Is physical media important to you?

[MegaDrive1987]

Yes to me but mostly for music CDs and Blurays/DVDs. I'd love to be able to buy physical copies of games for PC like back in the day but times have changed. I do try and buy through GOG mostly though as ownership is important to me. I don't use any streaming services or anything like that neither.

 

[diet_orange]

Yes to me but mostly for music CDs and Blurays/DVDs. I'd love to be able to buy physical copies of games for PC like back in the day but times have changed. I do try and buy through GOG mostly though as ownership is important to me. I don't use any streaming services or anything like that neither.

GOG is wonderful and I love their preservation program. Chipped in two dollars on my last purchase towards it, hopefully it'll go towards something good

Jazz Jackrabbit 1&2, Jill Of The Jungle, Epic Pinball, Rollercoaster Tycoon 1&2, Simcity 2000 and Tyrian 2000 will forever have permanence on my Laptop

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

I prefer physical. I wholly understand the impracticality of having too much stuff taking up space, and I am pretty frugally-minded. So I try to find a balance and only buy what I think is worth the money.

I don't buy as many DVDs/Blu-Rays anymore, although that's partly because they don't really sell them anymore in my country. I recently even downsized quite a bit on my anime & wrestling DVD collections. If anything, I've been collecting more VHS tapes I've found in thrift stores.

I mostly just focus on my physical collection of video games at this point. What gets me is how digital is way more expensive these days for new games than the physical option, provided they receive one.
I will buy digital if it's through GOG and for a good price. Otherwise, I don't see much point in paying more money for something I have less ownership over.

I also have a habit of buying cute plush toys & tea mugs

 

[diet_orange]

I prefer physical. I wholly understand the impracticality of having too much stuff taking up space, and I am pretty frugally-minded. So I try to find a balance and only buy what I think is worth the money.

I don't buy as many DVDs/Blu-Rays anymore, although that's partly because they don't really sell them anymore in my country. I recently even downsized quite a bit on my anime & wrestling DVD collections. If anything, I've been collecting more VHS tapes I've found in thrift stores.

I mostly just focus on my physical collection of video games at this point. What gets me is how digital is way more expensive these days for new games than the physical option, provided they receive one.
I will buy digital if it's through GOG and for a good price. Otherwise, I don't see much point in paying more money for something I have less ownership over.

I also have a habit of buying cute plush toys & tea mugs

If I see something now at the Goodwill that I work at, it REALLY has to grab my attention. For instance, we had two "orange box" sets of DBZ come in that I'd been wanting for ages (Season 7 & 9) and I snapped them up immediately

It's interesting to have to deal with the problem of VHS tapes and audio cassettes coming back in vogue due to people online and in the media hyping them up. I was hoping that'd be the case with CRT TVs as well considering how many we get left at our doorstep that we then have to toss out because they're "dangerous"

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

If I see something now at the Goodwill that I work at, it REALLY has to grab my attention. For instance, we had two "orange box" sets of DBZ come in that I'd been wanting for ages (Season 7 & 9) and I snapped them up immediately

It's interesting to have to deal with the problem of VHS tapes and audio cassettes coming back in vogue due to people online and in the media hyping them up. I was hoping that'd be the case with CRT TVs as well considering how many we get left at our doorstep that we then have to toss out because they're "dangerous"

I'd buy the hell out of a CRT! My Dragon Ball DVDs are also some of the anime stuff I kept!

I collect VHS mainly because it makes for an insanely cheap hobby. It'd cost more if I bought more tapes online, but I've only gone to local thrift stores where they are like .50c-$1. I have like 40 tapes so far.

I'd watch them if I could find a proper CRT/VHS player combo TV for a good price, but I don't mind just collecting them for now.

 

[diet_orange]

I collect VHS mainly because it makes for an insanely cheap hobby. It'd cost more if I bought more tapes online, but I've only gone to local thrift stores where they are like .50c-$1. I have like 40 tapes so far.

We used to have regular DVDs for .99 (larger ones like multi-packs are 4.99 and Box Sets are 5.99. Doing it that way encourages us to ask the customer to round up the penny for donations to our various programs) and man, it was like being a kid in a candy store. I nearly bought everything I found, and often did. Though to be honest, I didn't check a lot of them to see if they'd play, I totally do that now though

Also, I don't touch blu-ray or vhs because I do not need another addiction :P

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

We used to have regular DVDs for .99 (larger ones like multi-packs are 4.99 and Box Sets are 5.99. Doing it that way encourages us to ask the customer to round up the penny for donations to our various programs) and man, it was like being a kid in a candy store. I nearly bought everything I found, and often did. Though to be honest, I didn't check a lot of them to see if they'd play, I totally do that now though

Also, I don't touch blu-ray or vhs because I do not need another addiction :P

That is pretty cool!
Yeah, I don't really trust DVDs from thrift stores. A majority of people I've known never took good care of them, so I just default to assuming they're all scratched to hell

 

[diet_orange]

That is pretty cool!
Yeah, I don't really trust DVDs from thrift stores. A majority of people I've known never took good care of them, so I just default to assuming they're all scratched to hell

Some look like they've been incredibly well taken care of while most look they've been put through a belt sander. But tbh, you're never really sure even if you have a good quality disc if it'll play or not. Gotten so many that look perfect, but when I pop them in my PS2 slim, they refuse to play or skip around a lot

 

[Sleepstate]

Physical copies are just neat to have digital is valid but if you really enjoy something it's great to have a version you can proudly display on your shelf great for preservation to.

