The video game industry has been gradually embracing digital releases of games more and more over the years, which has only complicated things for fans that still prefer buying video games physically. This trend hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down or reversing, but there is a small glimmer of hope for those who hope that physical releases continue.
According to European physical sales data that The Games Business has discussed, it seems that physical games are still popular there. Although physical sales declined year-on-year in 2024 on all platforms, including Nintendo‘s Switch console, The Games Business says that the Switch “has been the dominant player at physical retail. Sales of new Switch games are still around 80% physical in Europe. That means if Nintendo has a quiet year, which it did in 2024, then that will have a direct impact on the boxed game sector overall. There may have been fewer Switch games sold, but the platform remains as physical as it’s ever been. There wasn’t a huge shift in consumers moving away from physical toward digital in 2024 on Nintendo”.
It makes sense due to physicals having the benefit of being resold compared to digital where you can’t do any of that. Convenience is one thing, but having the ability to sell/lend your copy to another person can make life easier.
Collecting is.cool.to
It’s really not. One of the best things I did over a decade ago was get rid of all of my physical media; games, movies, music, etc. The amount of space in my home, the stress from all the clutter, the anxiety of kids randomly touching things… It’s so much better AND I’ve saved money buying digitally. With 4 kids I only have to buy a game twice instead of 4x for instance, and since the only games worth buying at full price are exclusives and everything else will be on a constant flash sale every week for $30 or less, you’d be a fool to continue with physical games.
I will admit, having physical copies of media do take up space, and it’s much more difficult to carry all that around with you. I’m a person who’s 50/50 with physical and digital media, although I do find digital very convienient due to not having to find the box and be able to use the media. However, I’m thinking long-term and what it will mean when trading or selling media becomes irrelevent due to companies not giving the consumer the option. Maybe it all boils down the trust due to the nature of today’s business mindset where: “Profits > Consumer” and it’s really difficult to find leeway in that situation.
No gamer buys a game to trade it, so let’s forget that useless argument. If you’re trading games to afford other ones, you need a different hobby because you’re not a gamer. As for lending…. Digital gaming is far superior and cheaper as well as allows you to lend your ENTIRE library without actually giving up your games at all. I really wish you physical luddites would do some research and understand how much better digital gaming is compared to physical. Do you realize if we moved away from physical format that gaming would get even cheaper? No, you only think about yourself.
Question.
Do you have bills and a mortgage to worry about or live rent free with someone ?
I would absolutely consider myself a gamer but consistently buy and trade. I get the experiences and I save a fortune.
Being a gamer isn’t based on the practice of how you keep your media.
Damn, that’s sad that they refuse to let go of overpriced, outdated formats. Digital gaming is not only far superior and cheaper, but you can lend your entire library at once without having to give up your games. There’s absolutely no reason to buy a game just to trade it in, and people who claim to prefer physical for a collection don’t trade anyway, so that argument is bollocks.
Maybe it’s because Switch has so low internal memory. After all, PS and Xbox players buy most games digitally.