I agree with Jenny on this issue and cannot begin to answer this question without pointing out the downside to dl games. I am too opinionated for my own good at times. Anyway here are my anti dl reasons.

1--- Dl games are just as pricey as box copies. You can rent a console game for five dollars at any video store. Based on the terms of downloaded games for the most part you are in fact renting them. There is no trade or sell it after you are done with it option. You cannot even use what you rented without getting someone's permission. Of course you may very likely not be able to play it next year.

2---- Why would anyone pay full price to rent a DL when people like Dave at Interact sell the boxed copy worldwide at the same price? Is it the same "I want it now mentality" that fed this financial mess we are in now? You can't wait a week or so for the mailman to arrive?

3---- If this is the final option for PC gaming then I will find something else to do. But I am not paying retail price to rent something that has onerous strings attached.

Oldmariner, I take umbrage at the implication that people who buy downloads are of low character and only buy via download because they can't delay gratification. There are many reasons to pay for a game via download. We downloaders are also not personally responsible for the global financial crisis.

Hi harhan3

I must admit that, having read all the threads about game downloading that I have come across over the years, I have wondered myself why downloaded games might be considered less likely to be pirated

I would have thought it entirely possible that unscrupulous people will find a way to burn a downloaded game to a disk, print up some attractive artwork, put all in a jewel case and then go on to sell it !!

In fact there are probably daily examples of that very thing appearing on the Ebays and suchlike of the world. There certainly are with films and music

I have always and still do regard "buying a download" as my last option when considering the purchase of a game.

But of course, as I also have already said, rather than altogether do without a game I very much want, I WILL force myself to buy the download

Cheers.

Mad

Thank you for responding to my post harhan3 & appreciate your input. I was more interested to see how much gamers liked the idea of downloads rather than the issues surrounding them - I was keen to avoid them although I think it was relevant for posters to mention DRM if that was an objection to them to download games.

I'm sorry, but if you are going to quote me I would please appreciate that you do so in full context of what I've written - please don't take out a few lines out, as you have done above, & accuse me of being wrong when they are in a phrase where I am questioning rather than stating! Perhaps I worded myself badly?

If you have hard facts about piracy regarding download games it may be worth starting another thread about - I just wondered what players thought about them!

EDIT: I've just seen all the post above you naughty folk!

oldmariner - I was really thinking about newer games being released by download to start with e.g. recently Ankh 3 where a hard copy has not been released & perhaps won't be (I live in hope!). Games that are being offered as DRM protected downloads which also have disc versions available - well, I do think this is down to personal choice. Sierramindy & Becky have both said that they are unlikely to replay/get round to replaying games so for them & I'm sure for many other players who feel the same way downloading is not a problem, why would it be? so that view needs to be respected.

Mad, I've no doubt that DRM protected games can be copied also but if you see a disc version you are going to know straight away that it's pirated - if it doesn't bother a player hopefully by then the download has had enough legitimate subscribers or am I just being incredibly optimistic or plain naive?

"Mad, I've no doubt that DRM protected games can be copied also but if you see a disc version you are going to know straight away that it's pirated"

Well yes, obviously, chrissie.
But I imagine the majority of people who buy pirated stuff these days (considering the constant publicity about it) are surely people who know full well it's a pirated version and just don't care.

They buy it because it costs them far less than the real thing and it works.

And we are way off your thread topic yet again !!

Ouch, Becky no insult was intended. I mentioned nothing of character. I simply mused if paying retail price for a rental is related to the instant gratification mindset.

It is far cheaper to offer a DL than it is to produce a hard copy. But yet they charge full retail, why? The publishers do not pass the savings onto their customers do they? Then they add insult to injury by dictating how and when you can use the product. It is not about piracy it is about maximizing profit. I seriously doubt pirates cannot crack a download.

Yes some games are available only by download as this is a test. If people buy into it the trend will increase because the public bought into it. I will wait for the hard copy and if it does not appear so be it. I am not about to pay full retail for a rental. If the public decides to pay $20 to $30 for a DL or $40 in some cases so be it.

Again there was no intent to insult only raising a comparison questioning if that mused link is valid.

