In what form do you prefer to buy your entertainment? Be it video games, movies, or music. I tend to prefer digital copies of PC games and movies, but when it comes to music and console games I try my best to get my hands on a physical copy. How about you guys?
I just prefer having the physical copies of things. It's better to have and hold something. It feels like you really own it. It also seems like digital copies of things would be easier to lose. What if the device you have them on breaks? You'll lose all of those digital products.
Most digital distribution systems have some way of recovering your purchases if you transfer devices. Furthermore, if you purchase something digitally, it should be tied to an account through which you can log in and redownload it if necessary. I've never used a system for movies, music, or games that doesn't have this. Quite frankly, it would be silly for a system to not have this because of that exact problem. As for the original question, I usually prefer digital copies just because I can use my content instantly without having to wait for the physical copy to be shipped to me. For some games, however, I do buy the physical copy so that I can save space on the hard drive of whatever system the game is for. Another advantage of having a physical copy of a game or movie is being able to simply bring it to a friend's house instead of having to log on to your account there.
I like having digital copies because physical copies just create too much of a mess since I'm a very disorganized person. My digital files are even just as messy and mislabeled but at least the mess there is contained to just a little box. Now that I've been spoiled by digital content I've come to dislike taking out and putting in discs into their respective cases and then having to put them back into a cabinet.
I prefer physical copies of movies. We have a small movie club here where members exchange DVDs they've bought. Since copyright laws prohibit copying files and sharing them, for us, that would be very inconvenient. The one way to circumvent all the legal hurdles is buy a DVD or Blu-Ray disc. It does save us money because if each person buys 5 DVDs and 10 people [in your club] buy the same number of DVDs then you have 50 movies to watch for the price of 5. Great isn't it?
Considering how little is included in the game manuals, I'm beginning to lean towards wanting the digital version and regarding music, there are very few people that I would want the entire album from nowadays, so it's pretty much digital by default. There are a few particular artists that could get me to find space on my shelf for them, but for the most part, it's a download that is backed up somewhere.
There's something about buying physical copies that gives you a real sense of ownership. It makes you feel like there's something tangible you're holding on to - even if it's just a mere game, which, at the end of the day you can't really quantify or transform into something solid. Digital copies are fine but if your device gets broken, it will be hard to re-install the game.
I'm an old school gal. I prefer the physical copies. I'm not much of a gamer but in terms of music CDs and DVDs, I must have the concrete form in my hands. The only time I opt for digital movie content is if I am renting it online through Google Play or Amazon Instant Video. However, if I want to own a copy of a movie, TV season or music CD, I will pay the money to get the physical version.
I prefer physical copies of things because I like to refer back to them. Digital copies are fine for things that I don't want to keep, or want to browse, but to take up space it needs to warrant a long term use. Digital is cheaper and quicker, but a physical copy means more. Even with books and documents, I prefer to read a hard copy if possible. Digital copies makes sales more profitable as there are few costs involved, but physical copies are worth more. Consider first editions are worth something versus the e-book copies.
I only buy games, and I do it digitally. Steam is a very good platform where you make an account and buy games, which are then stored on your account and available for you to use whenever you want. They also have amazing sales and discounts on many different games regularly, so you can get a good game for as little as 5 dollars. You can get thousands of dollars worth of games retail price for around 300 dollars. They have huge discounts, like 75% off or maybe even 90% off sometimes. Cheap as chips.
Digital copies all the way, often they cost next to nothing to distribute and hence you are more likely to receive a hefty discount. Furthermore there is no need to worry about misplacing physical copies, or having to clean them when not in use in case they get overly dusty, and best of all it saves room! In my opinion digital copies are usually win-win for both producer and consumer.
