This Digital Games Era Brings Its Own Set Of Woes

Another day, another article discussing physical and digital games. I know, I know, the world as a whole prefers digital games now, and the sooner I accept this fact, the better, but can you blame a guy for trying? Well, putting that aside, innovation in technology and the extreme ease of use have definitely made Digital games the better choice, that’s for sure.

The loss of physical games is regrettable, but it’s a fact that we live in a digital era now, and digital gaming will be the dominant choice. However, that’s all the more reason why we need to be on the lookout for a different set of problems now. With all the ease and comfort come the pitfalls of digital safety, data collection, ownership crisis, and whatnot.

Cybersecurity And Digital Theft

Awareness is the first step towards combating the problem, so here we go. Physical games had a lot of pros, but there were a couple of things you needed to be careful about. Being physical belongings, losing or misplacing them was a real threat. Above all, what if they got destroyed? Or stolen? Handling and storing them with care was important.

Well, you don’t have to worry about any of this when it comes to digital games. You can’t misplace them, they’ll never be destroyed, nor do you have to worry about storing them. Everything’s good, except the last point. That’s right, with the Internet and digital stuff, physical theft was replaced with cybercrimes. Now it’s your data and digital assets that can be stolen. Password management and security are critical.

Your digital account is the most valuable and precious thing. It houses all your purchased games, and if you lose access to it or get hacked, there goes all your hard-earned money and towering collection. No security measures on your account means easy hacking, and conversely, strong security measures mean you can never forget your password or risk being labelled an intruder. This is why using something like NordPass and 1Password can be a lifesaver.

Ownership And Preservation

You knew I would talk about this; you saw it coming a mile away. That’s right, you can never truly own digital games, as they are just a license. It’s the parent company that holds everything in its hands. Well, spending your hard-earned money only to purchase a fleeting license is a real punch in the gut, right?

They're telling you that you dont own digital products now
byu/Sea-Cupcake-2065 invideogames

Well, there’s not really a solution to this, since this is the reality of digital gaming, but I still believe a platform like Steam offers good management of digital assets and games. With its extremely vast library and ownership support even for delisted titles, you can’t go wrong with expanding your Steam library with classic gems. If the companies don’t care about preserving this medium’s history, we users have to.

And there are indeed many people out there doing god’s work. Every time a cruel act like Nintendo’s eShop closure is about to happen, you can count on loyal fans to save the day. An important part of being a digital gamer is to collect and store rare gems, and platforms like Steam ensure you own something you’ve purchased and are free to use it.

Watch Out For Shady Deals

Last but certainly not least is knowing when a deal is too good to be true. Digital gaming brought about the concept of game keys, an easy and reliable way of purchasing games securely. Well, as long as you get them from reputable vendors. Unfortunately, many shady sites exist these days, too.

Beware of key scammers, they're becoming more sophisticated
byu/unfoldgames_ ingamedev

Digital safety and data protection are internet usage 101 these days. You can’t be too careful when it comes to privacy concerns; on the other hand, you might even be extra bold and try to sell internet data and earn money like many people do.

Either way, having a good VPN is highly useful and practically a necessity these days. But beyond a VPN, you also need to make sure you’re visiting and purchasing from the right sources. You wouldn’t want some shady stolen game keys in your account, right?

Digital gaming has made our lives a whole lot easier and convenient. No waiting in lines, no dreadful “out of stock” messages, no careful management of physical media so as not to damage it. It’s all digital and just a click away. But that doesn’t mean everything’s smooth sailing. We need to look out for a whole new sort of issues now, but as long as we’re prepared, we can make the best out of this digital comfort.