "Rules for Radicals" in this way, to name a few, and these are books I consider formative to me as a reader, or even as a person. Maybe I would have gotten into Terry Brooks books on recommendations, but I have never had a site direct me to either of the other three books anywhere.

I had a similar history with games. Once, a game ended up played by me because everything else was rented or was too much money. That got me stuff like KickMaster, Kaboki: Quantum Fighter, and Flashback. Now Steam and PSN just try to send me more and more games in my favourite genres. I would never imagine (and neither would a computer) that a mash up of Street Fighter, Castlevania, and Ninja Gaiden would be one of my favourite games. But here I am, with Kickmaster a perennial favourite.

I would buy a disc-free system if it was done right. I need to own all the rights to the file, and be able to port it to a new console if I upgrade. I know this could open the door to pirates, but perhaps they can find a technological way to make it work.

Maybe even give me the ability to sell the games to someone.

Actually... I actually would by a disc-free console but never as a main stream console release. For example, if a console's sole purpose (to me) was meant to emulate previous consoles than I totally would.