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[levyjl1988]

Does anyone else notice the trend of lack of effort for physical spine art?

Compare Gamecube spine art.

Compared to current Switch spine art. It's dull, no game pops up.

The same with Xbox 360, the logos just pop.

Xbox One spine art is, boring... however, at least the logo gives the personality behind a bland background.

PS2 spine art splashed with personality...

PS5 is surprisingly sustaining it.

I hypothesize that with the increasing sales of digital games, Nintendo and Microsoft purposely make their box art the least attractive.
They want to encourage digital sales. Think about it as it's cutting costs.
First, they reduced the plastic in cases. Xbox 360 cases for example felt it had a sense of weight, the manuals were thick.
Then they started to cut the plastic making it more flimsy. Instruction manuals were reduced to just pages or none at all.
Nintendo 3DS and Wii U used annoying eco cases that simply did not protect the box art and could be pierced.
Now they are making it less appealing because eventually, we are moving towards that digital future.

Surprisingly Sony is still making their game art pop. Long ago when I used to work in retail my electronics store would order more PS games than Xbox.
People prefer buying physical Sony games and still rely on that physical release. No way anyone wants to wait and install full large games over the internet when they can download it locally from the disc.

I'm also guessing with Switch games the lack of effort on game cases is because they get recycled too often as most people keep carts loose anyways.
Anyway, what are your thoughts?

 

[MidGenRefresh]

Luckily with digital you don’t have to worry about nonsense like that.

 

[lh032]

Luckily with digital you don’t have to worry about nonsense like that.

but then you have to worry about losing access to digital games

 

[MidGenRefresh]

but then you have to worry about losing access to digital games

Forza Motorsport 3 is delisted and I can download and play it just fine. And if game is truly gone, there's always a cracked version for download.

 

[kanjobazooie]

but then you have to worry about losing access to digital games

Just remember the mantra:

 

[Boss Mog]

The PS2 spines were nice in North America but in Europe they were total shit, all white with just the title in a standardized font:

 

[Rykan]

Just remember the mantra:

Why does this fake news image keep getting posted here?

 

[kanjobazooie]

Why does this fake news image keep getting posted here?

Because it's funny.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Been gaming since the 80s. This thread is the first time I've ever thought of spine art.

 

[RoadHazard]

I'm attracted to a good, solid spine, sure.

 

[RCU005]

but then you have to worry about losing access to digital games

You can just download them and store them in a drive. It's like when you misplace or lose a disc. You can't play it if you don't know where it is, or gets stolen, or breaks.

The only thing that would really suck is that Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo or whoever delist a game without notifying in advance and you really lose access, but there is no way they would do for current-gen, and you should already have all your past-gen games backed up and stored. If you don't and you lose access, it's your fault.

 

[Warablo]

Digital access will last longer than physical console access.

 

[Spaceman292]

Does anyone else notice the trend of lack of effort for physical spine art?

Compare Gamecube spine art.

Compared to current Switch spine art. It's dull, no game pops up.

The same with Xbox 360, the logos just pop.

Xbox One spine art is, boring... however, at least the logo gives the personality behind a bland background.

PS2 spine art splashed with personality...

PS5 is surprisingly sustaining it.

I hypothesize that with the increasing sales of digital games, Nintendo and Microsoft purposely make their box art the least attractive.
They want to encourage digital sales. Think about it as it's cutting costs.
First, they reduced the plastic in cases. Xbox 360 cases for example felt it had a sense of weight, the manuals were thick.
Then they started to cut the plastic making it more flimsy. Instruction manuals were reduced to just pages or none at all.
Nintendo 3DS and Wii U used annoying eco cases that simply did not protect the box art and could be pierced.
Now they are making it less appealing because eventually, we are moving towards that digital future.

Surprisingly Sony is still making their game art pop. Long ago when I used to work in retail my electronics store would order more PS games than Xbox.
People prefer buying physical Sony games and still rely on that physical release. No way anyone wants to wait and install full large games over the internet when they can download it locally from the disc.

I'm also guessing with Switch games the lack of effort on game cases is because they get recycled too often as most people keep carts loose anyways.
Anyway, what are your thoughts?

Do video games still come in boxes?

