Hey everyone, welcome back to our MMOMFG.com Roundtable! Each week we will toss a topic around and get everyone’s opinion on it and then post the discussion here for all our loyal readers to read. Armed with this knowledge you will be prepared to fight the good fight and look good doing it.

So, without any delay,  I present our third Roundtable discussion.

Justin:  Week 3′s Round Table Discussion – Digital Distribution
Are you for or against it? Do you think it will replace Brick and Mortar stores?

Brandon:  I view digital distribution with sort of a cautious eye.  This has been a topic of conversation more with music than video games, but i think it is probably the future of both media types.  I loved digital distribution of music when it was the wild west and you could grab as much of it as you could with no thought to paying for it, but when it comes to downloading songs through ITunes now I really just don’t care for it as much.  I just prefer having the actual CD for my music.  I understand that I’m paying for a lot of production value that you can skip over with a digital copy, but that is just my preference.

With games I feel the same way for the most part.  I have used digital distribution before when I had to buy a downloadable copy of Everquest 2 because my computer didn’t have a DVD drive (what a n00b).  I don’t guess it bothered me to not have an actual copy of the game, but I haven’t used digital distribution since.  I think it is going to become a more preferred option as we continue to expand hard drive capacity to insane heights.  I saw in the paper yesterday and advertisement for a 1 TB HD for 100 bucks.  With that kind of size you don’t have to worry about having to take off old games and have to reinstall them from the disks if you ever want to play them again.

It’s hard to say whether it will replace Brick and Mortar stores.  I think most people’s experiences with places like Gamestop or EBgames or whatever they all are now has been underwhelming.  Most of those places seem to really push having to preorder everything and selling you used copies of games.  Maybe that’s a good deal for some people but others get turned off by that approach.  Undoubtedly there are some people who would rather press a button with their mouse and buy a game than deal with going out to the store.  I do think digital distribution probably will become the major distribution method for ALL types of media in the future though.

Cam:  I am certainly not against digital distribution.  Digital distribution is a great thing because it is allowing smaller, independent developers a chance to get their product to a wider array of customers without having to front the money for printing discs and packaging or be at the mercy of a publisher that may drop them at any moment.  It’s a big reason why the video game industry in general is growing as fast as it. In the “old days”, niche games for specific demographics were not feasible because they would never bring in enough revenue to cover the expenses from making the game.  But with cheaper, downloadable games, niche and casual games have boomed, and more and more people are realizing how fun video games can be.

I don’t, however, dislike hard copies, and I *hope* they don’t go the way of the dodo.  Much like I prefer reading physical copies of magazines over web versions, there is something great about going to a store and getting that box with all the art and booklets and crap, getting it home, and popping it in your machine.  I still get the same fun out of it as I did when I was a kid. I think a lot of people feel the same way, and so I think whether it sticks around or not will be determined by the economy rather than the fact that digital distribution is “easier”.

Justin:  Both of you bring up some good points.  First, the box art, and more importantly “collectible edition” copies of titles are something I geek out over once in awhile. Obviously you lose that with Digital Distribution.  Secondly, Brandon stated that he pays a lot for a physical copy due to production value, which would make sense but I’m still seeing D.D. version of games being sold for the same amount.  I suppose it’s a Physical Copy production vs. Paying for bandwidth and hosting the D.D. version.  But as of right now I don’t see a huge benefit price wise to download a game.

There are some very successful sites right now that deliver quality games and deliver them fast.  Steam for instance, is my idea of a successful distributor,. I’ve very rarely (perhaps only during its inception) have had issues with getting games or playing games off of their site.  I do believe however, if ISPs tighten the leash of begin limiting bandwidth, D.D. will slow down.  People will begin watching their bandwidth counter like watching your gas meter during a cold winter.  This is my main counter argument on why stores (from Gamestop to Bestbuy) won’t go anywhere.

Brandon:  That’s a good point on bandwidth limiting.  It’s a pretty bad idea in general, but definitely will have an impact on the staying power of digital distribution.

