Till this day, I still own and play with my very first gaming console. I remember the excitement on my face every time I would walk past my local GameStop hoping that my father would let me explore and buy a game. There was nothing better as a kid than to walk out of GameStop with a physical copy in hand of your favorite game. All of a sudden, a new trend arose and for the first time ever, video games were available digitally. Now, walking out of your local GameStop with a clunky plastic case and disc became a thing of the past.
According to a report published by SuperData, the total market for digital games in August 2016 earned $6.1 billion, up 11% from 2015. A batch of successful releases across console, PC, and mobile drove double digit year-over-year gains in market growth. Console digital revenue increased 16% year-over-year to $399 million, and premium PC grew 21% to $401 million. Digital downloads are thriving in the market seeing substantial growth year after year. It’s pretty clear to say that the majority of consumers prefer digital downloads over a physical copy of the game. As a Hispanic gamer myself, I can say that I prefer digital games over a physical copy. Now that I am older with more responsibilities, I enjoy the amount of time I save and the convenience of buying games from my home.
You may not realize it, but if you’re gaming on a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, the actual disc you buy at the store doesn’t really do much. One way video game industry leaders can be more sustainable is by eliminating physical copies. Gaming consoles cannot run games directly off the disc itself, so eliminating physical copies will produce less waste and encourage others to buy digitally. For example, the fastest growing part of EA’s business is the delivery of games directly to consumers, which does not require the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of physical discs. Their transformation from a predominantly packaged goods business to a digital business significantly reduces EA’s carbon footprint.
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