... Have never downloaded from Amazon, but will give this a try-too good to pass up!
Re downloading vs. owning the disk: ... But what happens 10 years from now to the companies where the games are stored? Could you transfer them to CD/DVD?
What are your thoughts on this?
I've downloaded several games from Amazon (Casual, Adventure, and RPG). Never had an issue. Some games required a key, others not. Some of their games are offered with or without DRM, and some are actually Steam versions. Make sure you read the descriptions to choose the version you want.
I like the idea of downloading rather than keeping hardcopies. I don't have to worry about discs. My main issue with downloading, though, is that my internet speed is not very fast. Downloading is a real nuisance. But since I don't have to do it often, I grimace and bear it!
I always keep at least one copy of the game installation files I download. I usually don't burn a CD/DVD, but just store them on an external hard drive. I keep them because I sure don't want to take days to download them a second time if I need/want to install them again (on a new PC, for example) in a couple of years.
As far as 10-20 years down the road--I don't worry too much about that, whether the CDs fail or the companies. Who knows what operating systems we'll have by that time? And the newer games will be so advanced, I can't imagine wanting to go back to play a 20 year old game. Not when there are so many great new ones coming out and so little time to play them all! But that's just me.