This feels somewhat predictable; I suppose we should have seen this coming.
For those of you who have not yet heard, SONY, one of the largest companies in gaming and media production, recently announced that they will no longer be manufacturing physical copies of their games by 2028, opting instead for a completely digital platform. I have discussed my feelings on the superiority of physical media a few times here before, and I will provide a link to said article at the end of this one, rather than regurgitate it here. Needless to say I am throughly disappointed and somewhat offended by this decision!
At the time of this writing, nothing has suggested that this end of physical media has made its way to anything outside of video games; movies and hopefully books remain not-yet-on-the-table. I say that instead of “off the table” because, let’s face it, one of the main reasons SONY has made this decision is to maximize profit at the expense of consumers, and if this decision ends up making them more money in the long run, you can be assured that they will consider doing it in as many other avenues as possible!
We need to accept the sad fact that we live in an age when the corporate overlords have more power than they deserve, and they will wield over all of our heads like the braindead lemmings they believe us to be! However, time and time again, we have shown them our true power, and made our voices heard with our wallets. So, if you’re looking to protest, this decision, here are a few things you and I can do, assuming you haven’t done them already.
1.
If you own an all digital Playstation 5 Pro (which I do), you can still buy the optional disc drive for future installation (which I have). Although I do own a handful of digital games on my PS5, and even though I may not play my games as much as I have before (at last presently), I still prefer the notion of actually “owning” my games for the long run. Also, having the ability to play other kinds of discs on as many of your devices and consoles as possible, is a great way to ensure that you have as many avenues for enjoying your other games and movies on disc. Which brings me to the next item on my list of suggestions.
2.
Avoid purchasing any digital copy of anything (games, movies, books, etc.) and only purchase whatever form of physical media (DVD, BluRay, UHD, etc.) that you can find! Furthermore, try to avoid purchasing them from online platforms, like Amazon, if you can. I understand that sometimes Amazon seems to be the only retailer that actually has what we’re looking for, and I am guilty of caving into using Amazon many times myself. Even so, I still try to go out into the world and find the thing I’m looking for first, and put in the effort to use Amazon as a last resort. Also, there are many other fantastic digital retailers of games and movies out there (Arrow Video, Limited Run Games, and Criterion Collection to name few), offering high quality physical media for titles that might otherwise find themselves lost in the shuffle. As long as you own a machine that can read your discs, you OWN the title on that disc, and have every right to watch and play that title whenever you see fit; you will NEVER have that luxury with any kind of digital media, no matter how unlikely it may be that they will revoke your license.
3.
Write a letter (not an email, social media message, or any other form of digital communication) to SONY and any other media company that may be considering ending physical media, and express your distain for this decision! Even if they never reply to you, or if your letter gets tossed aside, no one can deny the existence of a physical thing that takes up space in someones office. Sooner or later, they will have to acknowledge it in some capacity, and with what may be an overabundance of physical letters crowding up their corporate mailboxes, it will provide grater emphasis on the importance of physical media.
I myself plan on writing and sending a letter to SONY, and I will write it on my typewriter. I will also scan said letter and share it here and on all of my social media platforms, so as to make it abundantly clear where I stand. I hope you will join me in this effort to save our media from extinction. Because we may only enjoy our entertainment if we sustain it by fighting for it with our wallets and our voices. Nothing will ever change or get better if we don’t start demanding it in every way possible!
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better; its not!”
-The Lorax
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
