but you can go to their online store...purchase the expansion, then
launch the game and it will be automatically downloaded.
I got like 3 years of use out of Quake3 for $40, but I would have
paid 10 times that over a period of time for extra content and good
managed servers.
Personally I've always wondered why I have to go to the store to
actually purchase an online only game in the first place.
--
jon
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Monday, January 19, 2004, 3:08:42 PM, you wrote:
JD> I definitely think that it will happen sooner or later. However the
JD> question to me isn't distribution, it's ownership vrs. Pay-as-you-go.
JD> As to the distribution we're already seeing less of a reliance on the
JD> physical media (the song- and file-swapping networks are indicative of
JD> this). The issue now isn't media, it's speed and reliability. I can go out
JD> and buy a CD. Or I can download it. It takes longer to download it and my
JD> continued ownership of it is dependent on the quality of my storage media
JD> (my hard drive). I'm also limited by the size of my personal storage.
JD> As both the speed of distribution and reliability/size of storage increases
JD> I'm sure that reliance on the physical media will also fade. An closely
JD> analogous market is the cell-phone software market. You buy ring-tones,
JD> games, software, etc for your phone and never expect physical media. This
JD> is, to be sure, because the cost and file sizes are very small but the
JD> concept is similar.
JD> Another is the financial (and other) industries move towards paperless
JD> online statements. Video on demand is making noticeable headway into the
JD> video rental markets in areas where it's available. We've already seen a
JD> software industry wide move to drop paper manuals (and their costs) from
JD> packaging and replace it with online help (or at the worst, simple PDF
JD> versions of the manuals).
JD> Basically many of those things that can be replaced by online delivery are
JD> being replaced. Slowly to be sure, but they are. In all successful cases
JD> the delivery mechanism is effectively instantaneous.
JD> That's not to be extreme about it and say that NO physical media will exist.
JD> It may not COMPLETELY supplant it (what's ever 100%?), but I think we'll
JD> definitely reach a point were obtaining physical media will be a rare,
JD> difficult to request. Like trying to find a recent release on vinyl.
JD> I think we'll get there eventually, but it may take longer than some people
JD> predict (I've heard "two or three years" for example). I would think, if
JD> current trends in connectivity, speed, and storage stay strong we'll be
JD> fully in this phase in say, 15 years. I expect before then for some basic
JD> architecture level changes to occur - Steam may be a major prod there. For
JD> example I think we'll see games designed for streaming play soon. Instead
JD> of downloading 700meg and then installing you'll download 20 meg and start
JD> to play while the rest of the game content streams in from the download
JD> service.
JD> This is actually pretty easy to do now (the game engine is generally one of
JD> the smaller overall chunks of the game with the art and in-game stuff next
JD> followed finally by voice and music and then finally by video cut-scenes).
JD> The technology is already moving in that direction to diminish load times
JD> from CD - it's not a stretch to see it expanded to deal with longer times.
JD> Anyway the question isn't distribution (to me) it's ownership. Are we going
JD> to pay $50 for game and "keep it" or are we going to pay $5 a day (or
JD> whatever) to play a game? I prefer the former, greatly, but the latter is a
JD> good option for those that rent frequently.
JD> In short I think that both options will be available. Pay a large, one-time
JD> fee to play unlimited (just like buying a game today) or pay smaller,
JD> periodic fees to play a game for a short while (just like renting a game
JD> today). In either case I think the trend is moving towards online delivery.
JD> I also think that additional funding will be gained via additions and
JD> enhancements to games.
JD> For example I might pay $50 to play a game as often as I want but then need
JD> to pay $10 more to get new levels as they come out. However if I chose to
JD> pay $10 for a weekend of play when the game came out I could, later, pay
JD> that $10 again to rent the fully updated game.
JD> Personally I tend to play games to death - getting everything single
JD> possible thing in them. But then I never play then again - there's just too
JD> much coming out. I also tend to play just one game at a time, finishing it
JD> before starting another.
JD> I might get 100 hours of entertainment from "Final Fantasy X" - which means
JD> it's economical (in our hypothetical future world) to buy the game outright
JD> (or, considering the delivery, a unlimited license for the game). However
JD> another truly great game like "Silent Hill 3" may only take 8 hours to
JD> finish. For this a weekend license would probably suffice - but I might
JD> rent it again at some point just to show a friend that cool scene in that
JD> mall.
JD> I would, of course, keep (just as I do today) all of my progress and in-game
JD> goodies in all the games I play on personal media. If the delivery were
JD> instantaneous (and didn't require me to go outside) I could easily see
JD> myself renting the vast majority of my titles.
JD> Lastly I also think that for this to become a success certain issues need to
JD> be dealt with. For example portability. I should be able (and really have
JD> to be able for the process to successful) to play that game on any console I
JD> want: in the family room, in the bedroom and at a friends house. Another
JD> issue that I think is coming soon is buyer remorse issues. Technology can
JD> track my usage so it should be intelligent about it.
JD> Considering no physical media if I rent a movie and never watch it a good
JD> system would extend me credit. If I rent a video game for the weekend
JD> (again assuming online delivery) and can't play it I shouldn't pay. I'm
JD> not, like I would be with physical media, prevent other customers from
JD> access the same content so the traditional restrictions should be loosened.
JD> Anyways I think we'll be getting more and more things online and see fewer
JD> and fewer examples of physical distribution media as networking tech
JD> improves.
JD> Jim Davis
[Todays Threads] [This Message] [Subscription] [Fast Unsubscribe] [User Settings]