I really think aside from the copy protection issue that if full price download games can support the developers/publishers more in the first place if there are enough players willing to buy them I am optimistic that this could be very positive for the future of AGs & boxed versions to follow can only offer a further boost.

As for me this talk about downloads maybe becoming the thing, and box versions something of the past. Where downloads become so popular that you can't buy the box anymore, because so many are downloading instead of buying the box really scares and worries me . Like I said previously I only buy the box. I live out in the country, I can only have dail up internet which is very very slow. The only high speed internet I can get is very expensive for me, I can't afford it. Also I love to collect the games like a book collector does . I look at the list of games to come out in March all downlaods it makes me want to cry .

If a box version would always shortly follow a download then that would be good news that I would surely like to hear and also more profit for the makers of the game. They could always do it the other way around too.

comcast is trying to charge me 1350.00 to hook me up to high speed because I'm way off the main road. Soooo it's still dial-up for me also.My gaming would come to a screeeching halt,if it goes to all downloaded games.

Dunn Tawkin

Dunn Tawkin,
I sure pray that does not happen. Playing these games is such a joy in my life. I hope that Dave at interact will always be able to get the box version in so people like us can still enjoy the games .

I agree Trinny3

I never thought about people with dial up..Some areas don't have access to cable or fios..

The developers would lose lots of gamers if its just downloads

There is nothing to stop devs from giving players 2 options simultaneously. Say 30 do;;ars for the boxed game and maybe 25 dollars for the downlod game preferably without any more drawbacks than the former.

Added.
Very very sorry chrissie if I upset or insulted you I didnt meann to and exactly the opposite actually.
I only extracted that sentence since so many people have been fed the story that those extremely bad DRM drawbacks are almoat always included in download games to eliminate piracy.
IMHO this story is untrue and I claim the opposite, in other words it increases the chances of piracy ssince those folk both get the game for free and without any copy protection hassles.

Mad.
I think that most piracy is not done by people copying games onto a cd or dvd and selling them cheap.
The vast majority are players downloading cracked games that is games where all copy protection has been removed by programming and you dont even have to put a cd or dvd into the tray in order to play. The pirated game doesnt even need to be put onto a disk but can be played direct from the hard disk; but of course it can always be copied onto a disk and given out to relatives and friends or I suppose sold by the really brazen pirates.

And yet another thread on the objections to downloads.

I will stop playing games when it comes down to just downloads. I refuse to download now and I'll refuse to download in the future. If I pay for something I want the physical product.

I think I may have mentioned this beore. I have no objections at all to downloaded games, on the contrary I love them and am very very much in favor of them. I can get my fix immediately. They save me a serious expense in airmail postage and packing. They avoid the occasional additional outlay of customs and VAT.
I believ that the only thing that negates all those advantages is the completely unnecessary drawbacks of the superfluous very bad copy protection schemes which so far seem to accompany all or almost all download games.

I dont think Ive made myself clear.
Dowload ..... good.
DRM ... very very bad.
Im convinced that games can be downloaded without any copy protection just like some boxed games are and their sales will not be harmed at all but maybe enlarged since IMO piracy will not be increased but even quite probably be reduced.
I truly believe that the sooner that devs and pubs realize this and remove those DRMs the better for everybody. Until then I shall continue not to buy any so called DL games since as has been said more than once, Im not actually buying but renting under terribly limited and unfair conditions which dont apply to anything else that I buy with my hard cash.

My only important worry and upset is for the people who unlike myself collect the external boxes or only have dialup.

I thought I was going to change over to preferring to downloading games, but after today's challenging day, I might not be so eager after all. I thought I would be a good little GameBoomer and download a game from the link to Adventure Shop that's here. Well, it's Simon the Sorcerer 4: Chaos Happens and I actually don't know where else to get it, to tell the whole truth. What a comedy of errors it turned out to be for me. I didn't really understand the directions for the download in the first place but I went ahead and tried anyway, brave me! I just used the defaults all the way (since I have no idea how to make a file folder) but I goofed right at the beginning because there were 4 links in my email and I thought only one was needed. I started the download and it was working until it said to insert Disc One, like what's this? That's when it started to dawn on me that just maybe I had to click on all four links to do it right. So I did that, and a long, long, LONG time later, when I was beginning to think waiting 5 days for a game to arrive in the mail wasn't so bad after all, it was finished. Nice, but then more problems, like how to *install* and *launch* the game! I was so stuck that I sent Adventure Shop an email requesting help. More comedy here because I discovered an icon I hadn't seen that installed the game. It was just a blue arrow in a square and I was looking for a Simon icon. Anyway, I did get the game installed and launched (and even got a Simon icon now) and started playing it. Enjoying it too! I have sent a second email canceling the request for help so I hope that I got it all straightened out okay.
Am I still interested in downloading games at this point? Well, yes, I am, just think of everything I learned today, can't let that knowledge go to waste now, can I?