Also, when I mentioned production quality I was actually referring more to music.  When you can download a song from iTunes for $.99, paying 13-15 dollars for a CD becomes less cost effective the fewer songs there are on the album.  Most of the CDs I buy seem to have around 6-9 songs, so I’m obviously losing out on that deal versus purchasing digital copies only.

Andrew:  I’m down with digital distribution.  And there’s really only one reason: laziness.  If I’ve got the option to download something versus actually getting off my ass and going to the store, I’m going to pick the download option 9 out of 10 times.  Yes you’d have to depend on an internet connection – but in order to go pick up a game you’ve got to depend on transportation.  So I guess that people without legs need to get things over the internet.

Justin brings up the uber-geek topic of ‘collectable editions’.  In my opinion, these are total bunk.  They’re just over-priced and over-hyped shiny wrapping of a simple disc.  If you’re that into Resident Evil that you need to get the collectible edition with limited edition Chris Redfield action figure, then I guess you’re dependent on a physical store…and you probably give Chris a good view of your prostate often.

Here’s a great thought, let’s take the digital out of distribution.  How about a GameStop delivery service?  I’m talking about a GameStop delivery guy who brings copies of games to your house.  You call them up, ask if they’ve got the new FIFA, and they swing by to exchange goods for dollars.  I think it’s brilliant.  And this way you can still get your fancy collector’s edition Final Fantasy Gunblade to practice being lonely with.  An epic win on all accounts, I’d say.

Justin:  Your Gamestop idea is a great one, however if the guy came to my house and started asking me if I wanted to preorder Barbie’s Horsey Playhouse Cute Bunny Deluxe Edition Special Part Deux!, you might have a homicide on your hand.  But seriously you could just do that with UPS and order from any shop. Normally there are some specials that offer same day shipping.  It can be a bit costly but it’s still an idea.

Beau:  This is an interesting question for me, because the company I work for has a huge marketplace for digitally distributed goods, so I know quite a bit about digital-only goods.  I’m a fan of digital distribution, though probably not as the only option, as I usually like to have a physical copy of the game manual and the disc.  However, there are a couple of main benefits to digital distribution.

One is the low overhead required to distribute products digitally.  Since you’re not paying for retail space or paying for packaging and shipping costs, you save a ton of money on producing the game.  This would theoretically let game publishers charge less for the game (like in the case of the Xbox Live Arcade) and could allow smaller publishers to produce games profitably, since they wouldn’t have to pay for warehousing, shipping, etc.

The other is the “I have to have it right now” factor.  Not having to go to the store, or being able to buy and play something right away at midnight on a Sunday is pretty sweet.

As others have said, there’s definitely a drawback to downloading huge games over the Internet.  Even with a fast connection, the multiple GBs of modern games can take a hell of a long time, to say nothing of slower connections.  However, with more reasonably-sized games it can definitely work well for most people.

All in all, I’d love to see more publishers offer both media and digitally delivered versions of their products, and think it would be great if there was a great storehouse for digital-only games from smaller publishers that were cheaper than traditional games.  There may already be one, but if so, I’m not familiar with it.

Brandon:  Beau, that digital storehouse you mentioned actually does exist.  Check out http://www.playgreenhouse.com/ .  Greenhouse is a distributor of small publisher games that is owned by Penny Arcade and Hothead Games which was created to facilitate distribution of the first Penny Arcade game.  Mike and Gerry at Penny Arcade have always been supporters of indie game developers who can have some incredible game concepts but limited means to develop and produce such games.  Games there typically run about 15-20 dollars each.

Dustin:  I have actually utilized digital distribution for games quite a bit.  I’ve bought multiple copies of World of Warcraft, EverQuest 2, Guild Wars and a few others to name a few. I like the fact that I can have immediate (other than download time) access to a game without having to head to a store to pick up a copy.  The only problem with digital distribution in my eyes is that the game typically isn’t available as soon as it is in the stores.  There won’t be any people camping a website at midnight to get the latest Madden or World of Warcraft, simply because they aren’t available for a few days or weeks.

