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I'm back with a little bit more on gaming. Today, I'm discussing, quite possibly, briefly the differences, maybe even the pros and cons, of downloadable content versus console. For the same of this entry, I'm defining "console" as the games you walk into a store and purchase a hard copy of the game for the console of your choice.
Why this definition? This is mainly because, at one point, you couldn't download games to your consoles. This was for the longest time. You could buy hard copies for your computers as well, but computers, with the advent of the internet, games could become downloadable content. There are also games that you can't actually purchase in a store. They're only available online and through certain sites. As such, it's important, for this entry, to have the definition of a console game.
Also, in this context, I tend to prefer console games over downloadable content. This is, perhaps, the biggest pro for spending upwards of $60 for a game in the history of gaming. As long as you take care of it and your gaming system, you will have that game for a long, long time, regardless of whether or not it remains popular. The gaming companies can't yank that game from your hands. Stop producing it and the system it goes on? Oh yes. They can most definitely stop doing that, but, as long as you still have the system and the game, they can't take it from you.
Since I've been on Facebook, there are a small number of games that I've enjoyed but can no longer play for a variety of reasons. Farmville says it's still there, but the game refuses to load. Pet Society was another favorite, but they stopped producing it entirely and is no longer available. A few other games I've enjoyed have also been discontinued and disappeared over the years, the most recent, of course, being Star Ocean: Anamnesis.
For some reason, as I mentioned, I can't get Farmville to load on my laptop (and my phone-turned-into-computer-away-from-home is just too small to be effective for playing). I keep trying to get Adobe Flash to work, but even Adobe Flash seems to be constantly outdated, even when up to date. I run circles with both Firefox and Google Chrome just trying to get the Flash Player to update. The same goes for Kitchen Scramble. Yes, I love cooking games. My current cooking game addiction is Crazy Cooking Star. I've resumed Hero Wars, but that's still somewhat boring to me. It's part distraction as I want to game (but currently can't play the games I really want) while I work on my writing projects. I can pretty much leave it unattended (which beats the point of actually gaming). These are among the only games I can get to work without Flash Player. And the sad thing is? I need an internet connection to play them at any given time.
Now, this isn't true for every digital game. At least, not after a while. Once it's downloaded to the system of your choice, as everyone knows, it's there. The internet connection is only needed long enough to perform the download and any system updates. Once those are done, the gamer is ready to play.
Again, that's where things get sticky. A downloadable game can disappear at the company's whim. Pretty frustrating for those who are into the game itself and wish to keep playing.
This is where hard copy console games have the advantage. No internet connection needed for download. Simply load it into the system and start gaming.
Now, I get it. Online games, free to play games are awesome. They don't require any money out of pocket in order to play, and, when you're poor, your money does need to go more towards necessities than gaming. However, if the company in question has in-game purchasing, and they're not making enough to justify producing more content or even just letting it run, they'll yank it from servers.
I realize I'm going on repeat here. Like I said, this wasn't going to be a huge entry in the first place, and this is definitely a preference. I like disconnecting from the internet to play games. I also like disconnecting from digital devices to read books.
And, honestly, online/digital content for games isn't the only area where the product can be yanked or discontinued to where customers can no longer get them. Books and music can also suffer the same fate. I know there have been debates over the years, since the invention of ebooks and digital music, as to which is better. Both have their advantages as well. In the end, as much as my personal preferences count for me, the individual gamer/reader/music listener's preferences count for them. If you love your online games, hey, I'm definitely happy for you! You found something to enjoy, and that's what matters the most.
Have a good Wednesday, my friends!
Final note, I'm resuming my live storytelling feeds in one week on my Enchanted Realms Fiction page on Facebook. You can check out the link here: https://www.facebook.com/Enchanted-Realms-Fiction. Please click "Like" and "Follow" to stay tuned into what's happening with my stories. I'll be reading from Portal to Gaming, the original publication while I hammer away at the revisions and editing. I'm starting over. The live feed will start at 9:30 PM Central Time.
See you there!
Why this definition? This is mainly because, at one point, you couldn't download games to your consoles. This was for the longest time. You could buy hard copies for your computers as well, but computers, with the advent of the internet, games could become downloadable content. There are also games that you can't actually purchase in a store. They're only available online and through certain sites. As such, it's important, for this entry, to have the definition of a console game.
Also, in this context, I tend to prefer console games over downloadable content. This is, perhaps, the biggest pro for spending upwards of $60 for a game in the history of gaming. As long as you take care of it and your gaming system, you will have that game for a long, long time, regardless of whether or not it remains popular. The gaming companies can't yank that game from your hands. Stop producing it and the system it goes on? Oh yes. They can most definitely stop doing that, but, as long as you still have the system and the game, they can't take it from you.
Since I've been on Facebook, there are a small number of games that I've enjoyed but can no longer play for a variety of reasons. Farmville says it's still there, but the game refuses to load. Pet Society was another favorite, but they stopped producing it entirely and is no longer available. A few other games I've enjoyed have also been discontinued and disappeared over the years, the most recent, of course, being Star Ocean: Anamnesis.
For some reason, as I mentioned, I can't get Farmville to load on my laptop (and my phone-turned-into-computer-away-from-home is just too small to be effective for playing). I keep trying to get Adobe Flash to work, but even Adobe Flash seems to be constantly outdated, even when up to date. I run circles with both Firefox and Google Chrome just trying to get the Flash Player to update. The same goes for Kitchen Scramble. Yes, I love cooking games. My current cooking game addiction is Crazy Cooking Star. I've resumed Hero Wars, but that's still somewhat boring to me. It's part distraction as I want to game (but currently can't play the games I really want) while I work on my writing projects. I can pretty much leave it unattended (which beats the point of actually gaming). These are among the only games I can get to work without Flash Player. And the sad thing is? I need an internet connection to play them at any given time.
Now, this isn't true for every digital game. At least, not after a while. Once it's downloaded to the system of your choice, as everyone knows, it's there. The internet connection is only needed long enough to perform the download and any system updates. Once those are done, the gamer is ready to play.
Again, that's where things get sticky. A downloadable game can disappear at the company's whim. Pretty frustrating for those who are into the game itself and wish to keep playing.
This is where hard copy console games have the advantage. No internet connection needed for download. Simply load it into the system and start gaming.
Now, I get it. Online games, free to play games are awesome. They don't require any money out of pocket in order to play, and, when you're poor, your money does need to go more towards necessities than gaming. However, if the company in question has in-game purchasing, and they're not making enough to justify producing more content or even just letting it run, they'll yank it from servers.
I realize I'm going on repeat here. Like I said, this wasn't going to be a huge entry in the first place, and this is definitely a preference. I like disconnecting from the internet to play games. I also like disconnecting from digital devices to read books.
And, honestly, online/digital content for games isn't the only area where the product can be yanked or discontinued to where customers can no longer get them. Books and music can also suffer the same fate. I know there have been debates over the years, since the invention of ebooks and digital music, as to which is better. Both have their advantages as well. In the end, as much as my personal preferences count for me, the individual gamer/reader/music listener's preferences count for them. If you love your online games, hey, I'm definitely happy for you! You found something to enjoy, and that's what matters the most.
Have a good Wednesday, my friends!
Final note, I'm resuming my live storytelling feeds in one week on my Enchanted Realms Fiction page on Facebook. You can check out the link here: https://www.facebook.com/Enchanted-Realms-Fiction. Please click "Like" and "Follow" to stay tuned into what's happening with my stories. I'll be reading from Portal to Gaming, the original publication while I hammer away at the revisions and editing. I'm starting over. The live feed will start at 9:30 PM Central Time.
See you there!
