Physical Media vs Digital Media
As someone who grew up in the early 2000s, I've seen just how much technology has changed. Back then, everything had its own device. We had CD players for music, DVD players for movies, digital cameras and camcorders for photos and videos, handheld game consoles, and actual books on our shelves. Fast forward to today, and one device does almost everything: our smartphones.
Now, don't get me wrong, digital media definitely has its place. I watch YouTube all the time on my TV or laptop, and I buy digital games on my PC through platforms like Steam. Convenience isn't the enemy. The problem is that somewhere along the way, convenience started replacing ownership.
I'm not against digital media at all. I buy digital games on PC because sometimes it's the only option, and honestly, Steam has made PC gaming really convenient. What I don't like is the idea of companies slowly taking away the choice to own physical copies. I think consumers should be able to decide whether they want a digital download or something they can actually hold in their hands. Recently, Sony announced that beginning in 2028, Sony will stop producing physical game discs for new PlayStation games, shifting to digital-only releases due to consumer preferences. (https://blog.playstation.com/author/sshuman, 2026) The announcement has sparked a lot of debate because many gamers still prefer buying physical copies like me.
When you buy a physical game, it's yours. You can display it on a shelf, lend it to a friend, buy it used, trade it in, or sell it later if you decide you're done with it. With digital games, you're usually buying a license tied to your account. You can't lend it to your friend, you can't resell it, and if a game gets delisted or servers shut down, you can’t even play the game anymore.
Another thing people don't really talk about is competition. For example, if Best Buy, Walmart, GameStop, Amazon, and your local game store all sell the same physical game, they compete with each other. One store might have it on sale. Another might have used copies. You can borrow it from a friend or find it at a thrift store. Digital stores don't really work that way. You're usually paying whatever price the storefront decides unless they happen to run a sale.
And then... there's EA.
Now, I have been a Sims player since I was a kid. My first Sims game was actually The Sims 3 on the Wii console before playing it on my laptop with the physical copy that I had purchased. I have also played The Sims 2 and The Sims 4. Personally, I prefer the Sims 2/3 over the Sims 4 because they’re both entertaining, there’s always something new in the game that I have never seen, and you can tell the developers put their time and effort into both of these games.
As for the fourth game, it was trash and boring. I also don’t like the art style of The Sims, and there are always random pop-ups of them trying to get you to go to their online store and purchase a DLC (which costs a lot if you're buying all of them), even if you already have the DLC lol. Also, it was buggy as hell for me. Even the frames per second went from 60 all the way to 380, which my monitor cannot handle. The only way to make the game more playable was to use mods and fixes.
Now that’s not to say that I don’t use mods for The Sims 3 and The Sims 2, but even without the mods for both of those games that I mentioned, it’s still playable and enjoyable. But The Sims 4 is still boring with all these fixes and mods. I also don't support EA because of the company's decisions in recent years, including layoffs that affected thousands of employees.
Now back to Sony. Another issue is that there aren’t a lot of first-party games for the PS5 since it came out. I find it even more ridiculous that they’re doing this and then also not thinking about how a lot of people cannot afford to pay for digital media (unless it’s on sale), which is why a lot of people resort to buying physical media. Or sometimes….. sailing the sea 🌊
But.... This isn't just about PlayStation or EA. Movies disappear from streaming services. TV shows get removed because licenses expire. Games get delisted. Entire online stores shut down. When you own a physical copy, no company can wake up one morning and decide it's no longer available for purchase. Sure, a disc can get scratched. A book can get worn out. A CD can eventually stop working if you don't take care of it. But I'd honestly rather maintain something I actually own than depend entirely on a company's servers or licensing agreements.
I'm not saying everyone should stop buying digital media altogether. Like I said, I buy digital games on PC and watch YouTube all the time. Digital media absolutely has its place. I just don't think everything needs to become digital. We, as consumers, deserve a choice. If someone wants to download every game they own, that's awesome. If someone else wants to build a shelf full of games, CDs, movies, and books that they can actually hold in their hands, they should be able to do that too. Because at the end of the day... Walking into your room and seeing a shelf filled with your favorite games, books, CDs, and movies just feels different because it’s something that you actually own and enjoy.
References:
Sony Interactive Entertainment. (2026, July 1). Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles. PlayStation.Blog. https://blog.playstation.com/2026/07/01/physical-disc-production-ending-in-january-2028-for-new-games-releasing-on-playstation-consoles/