
Video games, like movies and music, have increasingly become a digital medium in recent years.
The rise of the internet has resulted in amazing convenience for consumers, who are now able to download films, albums and games without having to leave the comfort of their homes.
However, digital purchases come with risks; you don't actually "own" the content you're downloading, and it can be forcibly removed by the copyright owner at any point – something that Steam has recently made abundantly clear.
As a result, we've seen physical gaming hold on for longer than you'd perhaps expect, with dedicated players supporting the work of companies who strive to ensure that boxed products still remain part of the conversation. In the world of retro gaming, physical releases are arguably even more important, as it's often the only way we can own and experience many titles legally. If physical gaming dies out completely, then game preservation might be harder in the years to come.
You can see, then, why digital code retailer CDKeys might have caused some upset with its recent advertising campaign, which claims that "only zombies buy physical games."
The company has also run a second commercial, which shows a knight in armour attempting to pick up a boxed game, with the line "only people from the medieval times buy physical games."
Both commercials were commissioned in July of this year but are still showing up in people's Facebook feeds as sponsored posts.
Now, in CDKeys' defence, it's a retailer that deals exclusively in digital games, so it is bound to be biased against physical products – a sale of a boxed game is one less sale for CDKeys, effectively. Unsurprisingly, such a store isn't promoting the positive side of physical distribution.
Even so, as you can see from Mike Diver's comment above, the campaign isn't finding favour with everyone and could well harm CDKeys' reputation in the eyes of some customers.
What do you think? Let us know with a comment and vote in the poll below.
What do you make of CDKeys' commercials? (1,941 votes)
- They're offensive to people who value physical games
- I agree with them, digital gaming is the only way to play
- I think it's funny, and isn't to be taken seriously
- I don't have an opinion either way
Comments 30
I mean it's like Sega making fun of Nintendo to me. Doesn't bother me, and I see the humour in it. I also own both Sega and Nintendo Consoles just like I own physical games and (pretty much when digital is the only option) some digital games. It's hard to avoid these days.
Well, physical games can require an active online presence and basically forcibly shut you out of a game at any time all the same, so it really doesn't make a difference anymore.
I was gifted a Ubisoft game a while ago, can't remember the name but it was basically Zelda with Greek mythology, and my kids played it for a little while, opened the game back up and couldn't log in anymore. So that cartridge was worth absolutely nothing anymore.
Same can happen to any game, if the publishers decide to be crappy about it.
i see this as one of two things
either
A. Some out of touch foreign guy running an account who thinks that this is the hip way to advertise and talk about your product due to the language and culture barrier
B. Some out of touch guy trying to be hip and cool with the kids!!! YEAH. GNARLY LETS GO THROW EGGS AT MRS FINCHFIELDS HOUSE WOOOAAAAHHHHHH RADICAL DONT BE A BABY SEGAGRAFX DOES WHAT NINTENDEGA GEO DONT!!!! not realizing that marketing strategy has been like. out of date for nearly 20 years
cant help but kinda sympathize with em either way since judging by the commercial its clearly a local thing run by some old guy who wants to make his product look fun, the title of this article made me think it would be some "Piko interactive ceo saying all prototypes should be trashed" level a-holery on twitter or smth but this is kinda charming. I'm kinda endeared by it. like yeah you go grandpa stick it to the physical game buyers😭
Whatever your stance on digital vs physical it seems a bit weird to devote a lengthy newsarticle to a shady key site's social media advertisement post
Advertising/Marketing shooting self in foot.
Not triggered in anyway, just will never be receiving any of my $ however I am not the target market anyway...
Not a patch on "Genesis does what Nintendon't".
@Daniel36 All this links back to "Games as Services" philosophy introduced in 2008 that permeated industry as profit motive took over physical self contained quality, product and experience...hence the physical backlash through special editions and the retro reniassance industry...
@hste Whatever your opinion of CDKeys they are a pretty big retailer when it comes to games and digital codes, so it's worth highlighting.
It is just a Joke, People should relax more.
Digital DRM Free > Real physical DRM Free > DRM Digital > Physical with DRM > Code in a Box DRM.
Try playing physical Games with Securom, Windows Live.
Even on Consoles EA sold Games with Keys bound to your Account.
So praise Gog.
@Azuris Bad business move though alienating a high paying section of potential customers...
