This aspect about physical game collecting isn’t mentioned enough
We all read the arguments about ownership, second-hand market, pricing etc. But my biggest reason I won’t ever buy anything other than physical is another one.
I have quite a large collection of physical games and in about 30 years I’ll be retired and will have more time playing retro games. I might also be giving them to my children or grandchildren one day, who knows?
Given the fast pace of worldwide economy, inflation, wars, political chaos I simply do not trust a digital library. Yes, at the moment the PlayStation Servers are working perfectly, you can download your games anytime at high speeds.
But who guarantees me that Sony will exist in 30 years? Who can be sure that the internet in my city will be intact and running at any given time? Recent wars have shown that governments will turn off Internet for their whole population for security reasons (Russia, Iran). It’s obvious that this won’t be the last time this happens. The servers will run as long as Sony’s (if it still exists at the given time) current strategies align with keeping them alive.
People are thinking way too short term. I can’t believe I have to tell you people how fast times are changing nowadays! Me personally, am not willing to put my hard earned money into building up a game collection inside a life service of an evidently moneyhungry company. Listen to how ridiculous that sounds! Get sane, gamers! Think more then 2-3 years into the future. Amen.