2 or 3 years remaining for physical game retailers in South Africa - BT Games

[Hanno Labuschagne]

2 or 3 years remaining for physical game retailers in South Africa - BT Games

Brick-and-mortar video game stores have at least another two to three years left in South Africa, according to the director of one of South Africa's most well-known video game retailers.

With global broadband connectivity on the rise, gamers are increasingly using digital storefronts to purchase video games.

This may lead many to believe that video game discs will soon be a thing of the past, similar to how music streaming services killed the CD album.

 

[|tera|]

Good to see some logic and sensibility.
Hard to find sometimes.

 

[Progenix Oj101]

I'm a game collector, digital downloads don't mean a thing to me. I saw this coming, but it still sucks

 

[Dan C]

100 gig for a game

 

[RedViking]

Its dead. You have to download content anyways when you buy a game.

 

[|tera|]

Its dead. You have to download content anyways when you buy a game.

It's always been that way though.
Patches used to be anything from a few Mb to a few hundred.
These days fixes are gigs in size.
Fitgirl has my support. I don't even update games.
Edit: can't stop the rock. Stop the rock. Aaaarrrggghh

 

[genetic]

100 gig for a game

Flight Sim 2020 was around 150GB to download, and has around done 3 x 11 GB updates in the last few weeks.

 

[Genisys]

Flight Sim 2020 was around 150GB to download, and has around done 3 x 11 GB updates in the last few weeks.

Those are rookie numbers. Call Of Duty Modern Warfare is about 50 - 60GB every update after the initial 90GB download.

 

[Swa]

What she ignores is that by the time it releases you already have to patch the game and many retail copies never came with the game files in any case. Sadly retail is already dead.

 

[Peon]

Couldnt BT Games offer buyers high speed connectivity to download the game quicker than their 10Mb fibre at home? Come buy the game and dl it in store to an external quickly. Or some type of delivery mechanism where feet still enter the store? Increase the value added proposition by including novelties and merchandise?

200GB dl hurts on a 10Mb connection. How many 4G/5G users are gamers and the 200GB download hurts?

 

[Fulcrum29]

Couldnt BT Games offer buyers high speed connectivity to download the game quicker than their 10Mb fibre at home? Come buy the game and dl it in store to an external quickly. Or some type of delivery mechanism where feet still enter the store? Increase the value added proposition by including novelties and merchandise?

200GB dl hurts on a 10Mb connection. How many 4G/5G users are gamers and the 200GB download hurts?

 

[gregmcc]

Had to happen eventually.

 

[Peon]

It kuk, anyone else remember going to IC or CNA and playing the latest games on the machines they had setup? 1999 - Tiberian Sun

 

[Markd]

It kuk, anyone else remember going to IC or CNA and playing the latest games on the machines they had setup? 1999 - Tiberian Sun

1999? That sounds about right. Think I was in the original Incredible Connection in Woodmead in 1998 playing Starcraft on some shitty old 14" CRT, and absolutely loving it. I remember there being shelves PACKED with those big boxes that games used to ship in, from a host of developers/publishers nobody remembers anymore. Thats how I discovered games like Simon the Sorcerer, Kings Quest etc. That was the golden age. I really miss it - guess I'm getting old!

 

[hj007]

So when Steam goes down/bankrupt, what happens to your digital downloaded games?

I'm not so sure I'd be happy that my games are actually only being rented, not owned..

Steam is down, so you’ll need to work through your backlog another time

Steam is down for most PC players around the world. The issue is preventing users from logging in, buying games, and launching games from their library.

venturebeat.com

 

[Peon]

1999? That sounds about right. Think I was in the original Incredible Connection in Woodmead in 1998 playing Starcraft on some shitty old 14" CRT, and absolutely loving it. I remember there being shelves PACKED with those big boxes that games used to ship in, from a host of developers/publishers nobody remembers anymore. Thats how I discovered games like Simon the Sorcerer, Kings Quest etc. That was the golden age. I really miss it - guess I'm getting old!

Ai Mark, WarCraft2: Battle Chest bought from Woodmead. Box was massive for a lighty back then. They had 5 gaming PC's setup for peeps wanting to LAN Q3.

 

[Deandbn]

Ohh, if only we had affordable reasonably fast internet in South Africa.
Now wouldn't that be nice.

 

[wbot]

Who else misses the smell and shine of a brand new boxed game?

GTA IV smelled the best for some reason haha. Mine still smells pretty good

Digital downloads are just not the same. I'm a disc guy.

 

[backstreetboy]

So when Steam goes down/bankrupt, what happens to your digital downloaded games?

I'm not so sure I'd be happy that my games are actually only being rented, not owned..

Steam is down, so you’ll need to work through your backlog another time

Steam is down for most PC players around the world. The issue is preventing users from logging in, buying games, and launching games from their library.

venturebeat.com

Lol they just need to release HL3 and they'll be more valuable than Apple.

 

[Moosedrool]

100 gig for a game

Half-Life Alyx was over 70gb

I really hope you don't work for a ISP who throttles its customers without realising the average data consumption in modern times.