written by owen on 2026-Sep-08.

Video game youtubers that I have seen covering this topic go down the same path of pointless regurgitation. They repeat the similar points hoping that things that cause people grief will go away by the next news cycle or everything will just "work out". This article is not going to waste time talking about things that might be in the sea of own nothing and be happy. Here I will attempt to outline what you get when you go totally digital in gaming;

1. You get nothing. That is the primary advantage. An on screen list is all the ownership you really need. You get the experience of playing a game for a set period of time while the license is still valid. There is no way to tell how long this will be because nothing is forever. It is best to enjoy your purchase while it lasts. This is the most convenient way to exist and live a minimalist lifestyle.

2. Vender Lock In: By purchasing a game digitally you pay a company to grant you to access a game using an account that is hosted by said company under their terms of service. This is the only way to get access to the game. You get to play the game when they say and how they say. Do not lose your password. Also you must become apart of their marketing audience. If they ban your account, no appeal, do not pass go. If you follow the rules and give them money this company will be your best friend.

3. Refund at anytime; Because you have nothing you can get a refund at anytime. There is nothing you need to return to the sender because you have nothing.

4. No one can steal your game collection: A digital game collection is safe inside the cloud. No one can steal it from your house while you are on vacation. It takes up no shelf space, gathers no dust so no cleaning necessary. You collection is safe in a cloud account protected by 3 factor authentication. It is there forever as long as you are alive.

5. Discounts. Since you are technically renting, the landlord who owns your content and your device can offer you random discounts 365 days of the year. Marketing. Discounts all the time: 50%, 90%, 1%, 8%, or even 4% - just throw a number on the wall. You never know what discounts will be posted today, tomorrow or in the summer. The FOMO is so exciting that it becomes a game in itself. Just keep scrolling through the store listing forever. These discounts are visible every time you boot your console and soon inside every game while you play. MUST CONSOOM.

6. Pay full price because we KNOW you want it. Discounts only apply to old stock (well nothing is old, its all digital). We know you really like this particular game so we will never put that game on discount. Your will is not strong enough. Wait 2 years, 3? We know you want it, we know how long you played the remake. We know you stop scrolling every time you pass that game. Here is the ultra edition with all the DLC included but no discount for you. Full price if you want to play it.

7. Get better internet and more storage. You have all these digital games, thousands and thousands. You can only store so much locally because digital games are often hugs. You need to choose which games you install. The installation takes 1 hour so you do not install the game. If you want to play a new game you need to delete something - choose. We could buy more storage but it is expensive but also you can play your game via our cloud. Choices; CONSOOM.

8. Always online, reward points. We want to know that you are safe and well at all times - mostly to sell you new stuff. So since you are basically connected to us at all times here are some reward points.

9. Instant access. Digital is fast. Quick to buy, quick to scroll through with nice big thumbnail. Only downside is you can only play a few at a time.

Conclusion

Hopefully these points will explain why buying game digitally is much better than getting games on disc or any kind of analog media.

permanent link. Find similar posts in Video Games.