Gamers for Gamers: Why Shopville Will Always Sell Physical Copies

A giant flatscreen television hangs from the wall in our head office's breakroom. It takes up a massive amount of space on a wall that could be used for anything else. An announcement board? A daily schedule? A painting of a babbling brook? Surely, something rather than an enormous black mirror, sitting like the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey. And, absolutely, we would consider taking it down if that television wasn’t nearly always filled with colourful characters bounding over mushrooms across green grasslands or dark knights battling the forces of evil in eery, pixelated gothic settings. See, the breakroom is also home to a gaming console (that gets a lot of play). And sitting below that console is a basket filled with those ahem “archaic” ahem plastic cases inside each of which is a physical copy of the video games we’re playing.?

Could we download games to the console? Sure. But we don’t. We have a collection there, ready-to-play that will never require an internet connection or having to delete a game for storage.? And it’s a collection that is used only when our employees arent bringing in their games from home, eager to share and play with their coworkers and friends. We share games with each other like it’s show-and-tell. We trade and lend and play. Because thats what gamers do and have always done. From the times when couch co-op and LAN parties ruled the day to now — we believe that games are collectable and should be preserved. And we take pride in ownership of such games. As gamers, we want ownership. We want the ability to game-share. It’s a culture thing.? That’s why we’ve got to talk about something close to our hearts: physical video games. With so much focus on digital downloads and some long-standing video game sellers closing their doors, we want to explain why physical games are a hill we will die on and why we believe they are best for gamers like us — and you.

You Truly Own It

When you buy a physical copy of a game, it’s yours. Like, really yours. You can hold it in your hands, admire the artwork, and stack it proudly next to your other games. It’s something you can pass on, share with friends, or even resell if you want. With digital downloads, you're mostly getting access to a file that's linked to an account, and if that service goes down or changes, you could lose access to something you paid for. We believe that ownership is essential. If you spend your hard-earned cash on a product, then you should walk away with something real that you can keep — and even resell if you ever wish to.

Better Value for Your Money

We’re all about making sure you get the most bang for your buck, and physical games really deliver on that front. Once you’ve beaten the game (or gotten all the trophies, we see you, completionists!), you can trade it in or sell it to someone else. That’s extra value right there, something you’ll never get with digital downloads. Plus, physical copies can become collector’s items, increasing in value over time. And who knows, that limited-edition game you bought might just be worth a small fortune in the future!

Play Anytime, Anywhere (Without the Hassle)

How frustrating is it when you're itching to play, but your internet's acting up or the download takes forever? With a physical copy, you pop in the disc or cartridge, and you're ready to go. No waiting on huge download files, no worrying about slow connections. You’re in control of your gaming experience, not your internet speed. And if there’s ever a server issue or the store shuts down, it won’t stop you from enjoying your favourite game.

Preserving Gaming History

Maybe this is dramatic or too passionate, but we’re gamers, and we love the games industry. So, we’re kind of passionate about preserving the legacy of gaming. Physical copies allow you to do just that. Even if a game is pulled from a digital store, your physical copy is still there, playable for years to come. It’s part of ensuring that gaming history doesn’t disappear just because a company decided to make changes to their online marketplace. Call us sentimental, but when we walk down the aisles of our stores and distribution center,we see that legacy in our own inventory. It means something to deliver a game that equates to a childhood memory or the experience of reliving a fond playthrough for a passionate collector.

What This List Means for You

It’s in the title. At Shopville, that’s what we’re all about: “geeks for geeks” or, in this case, gamers for gamers. Technology may change, and the industry may evolve, but we know that there is something special about holding what you own in your hands. We see it every day in our breakroom, and we see it when we get home and plug in for a bit of relaxation. We don’t believe that your ownership should rely on the whim of outside forces, so we will always sell physical copies.

At the end of the day, we’re all about giving you, our fellow geek, the power to make choices that matter. When you buy physical games, you’re not just getting a product—you’re getting ownership, value, and the assurance that your game is here to stay. And at Shopville, that’s what we’re all about: geeks helping geeks get the best possible experience.