In a time before the Internet as we now know it even existed, video games were mainly bought from brick and motor stores just like everything else. I was a boy who was introduced to video games via the PC, arcades, and the third and fourth generation consoles around that time. It was also in those days that my older brother who, with support from our father, would buy and install games the PC and rent Sega Genesis games from a nearby Blockbuster rental store before I even understood the fundamentals of shopping. Now that I'm a more active gamer, I would occasionally order games via Amazon (if I find the price right) and purchase them via the PlayStation Network Store, Xbox Live, and the Wii Shop Channel as downloadable titles on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii in addition to shopping at a local Gamestop. Since I keep an eye out for games of the best quality and have a limited budget, I make a mental list as to which games to buy based on their reputation since their original release, the uniqueness of the game mechanics, and, of course, the asking price. Sometimes I ask myself: do I go for a physical copy or a digital copy?
