EA is going digital

[KJSinclair]

I don't know about EA, but with Microsoft, when they talk about digital download, you should be able to walk into a store and buy a card and that will give you an access code in order to download it.

It's how the world is moving forward, with digital downloads the bonus is a store won't run out of stock as they can generate infinite codes and send them worldwide.

It shouldn't affect peoples access to buying the game. EA would not risk losing customers by moving forward with technology.

[Anushka]

I'll assume that it would be available for everyone at the same time. Once it is released, it would take more than 8 hours to get to your local shop, doesn't it? And few hours is really not something to make a big deal out of. Specially cause you're free to do with them what ever you want (for example, buy the game, start download, go to school, come back have lunch and have your game in comfort of your home).
About account, you can't open one until 18 or is it something else? Can your parents open it? This way they'll literary buy you the game, not just give you the money to do it yourself, which mean more parent control/invovement. I have mine, and I used it to buy some licences, premium accounts etc so buying invisible thing isn't new to me, but I'm way over 18..
And one thing is certain. EA as any other business won't decide to lose money. If they evaluate that their sale profit will go down (which will probably be tested with next expansion) they'll leave both options for longer period of time.

And maybe selling Sim franchise will be great thing. Maybe new owner will work on fixing things we all complain for a long time.

Phyre, you're right about that one, but kids are usually having saving accounts instead of pocket money, so earlier they learn how to deal with money transfer the better.

[TheChronicR]

I'll assume that it would be available for everyone at the same time. Once it is released, it would take more than 8 hours to get to your local shop, doesn't it? And few hours is really not something to make a big deal out of. Specially cause you're free to do with them what ever you want (for example, buy the game, start download, go to school, come back have lunch and have your game in comfort of your home).
About account, you can't open one until 18 or is it something else? Can your parents open it? This way they'll literary buy you the game, not just give you the money to do it yourself, which mean more parent control/invovement. I have mine, and I used it to buy some licences, premium accounts etc so buying invisible thing isn't new to me, but I'm way over 18..
And one thing is certain. EA as any other business won't decide to lose money. If they evaluate that their sale profit will go down (which will probably be tested with next expansion) they'll leave both options for longer period of time.

And maybe selling Sim franchise will be great thing. Maybe new owner will work on fixing things we all complain for a long time.

Phyre, you're right about that one, but kids are usually having saving accounts instead of pocket money, so earlier they learn how to deal with money transfer the better.

It's my Dad's bank account, and I suppose you realize that he is way over 18 too. I can no way have an account until four years, and I am not fond of such things, really.
Another problem arises - will it be possible to download from any country? Or is it only limited to certain countries?

[Phyre]

Phyre, you're right about that one, but kids are usually having saving accounts instead of pocket money, so earlier they learn how to deal with money transfer the better.

They do? I must be getting old. I used to have a cow to put my money in!

And to add something actually on topic: It could very well be that the game becomes a bit cheaper once they offer it digitally because it will cost less to produce the end product.

[Anushka]

I really don't see a reason for not being available for every country where it is available now.  

Also, to feel more safe with online bank account, your family can open an account only for this purpose (online payment), and when you want something to buy, you transfer that amount of money, and spent it on what you want.

I was so happy to see the option to pay your bills via internet. After years of waiting in lines, fighting with receptionists to recheck the bills, I can finaly open my browser, check how much Kwh of electricity I'm spending, or how many phone impulses have I spent till this moment.

So I'm for progess (which this is). Maybe in slower pace so more people can catch up with it, but still for progress.  

Phyre, I hope so too - for cheaper products. Here in Sweden, every child has it own account since they are born, and state is giving some money for the child every month, no matter if parents are employed or not. My little cousin is 8 now, and has lot's of money on that account cause her parents didn't want to spent it, and left it to her. Now every month she put her saving on that account too, and she got Sims for her birthday cause she saw me playing and fall in love with it

[KrispyNickyB]

What does that mean for Mac users? I'm sorry but with the game running how it does...it actually runs better if you have a CD install to begin with!

[rian90]

There some not so good things that will come from this:
Other companies will follow EA's example.
Retail stores will hurt, more people will lose their jobs.
Used games from Gamestop and other places will cease to exist (probably one reason EA is doing this).
No used games means many people will not have access to games due to price.
Not everyone has an internet connection.

