SweetieGames

Something that makes me sad in the modern age of gaming is the decrease in physical media. You can buy digital edition consoles that allow you to have no physical games at all, and the increase in PC gaming means that everyone just has digital copies of games saved to their hard drive. Sure, it’s easier, but I just love having a tangible object in reality that represents a game I love, or a time gone by. I have my movie tie in PS2 games on display in my room for a reason. They fill me with happy memories of my childhood and time spent with family and friends.

I understand that indie games are more popular now than they’ve ever been before, and producing physical media is way more expensive and time consuming. But I hope that bigger companies don’t turn their back on well thought out physical editions. I love art books, I love making-of information, I love photocards and standees and props from within the game. I don’t just want bonuses in the game itself, I want tangible items and trinkets that look like they’ve come straight out of the screen.

Anything from clever box designs to replica items, I want it all. Even a cool game case will do! I want something I can admire on my shelf in years’ time, something that will remind me of the time I spent with that game and where I was at the time. While I write this, I can see my steel book copy of Persona 5 Royal, a game I blitzed through during the COVID pandemic. I wasn’t able to go out and I had a completely messed up sleep schedule due to working on uni assignments, but I cherished every moment of that game. It introduced me to one of my all time favourite characters, who I wrote about for my first ever post here! I don’t tend to look at my virtual library and reflect in the same way.

I know many people feel the same, and it may be a yearning for a simpler time where all games came as physical copies. Many game companies take advantage of people like me to create crappy limited editions with cheaply made items they can charge a premium for. I’m willing to pay a higher price if the items are good quality and actually worth having in my collection. My space is limited and very precious!

I know it’s a dying breed today, but I hope physical gaming media can keep being made well into the future. The comeback of vinyl gives me some hope!