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As major gaming companies continue moving toward digital-only releases, one Saskatchewan retro gaming advocate says consumers could be giving up more than they realize.
Jared Dormer, co-creator of Saskatchewan Retro GameCon, said the industry’s shift away from physical media has sparked growing concerns about ownership, game preservation and long-term consumer choice.
“I think we’re definitely losing something,” said Dormer. “For one, it’s that choice.”
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The Saskatchewan Retro Game Con will return to the Temple Gardens Centre on Sept. 12 and 13.
While Dormer acknowledged digital downloads offer convenience through updates, downloadable content and instant access, he said physical media gives players something digital storefronts cannot.
He said one of the biggest differences between physical and digital games is the distinction between ownership and access.
While many consumers feel they’re buying a product, Dormer said digital purchases are often closer to purchasing a licence to access a game than owning it outright.
“My take is that if you can’t sell it at a garage sale, you don’t actually own it,” he said.
That distinction becomes important when online services shut down or publishers remove support for a title. Unlike a physical disc or cartridge that remains playable as long as the hardware works, some digital games rely on servers and storefronts that can disappear.
“Once the server shuts down, that’s it,” said Dormer. “You’ve paid full price for something, but if the server closes, it’s now worthless to you.”
He said physical copies also give consumers greater control over their purchases, allowing them to keep, trade, lend or resell games. Meanwhile, digital-only distribution can leave players dependent on publishers and online marketplaces for continued access to the products they’ve bought.
“If you own the game physically, it’s yours,” he said. “Whereas if it’s something that’s owned in a digital space or on a server, they can take it down, make edits to it, and you don’t have any control over that.”
Dormer said another consequence of the transition is the gradual decline of the second-hand market, which has historically allowed players to buy used games at discounted prices or trade titles with friends.
Why physical media still matters
Despite digital games accounting for an increasing share of the market, Dormer said demand for physical media remains strong.
He pointed to the rising popularity of retro game collecting, along with renewed interest in VHS tapes, vinyl records and other legacy formats.
“You’re seeing it across all forms of media,” he said. “There’s this drive for not only nostalgia, but for ownership.”
Dormer believes many consumers are beginning to ask whether having the latest graphics and technology is worth sacrificing ownership of the media they purchase.
“What’s more important, the quality or the ownership?” he said.
Dormer noted that developers continue to create new games for legacy systems, pointing to an upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System game based on Moose Jaw’s Deja Vu Cafe that is being developed in part by the Saskatchewan Retro GameCon team.
For Dormer, the debate extends beyond collecting and ownership.
He said physical media serves as a record of a game’s original release, preserving the work of developers, artists and designers in its original form.
“You’re really owning a piece of history that they can’t take away from you,” he said.
Dormer noted that digital releases can be updated, altered or removed over time, while physical copies remain unchanged.
He said similar concerns are driving preservation efforts in other forms of media, with collectors archiving VHS tapes, commercials and television broadcasts that might otherwise be lost.
Gamers push back
Recent announcements from major gaming companies have amplified the debate.
Dormer pointed to reports that some upcoming blockbuster titles may not receive traditional physical releases, along with consumer backlash over Sony’s continued push toward an all-digital future.
He noted that some gamers are participating in a “PS5 blackout” campaign, encouraging players to avoid purchases and stop using their consoles temporarily in protest of the industry’s move away from physical copies.
Dormer believes the pushback reflects a desire among consumers to preserve ownership options, even as digital sales continue to dominate the market.
“Physical sales are in a steady decline,” he said. “Sony is following market trends, but as consumers I think this is our time to push back if we still want physical media.”
Despite his concerns, Dormer acknowledged digital distribution has transformed the gaming industry in several positive ways.
Online storefronts allow developers to release updates quickly, fix bugs and deliver downloadable content without requiring consumers to purchase updated physical versions.
However, Dormer said those updates can sometimes create frustrations of their own.
As a father of two, he said limited gaming time can quickly disappear when a large download is needed before a game can be played.
“I finally get half an hour to sit down, and you plug your system in and you have a 10 GB update and you’re like, there goes my time,” he said.
Digital distribution has also opened doors for independent developers.
“A Saskatchewan developer can put a game on Steam and it’s automatically available to an international audience,” he said.
Dormer noted that streaming services and online marketplaces have made games, movies and music more accessible than ever, allowing consumers to access large libraries instantly.
He believes the challenge will be maintaining the benefits of digital convenience while preserving the consumer rights associated with physical ownership.
“I don’t know if there’s a right answer,” he said. “Whether it’s streaming music, video games or movies, I think it affects all of us.”
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