 

[DelireMan7]

The PS2 spines were nice in North America but in Europe they were total shit, all white with just the title in a standardized font:

Ha that's it.

I was like " My PS2 games do not look like that" when I saw the OP.

It might be irrational but I really like looking at shelves full of videogames boxes.
Physical for life !

 

[Meicyn]

Here’s how I view my library whether on the ps app or on the ps5:

Looks fantastic. Game boxes have always been all over the place, it’s kind of whatever. The best looking part are the covers which end up obscured when filed on a shelf, so what you see isn’t that different than a library of books. Can’t ever go back to gaming, or even reading via physical copies. I guess I could lose it all if my accounts were banned but if we’re doing hypotheticals, someone could rob my house or a fire could burn it all down if I owned all this content physically?

More power to the folks who love their physical collections, it’s just more stuff to move from my perspective and is less convenient than the digital equivalent. I don’t miss blurays or dvds in the slightest.

 

[Boss Mog]

Why does this fake news image keep getting posted here?

What is fake news is you saying it's fake news, it's a 100% real image that represents the future Klaus Schwab and his WEF buddies envision for the rest of us.

 

[jufonuk]

Thank fuck it wasn’t actual spines. Other wise like the foot fetish people the thread would have gone to a strange place.

On topic
I think it’s more to do with manufacturing costs in some cases. But then Nintendo sometimes do reversible case art. So who knows.

 

[JimboJones]

My switch game cases end up in a drawer never to be seen, they take up too much space for the size of the card.

 

[GymWolf]

Luckily with digital you don’t have to worry about nonsense like that.

 

[Graciaus]

Sooner or later everything is going to be digital.

 

[Rykan]

Edit: Will respect the rules and not try to change the minds of people unable to google the origins of a quote.

 

[Meicyn]

Sooner or later everything is going to be digital.

Just think, wouldn’t it be crazy if you could pay for games with non-physical currency? How convenient that would that be? Imagine not having to go to the bank and withdrawing cash manually to pay for physical games!

 

[Boss Mog]

Edit: Will respect the rules and not try to change the minds of people unable to google the origins of a quote.

Maybe don't start a derail in the first place next time instead of trying to gain some kind of imaginary moral high ground by bailing and being smug about it.

The pic is from this video that is from the WEF so what ever bullshit spin you want to put on it about it being based on a Danish MP's essay is irrelevant. The facts are that the WEF put out this video period. An organization like the WEF don't post videos randomly and they certainly don't post videos containing ideas they oppose; they obviously posted it because they support those ideas.

 

[ReBurn]

I prefer the consistency of the Switch and Xbox spines, tbh. I don't want the contrast.

 

[RPSleon]

Even though the ps2 is an example of games with good spine art, i swear it was also the start of plain, uniformed spines. Was that a first party thing? Remember ps2 games are mostly being white with black writing there.

 

[RPSleon]

Luckily with digital you don’t have to worry about nonsense like that.

Digital deluxe edition. Contains downloadable spine art.

 

[Rykan]

Maybe don't start a derail in the first place next time instead of trying to gain some kind of imaginary moral high ground by bailing and being smug about it.

It's not a derail because its a response to an image in this threads. I labeled the image as fake because the quote is constantly taken out of context which is pretty much what happened here as well. There no "moral high ground" going on here, there's a no politics rule in place so I'm limited in how much I can elaborate.

The pic is from this video that is from the WEF so what ever bullshit spin you want to put on it about it being based on a Danish MP's essay is irrelevant.

Saying the actual origin of the quote is "irrelevant" pretty much says it all. The video itself is clearly labeled as "predictions". Not goals or strives. Have you tried actually watching it?

 

[Toots]

We need someone with a spine in spine art these days...

 

[Boss Mog]

It's not a derail because its a response to an image in this threads. I labeled the image as fake because the quote is constantly taken out of context which is pretty much what happened here as well. There no "moral high ground" going on here, there's a no politics rule in place so I'm limited in how much I can elaborate.

Saying the actual origin of the quote is "irrelevant" pretty much says it all. The video itself is clearly labeled as "predictions". Not goals or strives. Have you tried actually watching it?

