Do you view gaming as disposable?

[Like the hat?]

I used to be a collector and in a way I still am in the thought that I would have a hard time getting rid of the stuff I already have. But with the new consoles on the horizon, I'm excited for the new things, but I have no desire to actually collect the games. Between gamepass and my local library and selling my games used when I'm done, I feel like I have little reason to buy games to keep. I think this is what is really keeping me from going digital (besides the price).

I feel like I'm in between two mindsets: wanting to have access to games I've enjoyed, and just being overwhelmed by the number of "things"

I was just looking through my PS4 pro library of just the things I've downloaded between sales and ps plus, and there's so much I have that I haven't even played. For example, I've pre-ordered AC Valhalla but I just realized that despite having origins and Odyssey digital on my ps4, I've barely touched either of them.

Basically I'm wondering how others see gaming in general, and has it changed either because of age or because of how gaming seems to be today.

 

[Aurc]

No, I'm still super passionate about it. It's been my main source of entertainment my whole life. Don't know if, or when that will change.

In terms of physical media, I still care, but only for my favorite things. I don't need to own a hard copy of a game I don't feel strongly about.

 

[Weiss]

Sure. Sometimes you gotta do some spring cleaning.

 

[Platy]

Yes on steam, no on Switch

I guess the more I pay for something the more I care to make my money worth

 

[M.Bluth]

I see it as another form of art and entertainment that I enjoy as equally as I enjoy films and tv shows and books.
I like keeping the ones I love because I go back to them pretty often.

So no, I don't see it as disposable at all.

 

[Deleted member 79451]

A lot of games are disposable. They don't really have a lot of independent merit, they're some short term fun then you're done.

But there are the classics, and like all true classics they're a sort of art that should be preserved for and enjoyed by all humanity.

 

[Deleted member 5491]

Look at Netflix and how often a new series vanished after 2 seasons, while not being done storywise and how many other stuff releases on this and other streaming services. Or how you can just listen to so much music til the end of your life on Spotify etc etc.
You should just consume. And with Gamestreaming, Gamepass, PSPlus etc. it's the same thing. That's why I don't do these things, why I don't buy 10+ games in a humble bundle for 2€ and buy few games but with the goal to actually play them.
I wanna enjoy these games, take my time, talk about them and maybe play them again down the line. Sure I'll miss out on several games, but either I'm stresses because of FOMO and have played everything or I can enjoy a few things on my terms

 

[Chibs]

Nope, it's still my biggest passion. There have been moments where I was kinda burned out, but I always come back to it.
About the physical media aspect: I don't see myself quitting physical games anytime soon. I realise it'd be easier in many ways, but I just love going to a store and picking up a new game. I do buy more games digitally these days, but I doubt it'll ever become the norm for me until they actually stop producing discs.

 

[MonadL]

Yes mostly. I'm still incredibly passionate about video games but if they all vanished tomorrow I'd probably grieve for a month then move on with my life.

 

[GooberDooberCBC]

I think of gaming no different than art, films, other forms of entertainment. Honestly, I think there is a stigma against gaming in terms of its quality to the greater society but it could be argued that its just as integral as these other forms of media. If you consider the other forms of media/art/entertainment as disposable, then yes you could include gaming as well. If you don't, then gaming should be excluded either.

 

[nsilvias]

these days most entertainment is disposable to me. theres just so much of it and so much of it is safe.

 

[Deleted member 31092]

98% of everything is disposable, the other 2% sticks.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

No. I still collect games, books, movies and CDs. Some of it is disposable for me, but most of it is not.

 

[CloudsFromSpace]

It's tough to say. I don't think it's disposable, per se, in that I don't think games are things that are low value objects to be used and discarded without thinking.

But I have accepted that games will be transient going forward. Hardware will fail, discs and carts will fail, digital media will be delisted, things will slowly lose compatibility, servers will shut down, playerbases will die, etc. When mainstream gaming was young it seemed easy to hold onto it all, but now that we're entering the fifth decade of home consoles, well... things are starting to slip away.

Now, some of that history is worth preserving, for sure. But I feel much less anxiety about the process of things ending if I just accept it ahead of time. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I've learned it's better for me if I just let go.

 

[ExoExplorer]

I'm sure companies would love everyone to think they are. To me buying a game is much like buying a book. Something to add to my library. Even if I don't play something I've bought, it's still a part of my collection. The loss of physical media is going to sting. Digital is great for convenience but always gives me the feeling I don't really own my copy.

 

[Korigama]

No more than any other entertainment medium. I'd say its enthusiasts seem to have much less regard for preservation compared to other media, though.

 

[Kotze282]

Absolutely. I see no value in physical media cluttering up my living space. I hardly even replay games, especially older ones where going back to them is hard in terms of game design or technology. It is a medium that is meant to be consumed, and life is too short to worry about access to hundreds of games you are never going to play again anyways.

I also believe that people's obsession with collecting and having said access to entire libraries is very unhealthy.

To quote Jim Ryan: Why would anyone want to play that?

 

[shadowhaxor]

Of course, it is. It's just a form of entertainment.

 

[Makoto Yuki]

I'm starting to look at selling parts of my collection.

So yes, disposable to a point.

Really, I'm just gonna start collecting specific series going forward.

 

[entremet]

Most media is. It's not a bad thing. I don't own of my favorites book. I read it and it lives in my heart and soul lol.