I would love to be able to buy a game at 12:01 a.m. the night it comes out and avoid waiting in lines and getting home around 1 a.m., but it likely won’t happen for every game any time soon.  I still enjoy the packaging of games and buy games from stores all the time still, despite preferring digital media distribution. I don’t see brick and mortar stores going away any time soon, but they will definitely face reduced sales and lack of used video games sales within the next few years.

Justin:  Steam normally has their games “unlock” at 12:01. So you can preload weeks before hand and once the release date hits you can play your game.

Dustin:  But Steam is one of the few companies/sites that provide that.  I know most of the sites, including XBOX Market Place don’t offer the games immediately for download.  So Steam is handling it quite well, but Blizzard didn’t have virtual copies to download for Wrath of the Lich King for weeks.

Justin:  True and Microsoft has come out and said that their Games on Demand section might not have the game available on the street date.

Dustin:  Has anyone else bought a game online and if so, have they mailed you the box?  I don’t think I’ve ever received packaging for my copy of Leisure Suit Larry Magna CUM Laude.

Brandon:  One instance of psuedo-digital distribution I had that sucked was when I pre-ordered Warhammer: Age of Reckoning so I could get into the beta test.  You downloaded the beta client and then they said on the website that when it went live just keep using the beta client.  Only then they shut down access for beta client users 3 days after the game hit retail stores and I couldn’t pick mine up because the entire first week the game was out my Gamestop was closed because they had no power because Hurricane Ike F’d everybody’s S.

Justin:  I believe that shows a pretty big problem with digital distribution. The fact that you are heavily dependent on an internet connection might not sit well with some.  I know certain distributors allow you to access a game a certain amount of times before a connection is required, but what about those instances where you’re waiting a week, maybe even two before the cable/fios guy can come out to your house?

Dustin:  I had my share of digital distribution a few nights ago.  I purchased CrimeCraft from Direct2Drive and enjoyed the relative ease of the purchase.  I first tried to use my debit card to purchase, but then was declined because they only accept credit cards or PayPal.  I used PayPal and was super easy. The downloading process was easy, but took about an hour and a half for a 4 gig game.  No real complaints other than having to wait, but a round trip to the store would likely set me back about 30-45 minutes anyways.

Once the game was downloaded, I was stoked to start playing.  Unfortunately I had to install now, which took about 30 minutes (and I have a fast computer). Install complete, time to start playing. Psyche! Patching. An hour later, it is close to 11:30 p.m. and I said F it.  Can’t really complain about any of the process other than the need for high speed internet or possibly a bad game requiring patches, but who knows yet.

I like digital distribution and will likely look forward to most, if not all, my purchases being made this way in the future.

Cam:  I’m an art/book junky so I still prefer buying in the store.  It’s not really about collecting, because I don’t really care about any of the special crap they might put out that I don’t need.  A lot of RPG’s in particular have very nice concept art in the booklets and packaging. I know some games may come with PDF versions, but again, I much prefer having something physical I can flip through.

Plus, my tradition when I buy a game is to get home, get the book out of the box, and spend some time familiarizing myself with the game whilst sitting on the porcelain throne before I play.

Dustin:  The last time I read an instruction booklet was when I was probably 8 years old. I also used to buy the strategy guides, but I don’t suck at life anymore.

Justin:  When I was young I remember getting a ride to the local Funcoland or Toys R Us and buying a game. I’d sit in the car on the way back and read the entire manual before ever even playing. It taught me more to read more effectively than my English classes.

Dustin:  No need to understand the controls when you can play every game on easy mode or turn the sliders to negatives in sports games.

Brandon:  As usual, Dustin shows himself to be a fat lazy ignoramus.  “I don’t need to know how to do something; I’ll just change the game until it’s so easy that it doesn’t matter!”  He is the same way in MMOs.  Why bother reading the quest text to know how to complete a quest when you can have a UI mod put a giant flashing arrow on your screen telling you where to go?

