Reply To: Open gaming mini license

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@totsuzenheni – doesn’t this sort of reinforce the music analogy then? I mean, your requirement for wav over mp3 would – to my way of comparing the two – put you more in the “music officionado” section (in the same way many people still insist vinyl is “better” than digital – they have a preferred format and don’t want to “compromise”).

But the music industry didn’t wait for you to get onboard. It didn’t wait until every available CD had been converted to a digital file. It simply said “there’s enough here for *most people* to get onboard with it” and made the change.

In the same way, a few – ever decreasing – number of people refusing to buy anything that wasn’t lead didn’t stop resin and plastic from becoming popular in wargaming. In the same way, people refusing to buy into printing at home won’t prevent many large gaming companies – and I’m including GW in here, once a critical mass has been reached – from going down the digital delivery route? Yes it’s early days. But, for me, it’s the only viable direction of travel.

I’m just not buying the “GW are too big to hold out” argument, nor that “dinosaurs will hold back progress”. Progress will continue, whether individuals hold out against it or not. For me, it’s just a matter of time.

Anyone not streaming music now didn’t prevent digital streaming music services from advancing. If you’re not buying streaming audio or downloading files, you’re already a niche consumer.

@sundancer – an mp3 is a useless digital file unless you have something to play it on. Whether a computer or a phone, costing hundreds – if not thousands – of pounds/euros/dollars, or a portable mp3 player (which, when mp3s were first becoming popular, were still relatively expensive bits of kit). Some people play mp3s through a crappy 10mm tinny speaker in their phone, some people invest hundreds in top-end speakers and amplifiers. At some point (and particularly back when we’re talking about mp3s reaching critical mass to hit the consumer market) a rather large investment was needed to be able to download and play them.

Will be interesting to re-visting these posts in the vast internet archive in about ten years and see which way the industry went 😉