Game packaging over the years.

When I started playing PC video games, they used to come in these oversized cardboard boxes. This was before 2000/2001. Then these cardboard boxes started getting smaller. This started happening in 2002, 2003.Then, in around 2005-2006, the traditional cardboard boxes began disappearing, and replaced with slightly oversized plastic DVD cases, which were twice as thick as a normal DVD case. Now, they come in a normal-sized DVD cases. (Though the oversized plastic DVD cases haven't completely disappeared yet.)Amazing, of all the topics on this board, that this very topic is seldom discussed about... Game packaging over the years.
Personally I like the normal size DVD cases they're starting to come in. I never understood the reason for having the oversized boxes other than if the game required multiple CD's or a big manual. My least favorite are the jewel cases though. They always seemed to get scratched up, and could break easily.Game packaging over the years.
It's been discussed before. :)



And in the UK, at least, we've had games in ordinary sized DVD cases for several years. I must admit that I prefer them as they take up less shelf space.
HiYa you got it right about the game boxes. Another thing some people miss are the large game instruction manualsthat came in some of those games with large boxes. The packaging subject comes up once in awhile but isdoomed to be forgotten because the new gamers have never seen the old packaging.It's almost like the fine art work you would see on album covers compared to the shrunken picture on a CD.I suppose it came down to saving money for the publishers. The result is small boxes and a game manualthat is useless.
I loved those big ol' cardboard boxes. Here they switched to DVD cases in around 2002 and I think they suck. I want the big boxes back! :cry:
I totally miss those huge PC game packages, I remember going to Sam's Club and buying Age of Empires II and getting the free Prima strategy guide IN THE BOX.You never see that nowadays.
[QUOTE=''HenriH-42'']I loved those big ol' cardboard boxes. Here they switched to DVD cases in around 2002 and I think they suck. I want the big boxes back! :cry:[/QUOTE]

i know i ordered dues ex and the packaging was huge i want more games to come like that :P as for the new slim cases i hate them i prefer the fat dvd cases with a card board sleeve around them dont make my pc games look like console games :(
I like the big boxes too. They make it feel as though you're getting more for your money. Although they can be difficult to store.
I've brought this up a while back. I've actually had a concern about commericial packaging in general for some time. The extraordinary amount of waste is just mind boggling. While this may not be the intent of the orignal post, think of the impact this has on the environment, especially now that packaging is plastci. I realize some folks collect packaging and manuals and all the stuff, but for the majority it just becomes junk. While I chalk up the size of packaging strictly to marketing - again in general - and to some degree it may have to do with standard molds for these packages, ultimately, less material means less cost for these companies. I just don't get it. Just because a dvd box is bigger than another doesn't make me buy a game. Why aren't this companies interested in no only saving money on packaging materials and marketing, when the marketing benefit is negligible? I'm all for moving to a strictly ''soft'' version of all PC games, That is, the evolution to a direct download format. I know it's hard for some folks to accept this,but it's actually better. You don't have to store dvds/cds, manuals and keys and can always download the game again anytime you want on any computer. Eventually all games will be self-updating/patching like many are now so you don't have to worry about being up-to-date. I find manuals easier to read on my PC anyway and you have search funtionality. Basically, it's you, your pc and no clutter. Okay, I'm off my soapbox
I liked the big boxes too and how they gave devs options for all the other material that came with the game disc. However, I understand the reasoning going to the smaller cases, and one thing I like is that the cases are better suited to protect the DVD other jewel cases and the paper sleeves (oh I so hate paper sleeves).
why?! what does the size of the packaging have to do with anything? it's just waste...try to think of the bigger picture
If all life on Earth ended now, how would you feel that posting in this topic had been your last act.? (Big cardboard boxes FTW!)
For those more environmentally inclined, the servers that deliver all of our content ''on demand'' probably contribute more to greenhouse gasses through their electricity usage than the production of plastic cases would.
[QUOTE=''The_Capitalist'']For those more environmentally inclined, the servers that deliver all of our content ''on demand'' probably contribute more to greenhouse gasses through their electricity usage than the production of plastic cases would. [/QUOTE]that's very faulty logic and it's more than just greehouse gases at issue
Really theres no reason for PC games to come in big boxes anymore. The normal sized DVD cases are just fine.
i miss the boxes. i used to love getting a box with loads of little extras in there like a map and a big manual (and the CD of course). unfortunately there long gone. personally i blame all the worlds woes on lack of PC gaming boxes :P.



i think a nice compromise though is the thick DVD cases that games like sins come in. quite a lot can be queezed in there.



i miss the boxes though.
[QUOTE=''darkhorse286'']They make it feel as though you're getting more for your money.[/QUOTE]I think that's the #1 reason why I liked those big boxes so much. Not only did the box art look MUCH cooler back then, they were big and usually packed full of extras. A thick manual was standard back then, and almost every game included some cool extra stuff like maps/posters. Don't get me started on the special/collector's editions. (Most of) today's ''Collector's Edition''s are a friggin' joke - What do you get, a different looking box art and maybe a ''making of''-DVD and that's pretty much it. I guess when I bought those gool ol' boxes I thought that I was getting more bang for my buck. I also like to collect games and maybe that's the reason why I prefer the old boxes. I just think they simply look cooler. Plus it probably has something to do with the fact that I think that games were much better back then, so I always get nostalgic when I look at one of those boxes. Ahh.. *hugs his The Secret of Monkey Island box* :oops:
[QUOTE=''eclarkdog''][QUOTE=''The_Capitalist'']For those more environmentally inclined, the servers that deliver all of our content ''on demand'' probably contribute more to greenhouse gasses through their electricity usage than the production of plastic cases would. [/QUOTE]that's very faulty logic and it's more than just greehouse gases at issue [/QUOTE]Faulty? Did you know that almost 10% of this country's electricity goes to powering the dataservers that power the Internet? And that percentage is growing as we add even more dataservers to meet up with bandwidth demands.
The worst packaging ever, were big boxes that just had cardboard trays inside, and you get plastic sleeves for your games. I hate those oversized DVD cases as well. What happened to normal CD cases? Those aren the easiest to manage, imo. No need to re-invent the wheel. If all games came in a CD-sized jewel case, I'm sure I could make my desk a lot more organized :)
I liked the Over sized DVD cases best. The normal sized dvd cases now a days are weird.