Justin:  I think we already established he is a fatty fat fat who is also lazy and fat. In fact I’m going to change his Bio picture to a pile of fat.

Dustin:  This is true. Maybe as a kid I was a slower reader and didn’t want people to see me reading an instruction booklet for 45 minutes when it took the average kid 5 minutes? None of this is true, but it made me sound less like a jerk-faced idiot. Quest text = boring text. I hope I can skip all that dialogue in Star Wars: The Old Republic since listening to each quest is going to take me forever!

Brandon:  I think we could have an entire roundtable just about why having that attitude makes you a terrible gamer.  Why bother even playing a game then?  Do you know how much work went into writing and designing all of those things you would rather just skip?  To be honest you ought to just pay somebody 50 bucks and have them tell you how awesome you are if that is all you want out of the game.

Justin:  Anyways…..
If you had to choose one method for getting your games for the next 5 years.  What would it be?  Bear in mind that although bandwidth capping isn’t an issue right now, it very well might be in the next 3-4 years.  Also consider that systems like On Live are totally dependent on digital distribution.  Or if you decide to go physical only you might be missing out on some stellar indie games.  I should also add, within the next 5 years, your internet connection might come and go, which could possibly leave some of your digital games unplayable.

Dustin:  I will go with digital distribution. I like being able to have access to games at any time. I’d rather download a game at midnight than wait in line outside of a store. I prefer the immediate access DD offers me.

Cam:  For my personal preference I still like buying a game in-store.

Justin:  I would have to stick with a physical copy for a few reasons. 1. Gamestop isn’t too far from me, and even if I moved somewhere else there’s about 100 of them in NJ/PA area.  2. I enjoy picking them up the day they come out. 3. Trading value. Whether I ebay the game, lend it to a friend, or get credit for it, it allows me to make things cheap. Yes I know this cuts out of the developers pocket, which sucks, but unfortunately being the consumer I need to think about how my $60 gets spent. And if it can help me get that second game for a little cheaper, so be it.

Brandon:  I’m hesitant about digital distribution because some sites require you to have an active internet connection. I’m staying with physical copies for now.

Beau:  Physical, just because I like having the manual and the artwork, mostly.

Andrew:  If forced to choose – I’d go with my brilliant idea of a physical delivery service.  good bye MMOMFG.com, I’ve got a startup to launch!

Back to reading manuals – I remember reading the manual front to back on the ride home from Blockbuster like every Friday night as a little child.  God, little kids are stupid.

Justin:  You do realize that they have these companies called Fed Ex and UPS right?

Dustin:  Every site offers delivery, Andrew. How else does Amazon keep delivering your shipments of Hannah Montana DVDs?

Brandon:  What I think we need is a physical digital distribution service.  Someone will come to your house and get on your computer and download and install the game for you including all patches and whatnot.  they could even schedule installations for late night/early morning while you sleep.

Justin:  Ya it’s called the Geek Squad where they overcharge for installing McAfee in your PC.

Dustin:  What we need is a well trained staff of hot girls who come out, offer witty banter and generally look hot while installing your games and patch them, but still charge Geek Squad prices. I’d gladly pay for this service.

Andrew:  Hot girls, YES!  This would make the delivery service worth it.  Some hot chick with funky dyed hair, preferably in a miniskirt, comes over and pulls your order out of her Hello Kitty backpack. Awesome!  They can install discs on my hard drive any day.

Cam:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ALaS8lHGM

Andrew:  That video just saved my afternoon.  So awesome.

Awesome indeed. Though digital distribution is here to stay, brick and mortar stores still have plenty of healthy years ahead of them. Even among our six, four of us still enjoy buying a physical copy of a game for a multiple reasons. High Speed internet connections and instant gratification has helped digital distribution over the past three to four years and it will continue to only offer us more options. Speaking strictly as a gamer, if it helps small time developers get their foot in the door, I (among many other gamers) are for it. Perhaps they both can co-exist in harmony? Keep checking MMOMFG for more stimulating conversation than you can shake a stick at.

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