However, the following are simply not good excuses not to do this:
No credit cards...There are alternatives such as buying prepaid cards which I bet will be available at retail stores or getting a debit card, putting money on the card and using that...better than linking to your bank account, imho. I really don't think this will be an issue at all in the near future.  Even kids can have debit cards and parents can control how they are used (some very good companies out there).
Limited downloads..This is something EA will make sure is not a problem and I honestly believe you can download unlimited now to the same computer...and I have bought stuff from EA years ago that I can still download..so lots of misinformation here. Hundreds of software companies offer download-only software and they offer unlimited downloads. Besides, you can easily make a copy of the download and store it on your PC somewhere OR burn it to a PC. If you do this, then you have a physical copy of the disc. If you don't do this, then you shouldn't complain.
To keep EA from going bankrupt...They are not going to go bankrupt because they are going digital. My guess is they will save money as gas prices go up and affect cost of distributing and transporting physical copies. I am not saying EA won't have serious issues in the future but it won't be from going digital..unless they are stupid and mess that up...which would not surprise me since they are EA!  The number of people who will be unable to get the game...those without internet access, is small and growing smaller. Loss of those customers will be made up from the increased sales by those who want the game NOW and those attracted to the possibly lower prices of a downloaded game.  It will be a wash in the end most likely.

The good news:
For those of us with internet connection, we don't have to wait for the physical copy to be in the stores.
If our disc is damaged or lost, we don't have to rebuy the game. This is a HUGE draw for parents! I refuse to buy anymore movie DVDs for my kids because they tend to destroy them.  I would buy more games for them if they were digital than I do now.
Prices MAY be lower..they should be...but then this is EA.


All that said..I don't trust EA at all. 90% of my software I use for business is acquired through digital downloads. I have never had a problem, even when I have to re-download years later, even with small companies, and even with small companies that go out of business. But EA is a mess and they can take something easy and make it a difficult. So who knows....

[RunAmokSims]

They do? I must be getting old. I used to have a cow to put my money in!

And to add something actually on topic: It could very well be that the game becomes a bit cheaper once they offer it digitally because it will cost less to produce the end product.

If they were going to be less expensive wouldn't it seem that they would already being doing that? Right now downloads and discs are the same price. Having a download being less expensive would be a current enticement to get people used to the download only time.


As far as credit cards and bank accounts. You always have the option to buy a prepaid credit card to use on line. I don't think you have to be 18 to use them. When my nephew's birthdays roll around I go to Wal-Mart and buy a prepaid Master Card to mail to them. It's safer than sending them cash.

[Tommyo3000]

I don't really mind because my game is bought and downloaded from a website called GameTree ( computer rejects the disc every time I try to use the physical copy! ) but still I don't think this is a good idea.

[Pam]

I don't think this is cause for immediate alarm.  The article says it will happen over the coming years.  They've only barely started moving this direction with Barnacle Bay not being an actual disk when purchased in a retail store.  Technology moves fast these days and I think by the time we can only purchase downloadable games, most, if not all, of us will have the technology to cope with it.

This is something that I've been forced to deal with on a personal level over the past decades, just like others in my generation.  Would you believe that I learned to type on a manual typewriter that didn't have letters on the keys?  Yes, it's true.  I've watched it evolve from that all the way to personal computers and mobile devices.  When I was a teenager, my phone was hard wired in my bedroom.  No caller ID.  If the phone rang, I answered it with absolutely no idea who was on the other end.  And I sat on my bed to talk.  You can't go far with a two foot cord.  Now I have this crazy complicated cell phone that does everything in the world and I can barely figure out how to answer the fool thing!  So, what I'm saying is that technology is inevitable and we have to advance with it.  There's really no other choice.

As for the credit card issue, there are many ways around it.  Personally, I use PayPal for my Sims 3 purchases.  I put money into my PayPal account, then use it to make my purchases.  It never touches my bank account and there's no credit or debit card.  It really works great.

[Seabody]

EA is making a mistake.
If I move to a brand new house, I can't guarantee that house will have an internet connection. Therefore: no sims downloads.
If I overuse my current broadband plan, I get put on dial-up. Then, no sims downloads.
I don't really like buying, or even downloading stuff. It was a stretch to even patch my games. By "over the coming years", I hope they mean ages away; when (and if) we all give up Sims.
As rian said, if everyone goes digital, Retail stores will lose.
I understand that the future is coming, and we cannot prevent it, but this is stupid.

[Hosfac]

Just to play devil's advocate here — does anyone remember when the compact disc killed records? I know some of you are definitely old enough! Lol. There's always going to be resistance as things change. Maybe my comparison is an apples and oranges kind of thing, but I'm just talking change in general. It has to happen as we push forward. Digital media is clearly the way of the future. I'm guessing by the time I have grandkids daily printed newspapers may be only a memory — trees to chop down, gasoline at probably a million dollars a gallon just for the delivery trucks? Forget it. Just use the internet for your daily news needs. I'm with you guys — I prefer physical discs myself. But, the change is inevitable.

Yes, I very clearly remember the death of vinyl (and I said I'd never buy cd's too lol) and wholeheartedly agree with everything you said.  In fact, digital media is in the process of killing cd's now (and it serves them right for killing my precious vinyl records!    lol), and retail stores that specialize in music discs are listed as one of the top 5 industries in decline.

