Why I no longer buy modern Games.. - by Vipersan
Vipersan on 2/8/2019 at 12:18
All I can say is ..I'm happy I'm not alone with the 'own a thing and keep it close by'..
Gryzemuis.
I dont totally dismiss the 'internet of things' idea ..but personally and being of that time....much prefer it to be my choice.
I still hanker after the days of my youth ..when a saturday job would allow me to save up..take a trip into town (a treat in itself)..visit a record shop and BUY the latest album from Pink Floyd on Vinyl.
The anticipation of getting it home and spinning it up for the first time on my old Garrard SP25 Mk4...and stare lovingly at the album sleeve for hours.
I guess if you're young and never had that 'almost romantic' experience..then you cant miss it or mourn it's passing.
You really did feel you had earned that right...and sadly it is now but a memory.
cest la vie
VS
Starker on 2/8/2019 at 13:27
Quote Posted by WingedKagouti
Alternatively:
Realize it's not available for sale on any digital store due to being the center of an unholy mess of licensing issues, split IP ownerships and code rights.
NOLF is in such a state right now. I have zero compunction about going to the NOLF revival page and downloading it illegally. And when it becomes available legally, I'll buy it legally.
What's more, games have no problems with loss of quality or anything like that. I go to GOG and the games are at least as good as they would be on a physical copy.
Better, in fact.
As for the nostalgia, it doesn't bother me one bit that I don't physically own things. At least not anymore. For example, I had a fierce attachment to paper books due to all the memories I made with them. Then I got a Kobo H2O and now I make new memories. Things I wasn't able to do before. I can take my books with me when I travel, I can read them in bath, I can change the font to whatever I like, I can immediately use a dictionary with minimal interruption to the reading experience, I can add notes without ruining the reading experience for others.
PigLick on 2/8/2019 at 13:39
Still there is something about the physical aesthetic of reading a paper book that can never be replaced by a screen, as far as I am concerned at least.
Starker on 2/8/2019 at 13:43
Likewise, reading an e-book has its own aesthetic that can never be replicated by a paper book. So I have the best of both worlds. In fact, the money I save with e-books allows me to buy paper books in better condition and of better quality.
Vipersan on 2/8/2019 at 13:44
Quote Posted by PigLick
Still there is something about the physical aesthetic of reading a paper book that can never be replaced by a screen, as far as I am concerned at least.
'Guilty as charged'...
My favourite authors sit on a shelf in hardback ...but I was that saddo that bought 2 copies ..
One in hardback if I deemed it imortant enough...and one in paperback to actually read.
So I guess my enthusiam to own a physical thing went beyond games ...to music ..movies...and books.
lol
catbarf on 2/8/2019 at 13:58
When it comes to music, I prefer MP3s over Spotify just for the convenience of use. If I want to listen to music in the car, I can have my music in files on my phone, and then not have to worry about using up data or spotty connections out in the boondocks. It's necessary for artists or tracks that aren't on Spotify, and sometimes I like to tweak my music to my own preference (eg truncating outros, or cutting a song that's really two distinct pieces). Physical CDs aren't terribly important to me, but a relatively 'permanent' digital version is. What I love Spotify for, though, is music discovery, so I still use it regularly.
My experience with games is totally different though- I buy almost all my games on Steam and GOG nowadays, even older titles, and sometimes ones that I have on CD. Pyrian is right, the experience of getting old games to work has been so streamlined that it's much more convenient. I don't really mind that I'm beholden to a digital service that, in theory, could go under overnight.
Meanwhile I just can't get onboard with e-books, and my wife and I collectively have four very full bookshelves. I guess the physicality of books subjectively changes the actual experience of owning and reading them, whereas with something like Steam it's just a change in installation method. Maybe I'm just inconsistent, or beholden to nostalgia.
As far as modern games, the thread topic, is concerned: In the last couple of years we've seen an explosion in the indie community, and it's great. You can play just indie titles and ignore AAA gaming and still have a satisfying experience. Particularly, if you like how games 'used to be', various retro aesthetics are alive and well. I'm currently going through Dusk, and it's overtly a love letter to Quake, but with some modern advances (particularly in level design) added to the mix. It takes the two decades of game design wisdom that has accumulated since Quake, and applies it to the Quake formula, and the end result works really well.
EvaUnit02 on 2/8/2019 at 15:45
Quote Posted by icemann
Dark Souls style invasions. The ones in Watch Dogs 1 were excellent.
Hard disagree. Too many times I'd be trying to do an open world activity then immediately be voided from achieving it because an invasion had began. Other times I'd be travelling to a location to activate a mission... nekminnit an invasion. I initially left PvP connectivity on because you gain unique perks from it but they aren't worth, the PvP invasions were too awful to put up with.
zajazd on 2/8/2019 at 16:24
Are you a PC gamer only? I was till 2011 when I started getting into the PS2, it is such a goldmine for great (exclusive) games. Lately I have been addicted to a racing game on PCSX2, ATV Offroad Fury 4, I now it's a very random name but it is a great example of a hidden gem in the huuuge PS2 library.
Nameless Voice on 2/8/2019 at 16:56
I'm the opposite with books. E-books are just so much more convenient that I never get around to reading any actual physical books that e.g. people give to me.
icemann on 2/8/2019 at 17:29
In the case of books and magazines I still prefer to the real thing. Having it digital just isn't the same.
And some magazines are worth a bit, so reselling them afterward is a good option.