PC Game packaging
 

Ok, what the hell? I understand the box becoming smaller, but there's a new problem. Publishers have taken to putting the discs in paper sleeves rather than jewel cases or DVD cases. How cheap! I mean, I drop 40 or 50 bucks on some game and I expect to have something to keep it in besides some cheap paper sleeve. How hard is it to give us a jewel case? Mafia and UT2k3... I don't care if there's 3 or 4 discs... just put em in a quad CD case with a nice label so I can stack it with my other games. How hard is that? Cheap-asses. :mad:

I agree. Even if they put them in slim cd cases that would be fine by me. I look at the spines of my cds to find the title I'm looking for. Paper sleeves just suck.

I think they should just go with DVD-type cases. Very few games ever need more space than a DVD case can provide.. plus they'll fit in with every other game and movie on my shelf.

I always thought the old way was so excessive... I would open up this huge box for a thin instruction manual and a jewel case. For that reason, I never kept the boxes.

These smaller boxes are much better, but I do agree about the crappy sleeve thing. You'd think that the money they save on the box they could put into a cd case. But they're just trying to cut costs, and probably 80% of the buyers don't care.

It does remind me of the old Playstation days, before DVDs came out, when they came in those huge DVD-like cases. Those were deemed too big, and they went to the CD cases. Then DVDs started standardizing to the Amaray-sized cases they have now. To me, for a DVD, this is largely a waste of space, since the disk only takes up half of the case, but because that was the standard, that became the standard with PS2 and beyond.

It is a perfect size for computer games, though. But I think that would cause even more confusion with people trying to differentiate PC from console games.

The primary reason for the old style boxes "back in the days" (actually, it wasn't that long ago.) was to discourage retail thefts. The bigger boxes makes it "slightly" more difficult for potential shoplifters to make off with the games.

The smaller boxes came to be mainly because major retailers like Walmarts were complaining about the shelf spaces the old boxes would take up. So the box dimensions got reduced.

The paper sleeve deal has been around for several years now too. Many software distributors (not just the game companies) started this crap a while back. The problem is this appears to be a growing trend. Obviously it was an attempt to shave off some cost and make up on profits, but this probably will not change until there is some major backlash from consumers for cutting corners like this.

PAL

max payne came in a dvd type case. i really liked that. at least they went w/ the smaller boxes. but i still throw the boxes away.

I think there was also some ranting a few years back that game packaging was harmful to the enviroment. Paper sleeves are less harmful than plastic. Maybe some enviromentalists made a fuss about it and that's why it changed. Plus it's cheaper. I think it's a good thing.

Man with broadband a person can DL any game in like an hour (give or take) I say screw the whole packaging deal and just let us DL our own games and sell us the product license key for like $25-$30... Or just let the warez people keep distributing the games (mIRC, newsgroups, etc...) and have the mfgrs just set up a place you can buy a legit PLK from the company. I'd do it!

i dont know about you, but if I don't get something tangible, I'm not paying for it.

Youre getting the game. Thats not a tangible thing? :confused:

Back in the day, I remember when games actually came with instruction books that were great. The one that came with Sim City 2000 was awesome. Or the flight manual that came with MS Flight Sim, even Link 386 Pro came with a nice detailed instruction booklet.

Really? You mean there was a time you didn't have to pay $14.99 for strategy guides just to learn how to play the game? ;)

Yup, back in the day, game companies also made the manuals and accompanying materials more "authentic" to the gaming universe. I remembered that the older Ultima games (III, IV, and V) had fairly cool looking manuals, cloth maps, and an ankh or some other small tokens that really gives the gamers a better feel for assuming the identity of the "Avatar". Even recently, games like Fallout also had a good manual that really matched the atmosphere of the post-holocuast era very nicely. Unfortunately, we'll probably never see the quality types of packaging too much any more, except probably in those super-expensive Limited edition or Ultimate editions to milk more money. -rolleyes-

PAL

Yeah, that's the biggest problem with this smaller packaging. Manuals are being skimped on. A good RPG or Simulator should have a fat manual.

Still, at least it hasn't gotten so bad that all we get are liner notes manuals, which is what console users have to deal with.

I also don't like the paper sleeve deal. Neverwinter Nights is like that and I remember being a bit upset when I opened up the box.

manuals, schmanuals... personally, i hate reading thick ones. pdf file it and i can refer to it if required. give me a cheat sheet. good enough.

actually, i agree w/ the downloadable games idea.

the reason i like the dvd cases is b/c i can then store them like the dvds. a library.

tan·gi·ble Pronunciation Key (tnj-bl)
adj.

a. Possible to touch.

I guess I could break open the monitor and try to touch the pixels, but that might get expensive.

when the company goes out of business and you just had to reformat, i guess you can't play anymore since you can't reregister that key. i guess I can keep a file cabinet of index cards with keys on them since theres no box, case, CD with it printed.

tan·gi·ble Pronunciation Key (tnj-bl)
adj.

1: substantially real : MATERIAL
2 : capable of being precisely identified or realized by the mind <her grief was tangible>
3 : capable of being appraised at an actual or approximate value <tangible assets>
synonym see PERCEPTIBLE

My point is youre paying for the game not the shiny disc it comes on.

no, IM paying for the game with the shiny disc, spiffy case, colorful box, and cool manual.

If DVDs came in white paper sleeves, would you buy them? Hell why buy DVDs, when we have Pay-per-view?

I'm all for reducing game packaging to a point. That point is that a game that you spend $30 to $50 on should at least come in a durable jewel case. I just bought Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 this week and it came in a paper sleeve inside the box. How chinsy is that? Especially since they're gonna sell a million of these things.

Just my $.02

Chris