David Miller
The Signal
The end of the world is near; no stores carry their items anymore and their shelves are bare. This is only the beginning of the end … for video games to be sold in stores.
Now that the Internet has become the tool for global networking and communication, it has also become a medium to transfer video games among gamers, forever transforming the industry.
I used to buy games from the store just like anyone else. Stores like Electronics Boutique (now EB Games), Gamestop, Circuit City and Best Buy used to be the only places around that would distribute games.
Walmart added video games into its electronics section and games became even easier to come by, until digital distribution started on the Internet.
Recently, more and more software companies have cut out the middle man and moved to digital distribution. Instead of the business paying to create artwork for the box, full-color manuals and other accessories, they just upload the game files directly to your computer or gaming system.
Although this means that the video game company saves tons of money, it also causes the product to lose some of its original flavor.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, PC game design was at an all-time high and some of the products were extremely competitive. Product design evolved into giant limited-edition packages complete with maps, figurines, cards and tons of other collectibles.
There were full-color, 200-page manuals to some of the more in-depth genres, and the amount of money that the game’s producing company put into the packaging showed.
Now that the Internet is capable of transferring multiple gigabytes within a reasonable amount of time, gaming consoles have changed forever.
Nintendo Wii, Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox have online networks where players can download games, demos and videos right to their hard drive. Some larger games aren’t available for direct download yet, but still offer add-on content online.
This issue is reminiscent of another digital evolution – when CDs began replacing record albums. Record album covers were once a popular culture art form. Album covers such as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” are still collectors items.
The gamers that still believe in the artistry behind their video game of choice will most likely become collectors of those games as well.
As far as PC gaming goes, the market of distribution is nearly deceased. You can still find decade-old games at Walmart, but the rest are just about all online. Networks like Steam, Gamespy and EA Games all have download clients, which saves games you’ve bought online.
This means that instead of having a unique CD or DVD with anti-hacking encryption, serial numbers and other expensive-to-make codes, the game you buy is forever saved to a login account you create on their network.
There’s no box, artwork or accessories, and only an Adobe Acrobat manual saved to your computer. The trade-off, that you don’t have to worry about scratching a disc and ruining your game, is enough to make it worthwhile.
Video games in general are continually forced to evolve in order to entice audiences. By having entire games ready to download, gaming companies are able to distribute more numbers more quickly. Also, instead of spending funds on the packaging, they are focusing their time on designing the game itself. It is unfortunate that the level of artistry in video games’ packaging design will never be the same, but I would rather have developers focus on creating the game than the box it comes in any day.
