Recently, a lot of threads have appeared in the area of technological piracy. I don't think this is a bad thing, mainly because it is a great subject to debate and has given a bit more life to the section. So with that in mind, I have debating in my head about whether the gaming industry is going to go down the sam path as the music and film industry. By that I mean, are physical copies of games, soon going to redundant against digital downloads. The music industry has led the way with this and had really set the curve as to how well and how badly it can go. For instance. The introduction of iTunes, has really shown people how big music is and smartly it can work. However, when music went digital, it was extremely easy to take that music from other sources and get it for free. The same is happening for the film industry.
Now, my question is. Would it not be safer for companies like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo to release games digitally across mediums such as the PlayStation Network and XBOX Live? This way, there is no physical copy to go and burn to a computer and then distribute online. There is perhaps is some way of doing it but I, for one, have not got a clue as to how it would work. For me, I think it would be a bit safer but of course you would be cutting away some of your market to preserve some of your income. Which is more important? You see, a lot of people do not have access to mediums like XBL or PSN and have to rely on buying the games from games stores etc With that in mind and Christmas on the way, no games developer would think about it at this time. In fact, I think I read an interview with one of the leaders of SCEE, in which he stated that physical copies were "going nowhere". He still thinks that they will be around for a long time to come but is this a good thing?
Now, my question is. Would it not be safer for companies like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo to release games digitally across mediums such as the PlayStation Network and XBOX Live? This way, there is no physical copy to go and burn to a computer and then distribute online. There is perhaps is some way of doing it but I, for one, have not got a clue as to how it would work. For me, I think it would be a bit safer but of course you would be cutting away some of your market to preserve some of your income. Which is more important? You see, a lot of people do not have access to mediums like XBL or PSN and have to rely on buying the games from games stores etc With that in mind and Christmas on the way, no games developer would think about it at this time. In fact, I think I read an interview with one of the leaders of SCEE, in which he stated that physical copies were "going nowhere". He still thinks that they will be around for a long time to come but is this a good thing?