EA is going digital

[Leto85]

I asume you can redownload your game for free (and without trouble) if you loose it or if you're computer is broken.
If it got registered on IP adress you're screwd. And besides that, if someone has slow internet it will be more expansive for that person. Buying it in a store is really cheaper.
But perhaps my post will be outdated soon, if EA has the answer for all this problems.

[samoht04]

I'm mainly worried about my Internet, it can be a bit dodgy at times and unconnect for a few seconds, long enough to stop a download in it's tracks. 

[Hosfac]

I asume you can redownload your game for free (and without trouble) if you loose it or if you're computer is broken.

While I've never downloaded an actual game from them, I would assume that it works the same way that store downloads do:  the transaction is attached to your account, so re-downloading it is as simple as logging into the website.  This, of course, creates a problem for anyone who has to do an uninstall/reinstall of the game.  At 3 hours per purchase, we're talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours of download time.

I'm mainly worried about my Internet, it can be a bit dodgy at times and unconnect for a few seconds, long enough to stop a download in it's tracks. 

Again, the more things advance, the less you're going to see things like this.  Electricity and telephone service were problematic when they were relatively new, but now people rarely have problems with it, even in the most remote areas.  Comparatively speaking, high speed internet is still a relatively new technology.

[Leto85]

While I've never downloaded an actual game from them, I would assume that it works the same way that store downloads do:  the transaction is attached to your account, so re-downloading it is as simple as logging into the website.  This, of course, creates a problem for anyone who has to do an uninstall/reinstall of the game.  At 3 hours per purchase, we're talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 hours of download time.

If the transaction is attached to your account when you download complete games, you also could redownload that game on a friends computer, for that friend. I asume there must be some more protection to prevent that, otherwise this system doesn't work.

Again, the more things advance, the less you're going to see things like this.  Electricity and telephone service were problematic when they were relatively new, but now people rarely have problems with it, even in the most remote areas.

@Hosfac: How was it back than, when electriciy was new? Just kidding.
I do agree with your comparisment however. The more a new technique got integrated and people get used to it, the more people will trust it.

[Seabody]

I'm mainly worried about my Internet, it can be a bit dodgy at times and unconnect for a few seconds

That's something I'm worried about - mine seems to disconnect when someone answers the phone. If (and only if) EA does this, then I'd better hope nobody rings me!

[malteser60]

One of my main concerns with digital downloads is the licence or DRM. For example, if you buy and download an mp3 then you are limited to how many times you can copy it/burn to cd and number of devices it can be installed on. I have some mp3's that I can't play anymore as I downloaded the codec(??) for it too many times as my previous laptop needed to the hard drive to be reformatted regularly. So will this be the same with games? Everytime our pcs/laptops crash and need re-formatting or the software re-installing will we be restricted. Also what if you change computers regularly, say you have a work machine that they upgrade for you regularly?

So my opinion, I'm all for technology going forward with the digital downloads, especially as technically they will never wear out or get scratched like a cd does. But I also think they do need to sort out the DRM so that it is fair for the buyers and for the producers.

[Hosfac]

If the transaction is attached to your account when you download complete games, you also could redownload that game on a friends computer, for that friend. I asume there must be some more protection to prevent that, otherwise this system doesn't work.

Technically, you could do that with game discs too, to some extent.  People who participate in piracy are going to find a way to participate with in it.  While digital downloads seem to make it easier, there's no denying that it was going on long before the internet existed.

One of my main concerns with digital downloads is the licence or DRM. For example, if you buy and download an mp3 then you are limited to how many times you can copy it/burn to cd and number of devices it can be installed on. I have some mp3's that I can't play anymore as I downloaded the codec(??) for it too many times as my previous laptop needed to the hard drive to be reformatted regularly.

For mp3/mp4 files, this is easily solved by burning them to disc as a data file.  Since you're not creating a playable cd, it's considered backing them up so the DRM is copied as it is.  This is perfectly legal (so long as you don't let anyone else copy the disc to their computer), and in fact iTunes recommends that you do exactly this.

But games are different, as they require entries in your computer's registry for them to work properly.  As this becomes more and more commonplace, the companies are going to have to come up with a more efficient way to do re-installs.  With the game discs, I can install the entire Sims 3 series in a matter of 2-3 hours.  But as I said, If I were downloading it, it would take somewhere in the range of 20 hours to do a complete re-install of the game.  Inconvenience of this nature is what makes or breaks an industry.

[RubyLovesSims]

Hm. I am not pleased with this decision.
Paying money for something downloaded isn't going as much fun as going into EB Games, and purchasing a disk.
And not to mention my s-l-o-w internet connection!

[sydney511]

I'm actually half-and-half on this. A lot of my games are already digital. In fact, all my movies are digital too. (dics can get lost, scratched, etc.) So this isn't a big deal. I'll save up my money to pay my dad to buy me the sims games.

Again, some people have slow/no internet connection, so that's a minus for them.

I don't feel like paying for all my sims games again. I am also really hoping that there is no Sims 4. So hopefully in a few years all the EP's are done and it will just be other games like the sports instead.

[Seabody]

I am also really hoping that there is no Sims 4. So hopefully in a few years all the EP's are done and it will just be other games like the sports instead.

If you think about it logically, the Sims is a hugely profitable franchise (Over 10 Million copies sold at last count). I think EA would make as much money as possible. So, there will likely be a Sims 4, in 2014.
But the only way some people will buy the games is simple - EA sells the franchise, the games would continue to be sold on disks (or they might be), and we're all happy and still forking out money left, right and centre to get our hands on the next EP.

