Hideo Kojima, the famed video game developer behind titles such as Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, has made it clear that he is not a fan of digital media. Even though digital releases of music, books, movies, and games have become more common over the past decade, Kojima has expressed that he’s still someone who likes to purchase physical editions whenever possible.
Kojima chimed in on this matter in a recent thread on his personal Twitter account. Not long after showing off a new CD that he had purchased, Kojima began to explain why he still likes to buy physical media even though it has started to become a bit harder to find in some instances. “Eventually, even digital data will no longer be owned by individuals on their own initiative. Whenever there is a major change or accident in the world, in a country, in a government, in an idea, in a trend, access to it may suddenly be cut off,” Kojima explained. He went on to say that he wants to ensure that any media he is passionate about he can have direct access to no matter what might happen in the world. “We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That’s what I’m afraid of. This is not greed.”
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We will not be able to freely access the movies, books, and music that we have loved. I would be a have-not. That’s what I’m afraid of. This is not greed.
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 5, 2021
Many fans ended up agreeing with Kojima on the matter in the replies to his tweets. Some even expressed that this exact situation played out with P.T., which was the demo that released a few years back for what would have been Silent Hills. After Kojima left Konami, Silent Hills was canceled, and as a result, P.T. was permanently removed from the PlayStation Store. As such, a high number of fans have made sure over the years to continue to keep P.T. on their hard drive in perpetuity, or else risk losing it forever.
As a whole, the conversation related to digital and physical media continues to evolve as time goes on. For yourself, which format do you prefer? Do you purchase physical products whenever possible like Kojima, or do you enjoy the convenience of digital media? Let me know your thoughts either down in the comments or over on Twitter at @MooreMan12.
