News - Analysts: 92 per cent of all PC games sales are now digital

[kalniel]

It'll not be long before physical media is phased out by the industry. The government needs to get a move on with giving digital content licensees more definitive ownership rights.

Why rely on government, just don't play games whose ownership rights you don't like!

[ET3D]

I don't think I follow. How does lack of selling a game affect the demand (and hence market) for games? If anything it would just decrease supply, and increase prices.

What he's saying is that second hand games currently don't offer the full game experience, and as a result are worth less than the full game. If that artificial restriction was removed, and the used games offered the same value as a new game, then their price would rise to reflect this.

[aidanjt]

Why rely on government

Because the government granted them the defective artificial monopoly in the first place, and only they have the power to fix the defect?

just don't play games whose ownership rights you don't like!

Would you be happy if the entire car industry imposed contract terms on car purchase, that you can't resell it, and when you buy a new one you have the option of letting it sit in your drive and rust, or they take it away and crush it? Or maybe they'll just take it away and crush it anyway, because they're going bust, or kinda just feel like doing it for the hell of it.

Either intellectual property is property, or it isn't.

[kalniel]

What he's saying is that second hand games currently don't offer the full game experience, and as a result are worth less than the full game. If that artificial restriction was removed, and the used games offered the same value as a new game, then their price would rise to reflect this.

What artificial restriction is affecting the full game experience though? If you can't sell a game on then there's no experience at all - you can't sell it for a lower price. Do you mean 'first owner' DLC type stuff where you can have a retail base game but a DLC add on? I've not actually seen that on any PC games I've played but I think that could lead to what you're suggesting.

Because the government granted them the defective artificial monopoly in the first place, and only they have the power to fix the defect?

The government hasn't granted any game companies a monopoly, can you explain what you mean?

Would you be happy if the entire car industry imposed contract terms on car purchase, that you can't resell it, and when you buy a new one you have the option of letting it sit in your drive and rust, or they take it away and crush it? Or maybe they'll just take it away and crush it anyway, because they're going bust, or kinda just feel like doing it for the hell of it.

What's it got to do with cars? A) computer games are frivolities with no necessity. b) There is no monopoly - if you don't like DRM then you just buy a game that doesn't use DRM and don't play ones that do.

Either intellectual property is property, or it isn't.

Right, we should be clear that you are NEVER buying the intellectual property when you buy a game or car or whatever.

[Py3m4n]

Last game I bought on disk was MW3 and when I was installing it still wanted to d/l from steam which ended up in 3 other downloads from steam as I was getting corrupt files