Ryno’s Rant: The Cost of Digital

I remember back when I was a young lad before we had this thing called the internet, we used to have to go to stores to purchase our games.  Of course back then we had no choice in the matter.  Yet there was a certain thrill and build up to purchasing that brand new game.  The ride seemed to take forever and when you arrived at the store you handed over your $50 to the cashier and they gave you a factory sealed copy of whatever title your heart desired.

Now there were certain expectations when you opened the package.  Your purchase would come in a nice box or clamshell case depending on if it was a cartridge or CD and inside you would find an instruction manual and a copy of the game you just bought.  This was the complete setup and every game was packaged the same way.  Now let’s fast forward to the present, where things are a lot different now.  A present time where games can be downloaded straight to your home systems without having to leave your house.  A time where with the press of a few buttons you can be playing a brand new game.

Now don’t get me twisted, I see nothing wrong with a digital revolution except for losing the thrill of holding the physical media in hand, plus you can’t have a really cool collection for display on your shelves when they are all digital.  Also remember that thrill and anticipation I was talking about earlier when you were driving 15 minutes to the store?  Well you can replace that with the thrill of 4 hour download times (Battlefield 4).  Then lastly, what I really see wrong with the digital revolution is that the game companies are saving so much money yet, they are charging the full retail price for the same games I could buy at the store.

Let’s just take a second and look at the publisher’s savings.

  1. They no longer have to print a manual, which almost doesn’t matter anymore considering most companies have already started this for their physical copies of games (Hate this).
  2. They no longer have to print cover art for their games.
  3. They no longer need to use cases for their games.
  4. They no longer need to print the media on disc.
  5. They no longer have to ship the games.
  6. Lastly they cut out the middle man (Gamestop, Wal-Mart, etc.) for extra profit.

So why are they charging $59.99 for the digital versions?

The way I feel is that if your going to rape my wallet then I might as well have something to show for it.  So until the digital versions of games release for at least $10 cheaper, you’ll see me standing in line to pick up my physical copy every time.

Ryno’s Done!

*In no way does my opinion reflect the rest of the staff at GameGravy or it’s affiliates*

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Author: Ryno View all posts by
I would like to say that I came out of the womb with a controller in hand, but it wasn't until the age of 3 that I would receive my first console, the Atari 2600. From that moment on, games have not only a hobby of mine but a passion as well. Owning the majority of gaming platforms out there, I try to play as many different types of games that I can.