Digital Games vs. Physical Games

If you are a 90s kid or a Gen Z, you probably remember those days when we played games on our small PSPs. The small discs and their covers were everything a kid used to ask for. However, as digital games take over the mainstream gaming industry, let’s figure out whether it’s for the better. Digital and physical games have pros and cons; it totally depends on you and your preferences. However, let’s discover which one works better and is more accepted in this blog on Digital Games vs. Physical Games. 

Why Physical Copies? 

While it is true that physical copies of games are collapsing in the industry and production has gone down, they still have a lot of benefits that can’t be overlooked. Physical copies are not for everyone, but they do have their own fan base. Let’s discuss scenarios where physical copies are useful and better than digital ones. 

• Sharing with Friends: If you invest in a physical copy of the games, you can lend them to your friends. You can also borrow from your friends and play a game that you don’t want to buy. Physical copies of games have built a strong community that has supported them since their inception. They are the right choice for you if you do not want to spend endless amounts of money on digital copies of games. 

• Save Space on Your Device: When you buy digital games, they fill up your library quicker than physical games do. If you want to save space on your device and not fill it up with endless games you might not use later, going for a physical copy is the way to go. You would need to spend more money on hard drives if you do not believe in physical copies. 

• Make Money with them: Physical copies slow down the process of purchasing a game and make you think more about your choice. After you are done with the game and don’t wish to play it anymore, you can sell it and earn some money back. In this time and age, vintage things are highly rewarded. So, if you are a collector, you can sell your older games and earn more money than you spent on them. 

The Pros

Physical Copies have declined in popularity for a good reason, but let’s consider some pros to owning a physical copy of a game rather than digital copies. 

1. Long-Term Ownership: Physical games allow for long-term ownership. You can access games even if they have gone out of production. Long-term ownership is also better because you can access them even if the developer or provider leaves the business. You will lose your digital game library once the provider goes out of business. 

2. Saving Money while Purchasing: There are many offers when you purchase physical copies of games. You can also buy pre-loved games, saving you even more than digital games. You will end up enjoying and loving the game longer than you do digital games. 

3. Faster Installation: Physical games install faster than digital ones. If you are impatient like me, go for these. Physical games also give a better gameplay experience because they are quicker to load once installed on the console.

4. Playing without the Internet: We all know that sometimes the Internet betrays us, and the servers are just going through it. While this might be frustrating, physical copies aren’t afraid of this. Having physical copies enables you to play the game without having the internet. 

The Drawbacks 

Everything has its drawbacks, just like physical games. If you need clarification on switching from digital to physical, check out the following disadvantages. If these don’t sway you, you have your answer. 

1. Damage to the Disk: If you are into physical games, you know the pain of damaging your disk. If there is even a scratch on the disks, it can affect your gaming experience a lot. If you don’t think having physical copies of games suits your lifestyle, they might not be the best option for you. 

2. Lose them Easily: The problem with physical copies is that you can lose them quickly over time. They can get misplaced or jumbled very easily. This is quite a frequent occurrence; if you think this won’t happen with you, trust us, it definitely could.  

3. Inconvenience: Digital media provides convenience over everything. Inserting a disk and waiting for it to load is a lot of effort. Physical games can prove to be very inconvenient at times. If you think you can handle the frustration of always loading a game and being unable to switch easily between games, then physical games are not for you. 

Why Digital Games? 

Well, when we do a comparison between digital games and physical games, digital games have a high chance of winning. The sheer accessibility and convenience of the games outweigh the physical games. Let’s take a look at why you should opt for digital games. 

• Availability of Games: Digital games are more available and accessible than physical games, which also impacts their popularity. They are easy to purchase and use whenever you want to. Digital games have also given rise to handheld gaming consoles. 

• Swapping and Sharing: Even though swapping and sharing games is also easy with physical copies, digital games take it to the next level. With digital games, you can quickly login into your friend’s computers and access their games. This helps people access the gaming library anywhere in the world. You won’t be restricted to sharing games with your friends nearby and worldwide. 

• Environmental Impacts: Digital games have many environmental benefits. Physical games require a lot of plastic and paper to be manufactured; however, digital games negate all these factors. 

The Pros

Digital gaming has many advantages that outweigh the disadvantages of physical games. Let’s examine them and decide for ourselves if digital gaming is better or not. 

• Convenience of Gaming: If you game online, the convenience and accessibility are unmatched. While physical games require you to follow the process of inserting and removing discs every time you wish to switch a game, digital games don’t. You can just easily switch platforms and games with a few clicks. 

• No Risk of Loss of Damage: Digital games also prevent the risk of loss of damage to your games. Everything is on the platforms you purchase from and will remain there until you remove them. This will prevent loss and damage to your gaming library. 

• Access to Multiple Platforms: Digital games also allow you to access several platforms with just one click. You can access as many games as you want on these platforms, such as Driffle, Steam, etc. 

• Cost of Games: The cost of digital games is higher because the consoles made for physical games are more expensive. PlayStation and Xbox are two examples of such gaming consoles. Investing in digital games will save a lot of money and give you quick access to your favorite games.

The Drawbacks 

A few things could be improved in the digital gaming world as well. Check them out to see if you can overlook them or not.  

1. Dependent on Internet Access: Digital games are depend on a steady Internet access. If you don’t have that, the game could have a lot of lag and increased loading time. 

2. Ownership and Rights: When you purchase a digital game, you buy a license, not the actual game, which is not true with physical games. Ownership and rights are a sticky route when purchasing digital games. 

3. Refunds: Many platforms that sell digital games have a strict return policy, which prevents you from returning your purchase. This can be bad if the game isn’t as interesting or fun to you. 

4. Resale Value: First of all, you can’t resell a digital game. Second of all, you can’t get a good return on your investment even if you do end up selling your game. Digital games make it impossible for you to sell your game. 

Summary

We curated this detailed blog to resolve the argument of digital games vs. physical games. We feel that digital games are better suited for people who enjoy convenience while gaming today. However, OG collectors do prefer physical copies. To end this argument, we feel that digital games are better and should be encouraged more because of the positive impact they have on the environment.  

Let’s close the argument on this popular topic. You obviously can have your own preference and purchase whatever you want. However, we created this analysis of digital and physical games to gain a more in-depth understanding of the two. 

If you enjoyed this blog on Digital Games vs. Physical Games, check out our blog site for more information. Do leave a comment below to let us know which side you’re on.