I don't have a problem with digital downloads, myself.  My issue is that I don't think EA is the one that should be spearheading this charge.  If their website was more reliable I might feel differently, but there are (many) days when I can't get on it at all.  And when you take into account the issues that surrounded the Barnacle Bay store release (and the length of time it took to fix it), it only reinforces the notion that they're not qualified to be the instrument of change.

I don't think they shouldn't try.  I just think they're just putting the cart before the horse.  There are many things they need to improve before/while they do this.  Customer service is the biggest one.  When everyone who plays their games has to get them by digital downloads, they're going to have a huge increase in the demand for service.  As it is now, their service personnel treat us like we're the enemy.  What's it going to be like when everyone has to download games and expansions?

Inspiring even a little bit of confidence would go a long way to make this transition easier.

As rian said, if everyone goes digital, Retail stores will lose.

Just the specialty retail stores.  I work in retail and I can say with all confidence that major retailers will not even notice.  And to be perfectly frank, that's how progress works.  The guys who put all of their eggs in one basket will lose, every time.

Case in point is the invention of the automobile.  When cars became popular, numerous industries took a huge hit:  horse breeders and carriage manufacturers in particular.  Many people lost their jobs because the things they made were obsolete.  Obsolescence is not something to fear, but it is something you have to be mindful of.  It pays to know when you're career has become obsolete so you have time to figure out what you're going to do after the industry you're working in dies.

[Phyre]

I don't have a problem with digital downloads, myself.  My issue is that I don't think EA is the one that should be spearheading this charge.  If their website was more reliable I might feel differently, but there are (many) days when I can't get on it at all.  And when you take into account the issues that surrounded the Barnacle Bay store release (and the length of time it took to fix it), it only reinforces the notion that they're not qualified to be the instrument of change.

I definitely agree with you on this one. However, there are already plenty of games who primarily employ digital downloading such as most MMOs (true, it's another genre, but the type of game shouldn't matter). They won't have to invent the wheel, just upgrade it. The current state of their website and their game launcher is most definitely not qualified to pull the full-digital bandwagon. It's definitely something they will have to invest in the coming years to pave the way for the change.

[Katluvr]

I just wanted to share my experience with electronic downloads from EA thusfar.  Perhaps it will put some of your concerns to rest.

I bought my TS3 base game in January via electronic download.  In very short order I was completely hooked on the game and proceeded to buy all EPs, SPs, and Medieval - all via electronic download.  I even have a digital copy of Generations on pre-order and will be downloading it as soon as it is available.  I don't have a credit card, so I use Paypal and that works just fine.

I can honestly say I have had no problems using the EADM - all my games and licenses are available whenever I log in - so in theory it should not be a problem when I get a new computer in the future (although to be safe I will probably try backing everything up onto a memory stick just in case).

My only complaint about downloading content is that on my system it takes approx. 4 hours to download a base game or EP and approx. 2-3 hours to download an SP.  I assume this is because of my equipment and internet connection and not due to heavy server traffic at EA.  It took the same amount of time to download TS3 in January and TSM on the day it was released, and I would assume the server traffic would be higher on a launch day.  I don't have any monthly restrictions on bandwidth, but I certainly understand why people who do are not happy about this.

Even though I didn't do a CD install my game seems to run just fine - the only problem I have on occasion is starting the game from the launcher, but when the launcher acts up I just bypass it and start the game directly.

I suppose if I had started out with CDs instead of digital copies of the game I would be more distressed by this development, but I really don't think this is going to be nearly as bad as everyone seems to think it will be.  That being said, it seems like some of you have had different experiences with EA than I have, so perhaps I am being overly optimistic.

[Hosfac]

My only complaint about downloading content is that on my system it takes approx. 4 hours to download a base game or EP and approx. 2-3 hours to download an SP.  I assume this is because of my equipment and internet connection and not due to heavy server traffic at EA.  It took the same amount of time to download TS3 in January and TSM on the day it was released, and I would assume the server traffic would be higher on a launch day.  I don't have any monthly restrictions on bandwidth, but I certainly understand why people who do are not happy about this.

It's probably due more to the size of the download than anything.  The Sims 3 is a bit of a monster in regards to size, and at current technology 2-4 hours is probably the best anyone could hope for.

On the other side of the coin, the more things go digital, the more it will spur the technology and the way that this technology is distributed to the public.  Once this starts to become the norm, you'll start seeing the end of internet companies that restrict bandwidth...much in the way that cell phone packages that force you to pay by the minute have become the exception rather than the rule.  And as the internet starts becoming more of a way of life for us instead of just a "neat toy," those areas that only have dial up available will become fewer and fewer, until dial-up internet goes the way of the vinyl LP.