Despite being a digital-only gamer, combo of option 1 and 3: it's offensive to people who value physical games, but it shouldn't be taken seriously. It's just an extremely dumb marketing ploy by a company that's incredibly out of touch. Oh, but it's also not funny, since it's just too dumb to be funny. The exasperating type of dumb. It's best to not give them any kind of direct engagement.
@Daniel36 wait immortals fenix rising, right? I have that on physical too. I played it a little and was meaning to get back to it. It doesn’t work anymore??? This is an actual outrage.
Even if it is a joke its fairly tone deaf and vaguely insulting.
@MSaturn
Immortals Fenyx Rising yes ?
Just tried the physical copy of that on my oled NX.
It still works.
I can get to the character creation screen and in game, no problem.
Only zombies--and people who don't want to be abused by digital only that offers consumers really no rights or true ownership of anything at all. And if they did own it properly, it would still be completely intangible with no cool box and manual and actual media to hold onto, cherish decades down the line, and even just pass down to your sibling or exchange for a bit of cash back in the future if you so choose. Choice and genuine ownership--never forget.
Reminds me of Ubisoft saying that people need to get used to not owning the games which they purchase. Companies like these need to get used to sucking on my 'nads.
I'm not their target audience (I am a collector) so I don't really give a hoot about the silly ad campaign, but I'm more concerned about the real harm some key resellers do to indie devs, particularly G2A. I know nothing about CDKeys and I assume they are above board, but key theft can do serious damage to smaller developers and publishers.
Anyway, I didn't vote in the poll because I don't agree with any of the choices... it's a pretty harmless and silly ad campaign. Support indie developers and game preservation: buy new, buy physical!
Meh never heard of them til now, I buy all my digital game keys at either Fanatical, Eneba, G2A, GOG, Steam, PSN, Wii Shop, eBay, Play-Asia, Amazon, Nintendo, and Kinguin but never them.
@MSaturn Well, it didn't work FOR ME. Not sure why, if I remember correctly I got into a death loop login with the Ubisoft account you apparently need to be able to play (Was it uPlay or something?)
I wasn't bothered to try and resolve it, as there was plenty of other stuff to do. So... It could've been a fluke.
@Daniel36
Must have been a fluke.
Or maybe Ubisoft patched it out between now and then.
I managed to get the game going no problem with no log in needed.
There is a log in option on the main menu though.
But considering Ubisoft is burninating right now
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINS
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINS
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINS
BRAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIINS
incoherent moaning
If you're offended by this you seriously need to get a grip of reality, I am a collector of physical games , over 5k last count but I stopped collecting during last gen, games require an online connection these days, you need to install the game before playing and furthermore there are games that simply do not get printed to the disc , it's nothing more than a digital serial, it's pointless.
I really cannot believe people are getting butthurt about this advertisement.🤡
@Llamageton it's not even dumb marketing it's a joke about people walking around shops like zombies when they don't need to, people are offended by everything these days❄️❄️❄️
Reminds me of the school kids telling me that only cool kids smoke.
Nothing to it really.
It might influence a couple of people. But not many.....hopefully anyway
Sadly I can't say they same thing about CD keys.
I used to buy a few things off cdkeys here and there. Mainly digital only items.
But after they sold me a xbox code that resulted in my brother's account being blocked. He had to redo his account and buy all digital games all over again.
I was very upsetting to see something you bought cause such chaos.
It really emphasised that physical is better.
They gave no support and were really rude about it.
It really put me off buying digital from most places
He's obviously a Ubisoft fan. 😆
Never been a huge fan of CDkeys, and definitely WONT be buying from them again after this.
@JJtheTexan CD keys can also sell stolen keys.
I accept being a Zombie and whoever these people are, they won't have my money.
Eh, it's fine. I am definitely a Zombie when it comes to Nintendo games because they keep closing their digital stores. I've gotten more selective about the games I want physical copies of, and I almost exclusively buy digital games when they're on sale.
If I buy a game and the consoles online store shuts down down about 15 years later or so, I am happy to buy it again.
I've got my value out of it and I don't need to penny pinch any more out of it.
When the consoles online store shuts down, it's likely because their old console is being discontinued and a new one is coming out to replace it.
So I don't need to desperately get a physical copy at all.
Most of the worries people put forward are highly exaggerated.
@Crabbitsteve Yes it's just a joke but you see joke will get people offended and those people had the right to be offended, not everyone online had the same mentality as that thing that made the joke. That's the point and yes they should be. Also that nonsense you spoke of doesn't applie to every physical game out there.
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