Video games, like movies and music, have increasingly become a digital medium in recent years.
The rise of the internet has resulted in amazing convenience for consumers, who are now able to download films, albums and games without having to leave the comfort of their homes.
However, digital purchases come with risks; you don’t actually “own” the content you’re downloading, and it can be forcibly removed by the copyright owner at any point – something that Steam has recently made abundantly clear.
As a result, we’ve seen physical gaming hold on for longer than you’d perhaps expect, with dedicated players supporting the work of companies who strive to ensure that boxed products still remain part of the conversation. In the world of retro gaming, physical releases are arguably even more important, as it’s often the only way we can own and experience many titles legally. If physical gaming dies out completely, then game preservation might be harder in the years to come.
You can see, then, why digital code retailer CDKeys might have caused some upset with its recent advertising campaign, which claims that “only zombies buy physical games.”
The company has also run a second commercial, which shows a knight in armour attempting to pick up a boxed game, with the line “only people from the medieval times buy physical games.”
Both commercials were commissioned in July of this year but are still showing up in people’s Facebook feeds as sponsored posts.
Now, in CDKeys’ defence, it’s a retailer that deals exclusively in digital games, so it is bound to be biased against physical products – a sale of a boxed game is one less sale for CDKeys, effectively. Unsurprisingly, such a store isn’t promoting the positive side of physical distribution.
Even so, as you can see from Mike Diver’s comment above, the campaign isn’t finding favour with everyone and could well harm CDKeys’ reputation in the eyes of some customers.
What do you think? Let us know with a comment and vote in the poll below.
Go on.... treat yourself to a new game.
1 Comment
Honestly, this whole “only zombies buy physical games” thing feels a bit out of touch. Sure, digital is super convenient—no one can deny that—but there’s something special about physical copies that you just can’t replicate. Collecting, having that tangible item on your shelf, or even just the nostalgia of opening a new game box is part of the experience. Plus, with all the horror stories about games disappearing from digital libraries, it’s nice to have something you can hold onto. CDKeys might be pushing digital sales, but they’re really missing the mark on what a lot of gamers value. It’s just not a good look to throw shade at a whole segment of the community.