There has been a big shift in the way we get our games over the last few years. It’s becoming increasingly common that people simply download games from e-shops. All of the big consoles have e-shops, PlayStation has PlayStation Network for example. So console manufacturers have no qualms about putting the games onto consoles this way.
But should you as a consumer have a qualm about it? Why would you?
While it is sad to see the decline in game retailers around the world, it is a trend which is effecting all shops, everywhere. People are buying things less in general and as a result there are less shops. It’s pretty simple.
It’s also sad to see the packaging and ornate boxes fade away. Long gone are the days of cardboard boxed Nintendo games on the shop shelves. As games move to digital download format, packaging will shrink ever more until it is reduced to a mere barcode on a plastic card.
But games will remain popular, they are just becoming digital instead of physical.