 

[Tangyn]

It's my main hobby/way to pass time and has been for 30 years. Can't see it ever changing. Do I care about owning discs / keeping old consoles etc etc.

Absolutely not. I rarely replay anything and sell any discs I do have. Majority of the stuff I buy is on PC, I get PS5/Switch exclusives on disc then sell when finished

 

[Twister]

No, it is not disposable. I have memories associated with many of the physical copies I own and wouldn't trade them for the world. Even if I could buy the same game again down the line or digitally, it wouldn't be my copy.

 

[Cleve]

I used to be a collector, holding on to everything and buying stuff like neo geo carts, trying to complete a US saturn run, it's not worth it for me anymore. I sold off almost everything and just keep the few titles I'm very passionate about. Now I get most stuff digitally only getting physical for a few things. I just don't have the room or energy in my life for it anymore. It's okay.

 

[John Omaha]

I view online-only games as disposable since there is zero ownership. Everything else, no.

 

[Pyke Presco]

They are absolutely disposable to me. I don't hold onto old consoles, I'll typically trade them in when upgrading to the new generation. I'll get rid of my Xbox one in a few months to trade up towards a series x, and probably just give my PS4 to my dad next time I go visit him. No need to hold onto a stack of electronics for a game I may want to play three or ten years from now; I'll either rebuy a rerelease of it, play it on pc since things last much longer there, or simply carry on not playing it.

Ive tried not to buy physical media for like the last ten years; I own Last of Us on PS4 since it was a pack in with the console, red dead 2 on Xbox since I got it as a gift, and Skyrim, Mario and ring fit on switch (bought the first two abroad while traveling, ring fit since it's physical only). That's the extent of my physical gaming collection. I stayed in the Xbox ecosystem from 360->One because I wanted to play all my XBLA games and the digital games I bought in the last two years or so of that gen, but after a year I barely touched any of my old stuff anymore and just started playing new games. Same thing will happen this time around, I'll have a good library for backlog for the initial slow release tempo, but in a year or two I'll just buy new stuff I'm interested in and play it as they come out.

Im the same way with movies and tv too. Sometimes I want to rewatch an old show or film, but if it's not on Netflix or amazon prime then oh well, guess I just watch something else instead. It's entertainment, and there's just a constant glut of new content that I see no need to concern myself over something from years back. I've still got my memories after all.

 

[Deleted member 41651]

Everything is disposable especially when there are bills and rent involved. I didn't blink an eye selling my copy of Suikoden II or a rare Godzilla figure I had since like 1986. I love my Switch, but it's gonna go when the time comes. Physical copies of AAA games are even more disposable to me.

 

[JCH!]

Definitely. Gaming is my media of choice when it comes to entertainment but I don't really develop any kind of attachment to games or hardware. Games are just meant to be enjoyed in the moment and 'discarded' once they are no longer fun.

 

[Deleted member 49482]

Between gamepass and my local library and selling my games used when I'm done, I feel like I have little reason to buy games to keep. I think this is what is really keeping me from going digital (besides the price).

I feel like I'm in between two mindsets: wanting to have access to games I've enjoyed, and just being overwhelmed by the number of "things"
[...]
Basically I'm wondering how others see gaming in general, and has it changed either because of age or because of how gaming seems to be today.

Click to shrink...

I'm going to ramble here, as this is a topic that interests me. I'm not even going to get into historical preservation, but that's also relevant to this topic and something I think the games industry is (and always has been) behind on compared to other media.

I think much of it boils down to how a person views gaming. There are people I know who will basically never revisit a game they have already played. Sometimes that viewpoint even extends to not wanting to play older games; for example, they'll have no interest in playing MGS3, but will pick up MGS5. They want to keep moving forward with modern experiences while always trying the newest, shiniest thing. They'll churn through games quickly just to be able to consume as much new media as possible. I don't think there is necessarily anything "wrong" with this approach.

However, for me, I'll regularly play/replay older games mixed in with my new purchases. I may revisit a game randomly just because it was a lot of fun and holds great memories/nostalgia for me (games like Resident Evil 4 and Castlevania: SOTN). I also frequently replay older games in a series leading up to a new release, similar how I rewatched Infinity War before Endgame comes out. I'm currently finishing a replay of TLoU in anticipation of playing the new sequel, and I'm enjoying it nearly as much as I did on my first playthrough seven years ago. There are a lot of mediocre games out there that aren't worth the opportunity cost of the time it takes to beat them, but I try to be pretty discerning with my purchases and I revisit games fairly regularly, which to me is the opposite of "disposable" gaming. For those with a collector's mindset that no longer desire managing a physical library, I would recommend buying digital for those games you really want to "own" and revisit.

Money isn't a concern for me, but I've found it is also fiscally beneficial to mix in older games I've never played and replays of games between "newer" purchases. Next month I'm planning on playing Resident Evil 1 HD Remaster and Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition, the latter I'll add to my digital collection as I expect to revisit it again in the future after beating it, so that I can mess around with the bonus characters and modes. Keeping that game in digital format allows me to feel like I can play it and revisit it at my own pace, rather than feeling that I need to quickly "consume" as much of it as possible so I can sell it.

 

[Deleted member 13328]

Yes, I play them once. I don't think I ever replayed a game except the Monkey Island games.