I'm sorry you feel like that although I was hoping that piracy issues weren't going to be focused on. Downloads have been around for a while now but I think it's important, in the hope that publishers/developers look at forums like these to keep stressing that a lot of players either won't or can't come round to this idea & there is a continuing market for boxed versions. I'm all for them following downloads if this helps the developers.

I'm going to break my own rule now but I think Mad made a very good point about pirated boxed versions of download games. This is a market that could grow considerably if legitimate boxed versions aren't produced as I wonder how many 'honest' gamers will be tempted if it's the only way of getting a 'keepable' game?

sierramindy - I'm glad you managed to get your game up & running!

harhan3 - thank you, no offense taken!

While I prefer the boxed games as previously stated, I have chosen to download games from GOG.com. They offer some of the best of the old games which are DRM free and you can make a copy for backup. That is the way I wish all download sites were. Another good point about GOG is that they make their games XP and Vista compatible and even update them to the latest patch. What's not to love?!

That is enormously interesting and important.
I have been advocating download without DRM for a long time. If there are absolutely no more obstacles to playing the game other than those on boxed games, this eliminates the main objections of most people who refuse to buy download games, including myself.

------ Some important questions from your experience -
Can you make more than one backup copy?
-- Do you mean a backup copy on a CD?
-- If you want your partner or mother or whoever to play at the same time as you on his or her own computer, can he play the game from the backup copy?
-- If the answer to the above question is "yes" can the game be played from the backup copy *alone and completely* or does the player have to be online or get online-authorization or anything similar?
-- Likewise can you play the game using the back up copy on your laptop which is not connected in any way to the Internet?

Only after writing the above -
I looked at their list of games. Most seem to be shooters etc. and not adventures. But I wonder if games like the Broken-Swords are sold with proper permissions - they seem very cheap.
The description on Wikipedia seems almost too good to be true. Im hoping that it is true and all completely legit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOG.com

@harhan

Regarding GOG.com

You can make all the copies you want of the downloaded files and put them on a CD/DVD (it's not playable from the CD though).

There's NO restrictions at all - you can give a CD/DVD with the files to everyone you know, and you can all play at the same time.

There's no need to be online - no activation - no nothing.

Sweet deal, eh?
But remember - they mostly do in older games/oldies.
You wont' find new games here.

I so want to play Emerald City but after reading here about the privacy issues associated with the Play site I decided against it. I went to Big Fish in search of the game and it was not there. Does anyone know if Playfirst is the only option at this point in time?

@lexxy

Seems this is the only place to get it for now, sorry

Very many thanks for the info Misslilo.
Thats how I think alln download games should be, without the horrible DRMs.
Just one thing Im not clear about.
"You can make all the copies you want of the downloaded files and put them on a CD/DVD (it's not playable from the CD though)".
What do you mean by "(it's not playable from the CD though)". Do you simply mean that you, or your friend, has to copy the CD files to his hard-disc and then he can play like you without additional hassle which is very easy and fair, or is it more complicated than that?
Please let me know, its very interesting.

Whether or not you have a download or a CD version it is against copyright laws to make a copy and use on another machine. You do not buy the “game” you buy a license to play the game. You do not have the right to install on multiple computers and use at the same time. If you wish to turn your license over to soomeone else by giving them the original CD and uninstalling the game from your hard drive that is fine. To do otherwise is no different from those who pirate games.

Ana

Thanks for that very appropriate info-warning Ana.
I did not describe properly and it gave the impression of spreading the game around. I did not mean that at all.
I meant can you use your download backup disk exactly with only the EULA restrictions which exist on boxed discs, no more of course but no less?