From Technologizer:

For the most part, I’ve viewed this as a good thing, but an editorial by Jim Sterling at Destructoid today gave me pause. Entitled Fearing the future of digital distribution, Sterling argues that digital distribution, for all its convenience, will come at a price. Game publishers will dominate the marketplace, Sterling writes, offering no refunds, no used game sales and no accountability whatsoever, merely because they can. I disagree.

Author Jared Newman goes on to discuss how the argument doesn’t hold water when given the fact that the level playing field will allow for competition that will factor in the actual quality of those games when consumers are looking to purchase online. He also discusses the incentives retail shops have in their arsenal that just aren’t readily apparent through digital distribution.

Downloads won t dominate unless consumers endorse the idea, and that requires incentives. Without a reason to go digital for instance, better value over a hard copy, or rewards for loyalty consumers will stick with Gamestop. Publishers, in turn, won’t fully commit to digital because there s no market for it.

Unless those bonuses happen to be digital . . .

[more at Technologizer]