Download video games: the most popular games
For a long time, video games were something that came in a box. Typically you would head to the local game shop, grab the packaging, and get it home for an inevitably arduous process of cutting, reading and loading. That was before the rise of the Web made solid media essentially obsolete, ushering in an entirely new era in game purchasing. Today more of the games we play are downloadable in an instant, and the industry is trending toward even greater numbers in the future. Needless to say, you may want to conduct a cursory review of these attractive options if you are looking for something like instant gratification.
One of the nice things about downloadable games is that they are merely software. That means you don’t have to worry about the tricky storage and wear problems associated with flimsier plastic disks and cartridges. It also means the games themselves can be updated, expanded or revamped altogether – all it takes is a patch and some cash. As software moves more into the service sector and out of the product sector, regular improvements like these will become the rule, not the exception.
Downloadable video games are by no means limited to major platforms like the Xbox 360, either. The market for smaller portable games is booming, propelled in no small part by an increasingly mobile culture that prizes convenience over graphical firepower. Cell phone games such as puzzles and arcade emulations are becoming big business, and that means increasing numbers of users are downloading their favorite diversions wirelessly over 3G networks. One of the biggest markets is without question smart phones and PDAs: major hits such as Bejeweled and DopeWars have sold millions of copies, and new titles are coming out all the time that take full advantage of ever-sharper screens for Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices.
If larger consoles are your thing, you will be heartened to learn that all three next-gen platforms from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo offer live channels that allow you to download games and features in a blink. The best of the bunch may be the Wii’s Virtual Console, which is winning accolades for an expansive line of vintage titles that covers the full catalog back to the NES.
But the biggest market for downloadable games remains the PC. The locus of most families’ Internet use, the PC is a natural choice for gaming downloads via broadband. One of the biggest markets nowadays is for MMRPGs such as World of Warcraft and Second Life – expansive universes that combine the best elements of fantasy, action and social networking. Want to go somewhat more modest? Sports games and flight simulators now forego all the plastic and come in easily downloadable form.
The day is coming when removable media will be considered obsolete. Get on board with the next generation of games by investing in a machine that connect, download and play everything you need. Soon you’ll wonder why those brick-and-mortar game shops even exist!