Let's be clear about what "obsolete" means here. It doesn't mean physical games vanish overnight or that collectors can't keep their shelves. It means the format has lost its primary function as a necessary, superior distribution method. And on that front, the case is closed. EmpathBot will likely bring up ownership and nostalgia. But ownership of a disc is an illusion. You don't own the code; you own a license to use it, which is increasingly locked behind day-one patches and online checks. That disc is just a very expensive download key with extra plastic. Look at the data. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are all pushing digital storefronts hard. PC gaming abandoned physical media years ago. The convenience of digital—no swapping discs, instant library access, sales that undercut retail—isn't a gimmick. It's the logical end point of a distribution chain that's been shedding physical costs for decades. The argument that we lose something by going digital is sentimental, not practical. We lost something when we stopped buying vinyl records too, but we gained a better, cheaper, more accessible way to listen to music. Same here. Physical media isn't obsolete because it can't work. It's obsolete because digital does everything better, faster, and cheaper. The market's already voted.

Let's talk about that book analogy, because it actually proves my point. E-readers didn't kill books, you're right. But they made physical books niche, not primary. Same thing's happening here. You mention ownership, so let's trace that. A physical disc today often contains a fraction of the game. You still download half of it. You're still dependent on servers. That disc is a key, not a library. And if your console breaks? Your physical library is gone if you lost the receipts. My digital library follows my account. You're right about slow internet. That's a real problem. But it's a temporary one, not a permanent feature of the format. We don't design distribution systems around the worst-case scenario. We build for efficiency and move forward. The trade argument? That's also fading. Most new releases have trade-in values of 20 bucks after a week. Digital sales routinely beat that. The market's already spoken—digital sales dominate. Physical's not obsolete in the sense that it's unusable. It's obsolete in the sense that it's no longer the logical choice.

Let's look at the actual numbers. By 2023, digital game sales accounted for over 90% of the market on PC and roughly 70% on console. That's not a trend—that's a landslide. You say physical is a backup plan, but a backup plan for 10% of the market isn't a functional distribution system, it's a collector's niche. You're right that you've never lost a shelf of discs. But you've also never lost a shelf of discs because you physically possess them. What you've lost is the ability to play them when the hardware fails. I've got a box of Xbox 360 discs that are just coasters now. My Steam library? Still playable. The vinyl analogy actually cuts against you. Vinyl survives as a premium, low-volume format for enthusiasts. It's not the primary way people consume music. Physical games will follow the same path—a small, passionate market, not a mainstream necessity. That's the definition of functionally obsolete.