Since the topic of download games came up, I thought it was worth discussing.
I’m not in favor of the idea. I don’t want to buy a product that won’t survive my next hard drive crash. But wait, I can just back it up somewhere, right? Well, no. If it were possible to save a download file and reinstall from it, the game would be too easy to pirate. At least with the game on disc, some kind of copy protection can be enforced. Regular data files don’t have such protection.
There are various antipiracy schemes the manufacturer can use for download products. One is to impose a time limit. If the game isn’t installed within the required period, it won’t work. If it just means resetting the system clock, however, that’s not very effective.
A better method is to require a registration key. The key is obtained online and is used to activate the product. Registration is usually combined with system verification so the download file and key can’t be used on another computer. Then there’s the antipiracy system that performs verification every time the program is loaded. We��ve seen an example of that in the recent past.
All of these protection schemes keep control in the hands of the seller. Without their help, you’re stuck if [make that when] you need to reinstall. You depend on their store to keep the download files online and keep a record of your purchase to issue a new registration key, assuming the original key expired or was lost.
Even if their recovery plan works as advertised, you should realize that you can’t really own a download game in the same way you can own one of PP’s current games. You don’t have a copy to lend to a friend, to sell or to keep for installation on your next computer. The product is strictly limited to whatever terms of use are declared by the manufacturer.
Some people have suggested that download purchases are a convenient way to avoid import tax or censorship laws. Maybe yes, and maybe no. Depending on how strict your country’s customs office is, they may still require payment either from you or the retailer. It could put the seller in an uncertain position if they were found to be circumventing the law. I wondered how GC managed to avoid that problem with their download products. Perhaps they didn’t.
That’s my position on download software. I don’t like it, won’t buy it and discourage people letting it become the standard.