P.S: Is it alright to spell center "C-E-N-T-R-E"? That's how we spell it in NZ.

[Pam]

P.S: Is it alright to spell center "C-E-N-T-R-E"? That's how we spell it in NZ.

Yes, that's fine. 

[Hosfac]

But the only way some people will buy the games is simple - EA sells the franchise, the games would continue to be sold on disks (or they might be), and we're all happy and still forking out money left, right and centre to get our hands on the next EP.

Of course, if you're old enough, you'll remember hearing people say how those silly Compact Disc things will never catch on.  But not only did they catch on, they've been around so long that they're currently in the process of becoming obsolete.  Specialized music retailers have been steadily losing money over the past few years, and it's predicted that most of them will be out of business before the decade is out unless they find a way to become digital.  And I expect the movie industry to start following suit before too long.

Digital downloads has not only affected music retailers, but has really put book retailers in a pinch as well.  Several have already filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection...and I'm not talking the small "mom and pop" businesses here:  Borders is one of them.  Now there are rumblings in the video game market of a strictly digital trend, and after the first video game company offered the first digital download of a game, it was bound to happen sooner or later.  In fact, it's entirely possible that the next generation of consoles will run games that are digitally downloaded.

This doesn't mean that there won't be some casualties along the way.  EA appears to have decided that they're going to go "all in" on this, and it's likely that they won't be the only one.  I expect similar announcements over the next year or two from other companies who don't want to get left behind.  The current limitations on internet technology will be the largest hurdle, so it's possible that some of the companies who rush to be the first to the table are going to get hurt.  That is unless they come up with some kind of work around for the 2-4 hour download time (per expansion). 

[Glic2000]

EA actually may not have a choice.   DVDs are simply a dying medium.  Just look at Netflix; now that movies are a downloadable commodity too, it's getting harder and harder to buy them in stores.  The PC game section in my local game shops keep getting smaller.  It's obvious they don't want to sell PC games.  Most of their big profits come from selling used games, which is not an option for PC games.  Publishers don't like the idea of used game sales, so it's not surprising they're trying to cut out the middle man, and sell directly to the players.

This won't be a reality in the near future, it'll probably take a year or two more and the transition will probably be gradual.  EA is obviously already testing things out with products like Barnacle Bay (a download-only product, even though it's in retail stores) as well as offering tons of download-only content in the Sims 3 Store.  They probably know, based on sales of Store content, exactly how many Sims players are willing to purchase downloadable content, and they've concluded the number is great enough for the "all digital" move to be viable.  In other words, some players may not want to buy download-only games, but the number of players is small enough that they can still make it work. 

Hopefully, by the time it's "all digital", EA will have a better and more reliable infrastructure in place to support it.  Valve proved years ago, with their Steam service, that game downloading services can offer a lot of benefits to everyone, including game developers and game purchasers.  These benefits include flexible pricing, fast access to new content, automatic version updates, and so on.

[Glic2000]

I'd also like to add a few anecdotes from my own experiences with game downloads...

I've downloaded quite a few games in the past few years, and sometimes the prices can be ridiculously cheap.  Www.direct2drive.com had a sale on all Sims products a few months ago, and I picked up a bunch of expansions for The Sims 2 for $11 each.  I also got World Adventures there for $12.  I've also bought other games for as little as $3-7 (and these games would have cost $20-30, respectively, if I had bought disc versions in my local store). 

I have a slow internet connection, so some of the games I've bought have taken a long time to download (3-5 days).  It doesn't really bother me though, it's not like I have to sit at the PC watching it download.   Usually game developers try to offset the download time by allowing people to start downloading the content for new games before the official release date. So when release day arrives, it'll be on your PC already, ready to play.

The limitations on downloads and number of installs vary depending on which service or product it is.  Some downloads are simply a single file, and once downloaded, the file can be copied onto a disc, or installed as many times as you want.  So as long as you keep that file, you can re-install the game quickly and easily. 

Personally, I miss the days when PC games came in huge, extravagant boxes.  But those days ended about a decade ago.  Since then, packaging has been getting more and more minimal, so it won't seem like that big of a loss when it disappears completely. 

And I'd also like to point out, on the last two computers I've owned, the CD drive has been one of the first parts of the computer to stop working.  So...having a game on a disc may not be as convenient or dependable as players think it is.

[Hosfac]

EA actually may not have a choice.   DVDs are simply a dying medium.  Just look at Netflix; now that movies are a downloadable commodity too, it's getting harder and harder to buy them in stores.

I don't have any trouble buying DVD's at the store, myself.  Large retailers still have a huge selection, and so does Amazon.  Blockbuster, on the other hand, is on the ropes for two reasons:  1)  DVD movies are cheap, and many people would just assume buy them (me fitting squarely into that category), and 2)  There are easier and cheaper ways to get rentals.  You've got the Netflix site that you mentioned, plus there are vending machines popping up all over the place where you can rent new movies for $1.  The fact of the matter is that there are way more DVD players out there than their are computers, and nobody's going to want to just throw away a machine that works just fine.  This is not to even mention that DVD players are way cheaper than computers, and that there are still a good number of people who don't have a computer.  There are also still a lot of areas without high speed internet of any kind, and there aren't a lot of people who are willing to wait 8 hours or more to watch a movie that's an hour and a half long.

DVD's are not dead quite yet.  VHS format hung on for a very long time after the DVD format became popular, and I expect that DVD will do the same.  Plus, DVD are the still the only choice for long term computer data storage.  They're not going to quit making them until they come up with something better for that, regardless of how digital our entertainment gets.  Hard drives fail all the time, and people need an inexpensive, permanent way to back up their data.