I know data was digitalized long before digital distribution, but the title "what do you miss from when computer disks were on floppys and cd's, but before they were digitally distributed?" just wasn't short enough. :p

Also, I figured I could leave it a bit open for interpretation.

Ahhh, The Walking Dead comes to mind, the only game where I ever unlocked 100% of the achievements, simply because you got them for completing the game, and it had no achievements that required you to go out of your way.

That's alright, you're among friends here! :D

It's not quite the same, but English is a second language for me, and I remember learning lots of glossary and spelling through games like the Quest for Glory series and Monkey Island and similar games. You just had to learn the language if you wanted to finish the game, how else were you to understand what was happening?

Also not quite the same, but I absolutely hate how social gaming has become. Gaming was always a solitary experience for me, where the point was to get away from reality and immerse myself in these elaborate, amazing worlds that were there for me to enjoy and explore, and the idea of sharing those experiences with idiots online who throw out "yo momma" jokes all the time just sounds awful. The only person I'll play MP with is the one buddy I ever had as a kid who was also as into computer games as I was and am, and we only ever play through LAN and never invite others into our sessions.

EDIT:
Uh, I didn't only ever have one buddy. But only one of my friends was ever as into gaming as I was. :p

I miss big nice looking boxes and manuals.

Here are some examples I found from google images...
http://www.hybridgames.co.uk/blood/blood1ouwb/artwork/01.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/7421/20111218193613.jpg

I also miss LPs and 45s that were made with coloured vinyl. And games that came with really nice maps. And the tricks you could do on console where partially unseating a cartridge would cause neat things to happen.

Cloth maps, pretty sure that was just the Ultima series, but man those were awesome to me.

Also big ass spiral bound game manuals (Baldur's Gate, Fallout, etc).

Ohh, and the random little things Infocom would include with each game.

This is a double edged sword kinda thing but I miss NOT having multiple walkthroughs, cheats, etc available. You know, having to actually figure shit out for yourself. Hell I remember having graph paper and making maps of all the old gold box D&D games...and loving it! I wouldn't go that far now, but I kinda do wish I had the willpower to just figure stuff out instead of looking up a hint or walkthrough everytime I get stumped now.

I got one with NWN. I still have it too, pretty nice.

I just got stuck at work until 11pm rereading the whole collection. You're welcome =)

AKA no mobile zombies, I guess I still live partly like in the pre-digital age :D
Still remember when in the news they kept talking about "The Globalized World" that was coming and explaining what that would mean to all of us :P......they didn´t mention cell phones.

Btw I miss cartoons on saturdays and sundays morning and Ducktales every day at 12 o´clock.

*fires on DeLorean*.........................*electricity discharge sound*

Like this map?
http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic758960_md.jpg

I feel so stupid for losing my copy...

It's not really that; what pisses me off is being put on hold when you are having a face to face conversation with someone. If we are hanging out to together I shouldn't be competing with a dozen other people who aren't even in the same zip code.

I LOVED chick tracts. Some of them were actually pretty good and accurate, but some of them were just odd-ball off. I think that they are good reminders to not let cultural phenomena or loose prejudices influence religious conviction.

As far as things I miss, I too miss getting a game full of goodies. The demo disk, the thick manual, the advertisement inserts and box art that lifts off the cardboard. Ahhhh, the good ol' days.

Good example. Some of them were really well made. Reminds me, some games came with posters of the box art. A lot of Amiga games did. I don't have any of those anymore either.

Green screens, not the CGI type. So I keep one at my desk at work. And I have had digital versions of games since the late 80's so pre-digital is relative. My 9600B modem spent a lot of time downloading KBs of games and I still have thousands of them. Wait, that required a landline. Most people here might still remember those.

Erm, which ones? I must've missed those. And I've read an awful lot of them.

I think BG2 Collector's Edition came with one. I may still have it somewhere. I know I still have the dice and notepad that came with the CE. The IE games always seemed to come with the cloth maps.

By accuracy, I mean actual Christian doctrine.

It's been a decade, so I can't be certain. I feel like I remember one about a soldier who made a death-bed confession while being wounded and another person was angry b/c they lived a whole life and never did.

Religiously, it's accurate. So if you're religious or interested in becoming a Christian, it illustrates how we're all dung-heaps, but we can choose to love God. Even right at the end.

Metaphorically, it's accurate too. We can be dung-heaps our whole lives, but forgiveness (on our part or others) can be achieved even right up to the brink of death. Lots of folks learn to forgive their parents just before they die, and I've heard many older folks talk about their regret of not forgiving their parents for something before they died.

I remember the DnD one and I wondered why many Christians hated DnD but loved Tolkien and CS Lewis. I didn't understand a difference between a rule-set in a fantasy setting and a book in a fantasy setting. I learned around that time that DnD did attract some unsavory people (I was threatened with a knife by a kid b/c of something my character did -- I doubt he would have done something, but when someone quickly draws a real knife and stops it less than an inch from you and suggests that you don't say something, you take it as a real threat). But what doesn't? Everyone can take anything fun to the stupidth degree, you know?

So Chick tracks taught me then and there that I had to be careful to be sure that I didn't try to add to Christ's message. It's really a spectacular message, it's just often better to read it in a Bible than in a comic strip.

Edit: "rule set" to "rule-set" for clarity.