Study: Gamers Still Prefer Physical Disks

A new report released by Ipsos MediaCT shows that video game buyers are more interested in owning a physical copy of their titles than those who purchase newspapers, music tracks or movies. The firm concluded that this means the video game market is more shielded from the current trend of abandoning the actual product in favor of a digital version.

The survey was made on a sample of more than 1,000 customers and 64 percent of those who bought video games talked about a preference for the physical disk. Just 63% of those who bought newspapers are interested in getting them on actual paper. When music listeners were questioned, 45% of them said they were fond of digital versions, without the need for a CD, while film lovers were leaning digital by a majority of 51 percent.

Ian Bramley, who is the director of Ipsos MediaCT, told trade publication MCV in the United Kingdom that “I believe the preference for physical discs amongst next gen gamers reflects the potential value they derive from the pre-owned market, which is holding up the preference for physical – this is unlike the music and film markets,” before adding, “Physical games discs have a long and well-established history, which is a deep mindset to change – particularly when gamers build a physical collection as they fear losing digital versions. And in-store browsing is also important to buyers.”

It makes sense for gamers to be more interested in the physical version because publishers have tried to make them more attractive by offering pre-order bonuses for those willing to put money down early and extra goodies in the package for those who go for the pricier Collector's Editions. There's also the trade in value that a physical title has, which often allows a gamer to get value for a future purchase.