You sound like those fact checking sites that spin facts so it checks out the way they want "A guy killed a woman with a gun" Fact check: False, actually it was the bullet that killed the woman. Oh and don't say you didn't act like smug when you said "people unable to google the origins of a quote".

 

[Rykan]

You sound like those fact checking sites that spin facts so it checks out the way they want "A guy killed a woman with a gun" Fact check: False, actually it was the bullet that killed the woman. Oh and don't say you didn't act like smug when you said "people unable to google the origins of a quote".

You don't need to use a fact checking website. The quote comes from Ida Auken and you can read what she wrote right here.

That's all I'm going to say on this matter.

 

[Bartski]

compact discs, those were the days

 

[alabtrosMyster]

Just remember the mantra:

 

[Boss Mog]

You don't need to use a fact checking website. The quote comes from Ida Auken and you can read what she wrote right here.

That's all I'm going to say on this matter.

The bullet being what killed the woman is also technically true but it doesn't change the fact that the guy killed the woman. And that quote doesn't change the fact that the WEF put it in a video about predictions (that reads more like a wishlist) for the year 2030. What makes it easy to know it's a wishlist is the "people will eat less meat" prediction; it's a prediction that makes zero sense. Most people will not stop eating meat just "to be healthy and help the environment". The only way they eat less meat is if price increases dramatically, like through some artificially created shortage.

 

[intbal]

I don't have any other game system cases, but I measured the usable area of OG Xbox, X360, and XONE cases (space outside the console logo). X360 cases provide about 42% more area for artwork/title than Xbox One cases and Original Xbox cases provide an extra 8.2% more area beyond that.
While it probably has more to do with Microsoft establishing visual standards for physical products, it's at least possible that the game companies have decided there's not enough room left to bother trying to make something eye-catching on the spine.

 

[Bakkus]

NTSC GameCube's spine art would be perfect if it wasn't fucking upside down. WHY...

 

[Beer Baelly]

I came in thinking this was about Spinal.

 

[Magic Carpet]

My shelf ends with Xbox 360 and PS3 spines.
All digital for years now.
I do like that the PS5 shows game art when scrolling through games on home screen. But want option to turn it off.
Kind of wish the Series X had the option but I rather just see icons with the UI anyway. I'm boring

 

[Impotaku]

Japanese gamecube boxes were fantastic as they had 2 spines on one side was a simple more subdued mono title and on the other side super colourful. While i enjoyed colourful spines i don't mind the switch ones but when you are trying to quickly find a game out of a libray of 180+ switch games it can sometimes get a little tricky as the one you are looking for plays hide & seek on the shelves.

 

[Three]

I do wonder sometimes when people see a persons library of books do they start talking about the virtues of Kindle.

 

[Gambit2483]

We need someone with a spine in spine art these days...

 

[TGO]

Luckily with digital you don’t have to worry about nonsense like that.

True...hell you don't even have to remember title of the game, need not worry about that shit.
after all the next time you go look for it it's probably been removed from the server and your device

 

[PhaseJump]

Why does this fake news image keep getting posted here?

"FaKe NeWs!"

They're a big group of elite shitheads that have stupid, radical ideas and harmful policies. People who don't practice what they preach while reaping on funding from governments from around the world.

The easier question to double down on here is why are you defensive? It's a joke that contextually fits the thread's theme. Would you feel less of a twist in your panties if it didn't have WEF referenced as it's source in the picture? Why? Who the fuck cares? Are you on their payroll?

 

[Rran]

I think the Switch cases are uniform (and, admittedly, dull) because the cases are so thin. There's very little wiggle room for the logo to be both bombastic and readable.

 

[kurisu_1974]

The PS2 spines were nice in North America but in Europe they were total shit, all white with just the title in a standardized font:

I think I actually prefer the consistency, but I hate the fact that they are prone to yellowing.

 

[ManaByte]

I don't mind them being uniform on the Switch. What bugs me are games like Bomberman that put spine art so it stands out from the rest of the Switch games.

 

[crackajack]

I like consistency in design, so either all have their own font and colorful art or all look the same. Terrible are those Platinum Editions in I-AM-CHEAP-grey. I did not like the Banana yellow cartridge of Donkey Kong or black cartridge of Killer Instinct either, because that cheap grey was the norm then.