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

Some look like they've been incredibly well taken care of while most look they've been put through a belt sander. But tbh, you're never really sure even if you have a good quality disc if it'll play or not. Gotten so many that look perfect, but when I pop them in my PS2 slim, they refuse to play or skip around a lot

I suppose a DVD/Blu-Ray straight off the factory line still isn't guaranteed to work. Or it could just be poorly made. I used to have an officially released DVD of OldBoy & it was really bad quality. The movie was so dark you could hardly see anything.

Physical copies are just neat to have digital is valid but if you really enjoy something it's great to have a version you can proudly display on your shelf great for preservation to.

Yeah, I really like having shelves with my games on display. I have more games than shelf space these days, so I swap what ones I display every couple of months.

 

[Lena CE]

Sort of, but in a weird sentimental kind of way. I generally prefer the physicality and experience of physical media, but not to a massive degree. I emulate a lot and def get interested in stuff like Everdrives and ODEs to just play rips of games digitally for some level of convenience.

I do like the anthropology of physical media. If something is on my shelf, I want it to mean something to me when I look at it and I want to have enough of a connection to it to at least talk about it with anyone looking at it. I could never collect for the sake of collecting and while I'll always go physical if given the choice between physical and digital, I'll absolutely take digital if there is some kind of crazy good scale or the physical release is just rare and expensive (stares at some PS4-era Atelier games that need a rerelease).

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

(stares at some PS4-era Atelier games that need a rerelease).

Everytime I think I've got all the PS3-PS4 Atelier games, another on seems to pop-up out of nowhere

 

[PrismRed]

Very important, if it's not tangible then I don't consider it owning so I always try to get physical as much as possible, be it games or otherwise. I also only buy stuff that I know I want, simple trick I always use before buying anything is to ask myself "why should I buy this?" and if I don't come up with a good answer under 2 seconds, I skip it.

As Turbo Kid said above, you only live once, money is no problem, I'd rather die of starvation with a smile than to live a rich boring life.

 

[MajesticSiN]

I will always prefer physical media because at the end of the day you own it.
If companies had their way you wouldn't even be able to own even that.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

Yeah

Im willing to wait for a physical release or not get some games (like DooM Dark Ages). I also realize that when I want to check what to play, I usually just turn to my games boxes and pick what I want to play.

 

[DjQuick2008]

The people who voted no are digital bots destined to live in purgatory. Most ps3 games ive picked up are the same price as a digital game on steam.

 

[Jayonnaise6105 Jayonnaise6105]

The people who voted no are digital bots destined to live in purgatory. Most ps3 games ive picked up are the same price as a digital game on steam.

I've picked up some 360 games that were as cheap as your average on-sale GOG game

 

[DjQuick2008]

If your argument is no for game media then you must be happy with diluted streaming media also. Least with a VHS or a DVD you have that and you can watch it.

Post automatically merged: Sep 15, 2025

I've picked up some 360 games that were as cheap as your average on-sale GOG game

Yeah ps2 physical is my next stop ive not had a PS2 for about 5 years

Post automatically merged: Sep 15, 2025

No. I get it from an ownership standpoint, but I dislike the clutter. Even if you have some super organized shrine or whatever, how often do you actually use that stuff? "I have this just in case." Just in case what? Do you own a wheelbarrow just in case?

yes i keep my wrestling dvds in a suitcase. wheelbarrow is a good idea actually.

 

[medisinn]

I'm all for physical games. If a game is significantly cheaper physically(mostly indie games) I'll buy digital, but I prefer physical. Not only due to owning it, or for the tangible concept of seeing it on your shelf, but also for sharing. I love sharing with friends and helping them experience something new they may not have considered or been able to afford. I definitely have been burned in the past by letting people borrow things who never returned them, I am a little more selective now. It's also nice getting a physical game as a gift, it ties that person to the game and I think of them when I go to boot the game up.

 

[DrunkGecko]

It's important to me that it exists
I do not collect it

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Yes, I like having physical reminders of the things I own.

Convenience shouldn't override rituals, that's how I feel about it -- feeling the hard plastic shell of a cartridge of VHS tape between my fingers, smelling the slightly faded ink of a comic book; even just setting something on a shelf gives me a sense of accomplishment whenever these join my collection, whereas a digital download becomes completely inaccessible to me 99% of the time. Besides, I grew up on a rather modest household, meaning that purchases had to be thought through and mean something before committing... I can just about picturing the sheer denial I'd have gotten when asked to get something digital that my parents weren't gonna see or keep track of time and again.

 

[Retro Doomer]

Yes Physical Media is very Important for me as a proof that I own what I bought and besides I like to hold the things I buy in my hands it gives me a good feeling.

 

[_Lorenzo_]

Absolutely, I love physical media...otherwise I wouldn’t bother collecting the things I like. It’s pure fetishism, because honestly a vg, a DVD, or a music CD are way more convenient once dumped or ripped. Same goes for books. There’s the tactile, visual, and even olfactory factor. Then there’s something a lot less poetic: the actual investment you make when you buy, say, a rare game that gains value over time. Pretty basic stuff, really...

 

[pressyturny]

I like physical so much because not only do I own it, I make memories with it. I recall trying to pick up my preorder for tsukihime from GameStop before my trip to anime expo. That sunny weather paired with an upcoming trip really had me in an optimistic mood. Unfortunately I preordered too close to the release date so I had to wait till after the trip, but it made the payoff worth it. Or when I picked up Bananza with my friend, listening to the DK rap over and over on the drive to Best Buy. Very nice moments I’m glad I experienced.

 

[Danieru-Emanyueru]

Yes I think that's important.