Video Game Streaming: Death of the Physical Copy [OPINION]

When was the last time you went out to the store, waiting in line, and bought a video game the night it was released? If you’re a prolific gamer such as myself your answer is most likely “I don’t remember” or “they still do that?” We are entering what seems like a new age for video games and many people here are out in the world arguing it’s a good thing or that it’s a bad thing; it’s all about perspectives and how you prefer to access your games. For a bit of background on myself, I have been playing video games since I was at least 5 or 6 years old. I’ve had a system in each generation since the Dreamcast and have come to love and appreciate video games more and more over time and to this day am still very invested in gaming and the industry of gaming itself. After years of playing games, I’ve noticed in recent years I’ve gotten most of my games off of online stores rather than go out to stores like Gamestop and pick them up in person. And with the rise of gaming subscription services such as Xbox game pass and PSN (Playstation Now) now I don’t see physical copies of games lasting for much longer, video game streaming is about to become the norm for the better.

For years, going out to the store to pick up a game was the only way to get access to your favorite games. Most general stores sold video games but as their popularity began to rise stores dedicated solely to video games came to be such as Gamestop and the now-defunct EB Games. These stores became hotspots for the latest games and consoles, pre-orders, midnight releases, game stores had everything going for them and were one of the only ways to get games in the late 90’s early 2000’s. But now the times have changed and people are streaming all of their games and buying consoles off of online shops such as amazon. Xbox and Playstation, for example, have their own respective stores on their console that allows players to purchase and download games on the console itself. In a time where streaming television and movies are the main way people watch, video games are following that same path. Some people may see it as a further loss of actually owning a piece of media but for people like me, it’s more like the next step in video game consumption.

The evidence is in the numbers as well, Gamestop’s sales have been slowly declining over the past few years and streaming games has become the norm in society. Gamestop has been forced to close hundreds of stores worldwide due to this decline and according to CNN Business, “GameStop has been in a multi-year slump. The company’s stock has lost two-thirds of its value over the past two years as customers switch their gaming habits” This is as clear as evidence can be that physical copies of games are dying and slowly but surely we will be streaming or purchasing all of our games online.

Of course, this is not to say that there will be no physical copies of games at all, just like with movies you will still find physical copies at big box stores such as Walmart and Target. However there will no longer be stores dedicated solely to games and just like with Blockbuster, Gamestop will cease to exist. I can’t imagine the owners of Gamestop haven’t seen this coming with video game streaming becoming so prolific. They have attempted to expand their stores by also selling merchandise such as sculptures, toys, and even clothing in order to broaden appeal. While it is unfortunate for the company, as a consumer this makes things much easier for game consumption taking out the middleman in order to receive games. 

Now there is still the argument that with digital copies we don’t actually “own” these games anymore rather we are paying to temporarily pay them. First, they became available to rent, then pay for online, and now available to stream. While this is true the same can be said about streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu and people are not going on a riot about how they no longer actually own their movies and tv shows any more video game streaming just seemed inevitable.

So more than anything, I simply see this as another step into the future of video games. This is just simply the progression of things in our society, and it only makes sense that games are now going in this direction as they are one of if not, the most popular form of media today. More and more companies are delving into the gaming world to make some of that sweet dough such as Google introducing their own system named Stadia. So, I think we are at the end of times for the physical copy, it was a good run but it’s time to fall in line with the rest of the major media today.