Munich - The DVD in your hard drive, the sleek packaging on the shelf, the poster included for your wall. These are the trappings of PC gaming's present. The future may look a bit different, though: surf to a gaming platform on the internet, download your title, and commence playing.
There are already a number of providers of this type - and unless the experts are woefully mistaken, at least some of them will break through. That will bring with it any number of benefits, but some questions as well.
The underlying principle is tremendously simple: the gamer sets up a user account, selects a title, goes to the virtual checkout and downloads the title to a hard drive. There's no lack of choices: "Some 90 to 95 per cent of current titles are now on
internet platforms," says Christian Schmidt from Germany's GameStar magazine.
The world's most popular site of this type is Steam (http://store.steampowered.com), supported by game-maker Valve, of Half-Life fame. Nevertheless the platform also features titles from nearly all current publishers.
Other players on the market include Gametap (http://www.gametap.com), an American firm, and Gamers Gate (http://www.GamersGate.com), which is based in Sweden. Microsoft's Games for Windows Live also includes games for download from various publishers. "There are also special platforms like gog.com," Schmidt says. The "gog" stands for "Good old games," with the focus on classic titles.
Major manufacturers offer titles both on platforms like these and on their own portals. "Our top PC titles are also available as digital downloads," says Norman Habakuck from Ubisoft. "In the current version of the Ubi Shop, once you purchase a game, you then receive an email message with a download link and activation key," Habakuck says.
Electronic Arts (EA) also supports this distribution channel. Purchasers must first download the EA Download Manager. That
software is then used to launch games purchased in digital form, as well as to download handbooks.
"The publishers want to make digital distribution the standard," says Patrik Schoenfeldt from the Association of German Video and Computer Gamers. "It's the future, no question," confirms Christian Schmidt. The services are already old news for hardcore gamers.
There are reasons for this: downloading from the platform saves a trip to the store, and in many cases the titles can be downloaded and ready to go faster than the physical versions. This last method is called "Pre-loading," as Schmidt explains: the gamer downloads the title before the official publish date. "At the stroke of midnight you can download the one file that's missing and off you go," Schmidt adds.
The fact that players no longer need to work with CDs or DVDs also means more comfort. This is particularly helpful for gamers who test out numerous titles parallel to one another. They simply open their account at a service like Steam and launch the title. "Steam updates the games automatically as well," Schmidt says.
Yet there's a downside as well. Some gamers prefer to have control over when and how updates are installed, Schmidt emphasizes. Even more important: downloaded games aren't cheaper - just the opposite. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" drew a lot of attention and could be found on Steam for around 60 dollars. The price for the DVD version on Amazon started at 43 dollars.
"And I can't resell my games when I'm done with them," Schoenfeldt says, because they are tied to the respective user account. While there's a thriving trade in selling already-filled Steam accounts on eBay, it's a risky move. "It's against the terms of usage, so an account can be locked if you try it," Schmidt warns.
And what happens if the provider leaves the service? "My titles may no longer be playable," says Patrik Schoenfeldt. The operators claim that they are ready to handle these situations, such as through a patch that ensures the game can still be played. "But whether a provider that has hit financial difficulties will manage to program a patch is the question," Shoenfeldt adds.
