Digital Distribution!

Today I would like to talk about the rapidly growing trend of digital distribution. I specifically want to discuss video games and three of my personal favorite websites dedicated to downloadable full versions of video games and more.

As many of you already know and most likely already participate in, digital distribution covers everything from music to movies to peer to peer file sharing and, as we'll talk about today, video games. I'm going to try and highlight three of my favorite websites that take advantage of this increasingly popular method of product distribution.

Digital Distribution (also known as digital delivery or electronic software distribution) is the practice of providing content in a purely digital format, which is downloaded via the internet straight to a consumer's home.

I want to start off with my personal favorite website for video game downloads.

Over 1,100 games are available to purchase, download, and play from any computer. Check out the new releases, indie hits, casual favorites and everything in between.

Find someone to play with, meet up with friends, connect with groups of similar interests, and host and join chats, matches, and tournaments. See when your friends are online or playing games and easily join the same games together. Chat with your buddies, or use your microphone to communicate in any game.

Hunting for patches and downloading from unorganized web sites is so twentieth-century. On Steam, your games stay up-to-date by themselves. No hassles.

From pre-release discounts to free-play weekends, Steam delivers what gamers value most. Steam brings PC’s biggest gaming platform to the Mac! Download your games to your mac, play against your PC friends in multiplayer games.

Steam is run by the makers of the Half Life series of games, Valve. Widely popular and a leader in the industry, Valve has created one of the most user friendly methods of digital distribution I have come across. My PC gaming library is currently at 17 installed games, many, if not all, were on sale from 10% to 70% off and the best part is I never even left my desk to buy them. I also use Steam for high definition game trailers, demos and beta testing. I highly recommend anyone that has a gaming PC or Mac to check out Steam for video game downloads. My Steam username is RampageGaming if you would like to add me to your friends list.

Next up!

Direct 2 Drive

Shop, Download and Play. Direct 2 Drive is headed by the people at IGN Entertainment Games a leader in online media and services company. This online powerhouse is responsible for several leading websites including FilePlanet, Team Xbox and Gamespy Technology. Needless to say, they know what the heck they're doing when it comes to digital distribution. Similar if not the same gaming library as Steam. D2D also boasts incredible deals and gaming packages. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Games for Windows Live

• Shop for your favorite games in every genre. You’ll find Games for Windows Marketplace exclusives, Games for Windows — LIVE games, great bargain games and casual games. With great new games shipping every week, you can find, purchase, and download the games you want straight to your computer!
• Games for Windows Marketplace is open to millions of Xbox LIVE gamers around the world. Log in with your Xbox LIVE account and enjoy a single unified identity across Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows — LIVE. It’s the same gamertag, friends list, achievements, and gamerscore on both platforms!
• Receive automatic game updates and patch downloads for installed games!
• See your friends online, send and receive voice and text messages, and enjoy cross-platform communication and game invites!
• Play against players of your skill level with the TrueSkill™ matchmaking system so every match is fun for everyone

 One of the best features of Games for Windows Live is that it's one login ID. Meaning whether you play on Xbox Live, PC, Zune or Windows Phone 7 you will have only one friends list, one login and one account for all of your windows based products. Achievements span all of these products as well. If you're a fan of Windows, Xbox Live or any of the various Microsoft products, I suggest checking out Games for Windows Live!

Clearly there are many many other sites that offer digital distribution from Playstation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, Nintendo Store, EBgames, Gamestop and the list goes on and on. However I wanted to highlight my personal favorites and I hope you all get an idea of what the future may hold for digital content.

Happy Gaming!!!!