Packaging - What a waste!
 

Has anyone checked out Medal of Honor Allied Assault? The packaging is simplicity. They took an over sized software box and reduced it to the size of a paperback book.

Why is it necessary to package SereneScene in such a big box? I wouldn't think there is gonna be a really big instruction book!! Personally I found it much more appealing to buy a product that didn't waste so much paper.

It would be a great if a reduced size packaging box was used in the final shipment of 1.1

My 2 cents.

#1 1.1, 1.2, etc. is never being sold in stores. Maybe 2.0 with all the extra creature packages for $45 will be sold in stores depending on demand for 1.0.

#2 You can buy the jewel-case only version of the Aquarium for $14.99.

#3 I love the big box, even if it's a waste of shipping space. It's a huge box and just the jewel case inside. I've got the box standing up at the corner of my desk where I intend to keep it for some time. :)

Many stores require that size box to minimize theft.

Jim's absolutely right. When I worked for Officemax almost everything was displayed according to how easy it could be stolen.

We did sell the Jewel case only version of some software, but only the really cheap stuff (about $9.99 and lower).

And then any software valued over $79 (about there) would be kept in lock up, and a photo copy display would be on the shelf.

I too am often annoyed at box size sometimes. I like to keep original boxes. But now I just toss them. Taking up too much space.

Big boxes also catch the customer's attention so there are more sales, especially when the box looks good (like the aquarium).

Not seen the Medal of Honour box, but most new games are coming in DVD boxes which as far as enviromental issues go are much worse. Plastics do not bio degrade like paper and card do and are generally less easy to recycle.

The box size is mainly about display more than anything else.

DVD cases are meant for keeping and for putting on display.

Plastics can be made to biodegrade by putting organic pellets in it like vegetable material.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault is published by Electronic Arts, one of the biggest entertainment software publishers around. The MOHAA box is their new standard. AFAIK, all of their new titles will be shipped with the smaller box, so retailers are not going to have a choice. Hopefully all companies will switch to this format so that less paper is wasted, more copies can fit on store shelves (and hopefully a better selection of titles), and the boxes that I keep will take up less space. I hope DVD cases do not become the standard because then publishers will have an excuse to not include any paper manual with games or other software titles.

It's a similar situation to when music CDs ditched the long box in favor of just the jewel boxes.

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True, I hope they do make them bio degradeable though, as there are going to be plent of games etc I for one wont want to keep that I have now in DVD boxes, Red Faction could biodegrade right now for all I care :D

I'd prefer to see a smaller recycled card boxes with the CD(s) in card envelopes avoiding plastics altogether, regardless of the plastics possible "biodegradeability" (is that a word)

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Yeah In the UK Music CD's were always just a Jewel case Right back to the early 1980's when they first appeared. I do remember when I visted the states and bought a few CD's that they were in a larger card box, always wondered why? :)

Either way I love the Boxed Aquarium and having one imported http://www.zytec.worldonline.co.uk/p...otions/LOL.gif

It's a poor excuse. Each Criterion DVD, as well as discs like Terminator 2 have 20+ page manuals/materials inside the DVD boxes.

They put cd's in those cardboard boxes back in the early mid 80's so retailers could use the displays originally designed for LP records. Once they came up with a new kind of display, those cardboard boxes were eventually phased out and replaced with the plastic anti-theft doohicky.

Sometime in the future, we will not have to worry about things like this. Everything will be bought online. Internet2 or something faster will be everywhere and we will just buy the game then download it.

Also, I can see when games will become pay-as-you-play. One will buy minutes and then play the game for the specified amount of time.

Like I said, that is sometime in the future.

Internet2 mostly improves multicasting, not individual downloads. My favorite part of I2 is single packet, multiple destinations.

I'm shocked to hear this from you, considering how much of a privacy advocate you are.

This "pay as you go" idea was killed entirely by consumers already in another market. Have you heard of Divx? It was a pay-per-view DVD format. You bought a DVD for $4.99 and brought it home. IT was good for 72 hours and then you had to keep buying it.

A year later, the format was dead, replaced by open DVD, the current format.

I bring up the privacy point because there has been no subscription service of this kind that doesn't snoop on consumers and share your info with advertisers.

As with all things controversial, when ever it gets implemented and then shot down by societies, it always comes back in another way, shape, or form. Look at abortion. It was in then it was out, then it was back in again.

When something gets implemented and then society rejects it, it will either:

a) be implemented again when another mind-set in the norm. ie, another generation
b) be implemented again by a slow evolution so that no one really notices it or
c) be implemented by forcing it upon everyone. ie all game makers only sell games with a pay-as-you-play setup so that if one wants to play a game, they have to use the system that is given to them.

I agree with everything that you said and especially with the part about sharing information. "They" will keep track of everyone and their habits.

I don't agree with a pay-as-you-play type of system. I just see it being forced upon everyone sometime in the future. It could be implemented after were all dead.

FishyBusiness

a,b &c sounds just like the Labour Government (UK) Tax policies :D

manuals
 

Though I hate it, many companies have gone to an electronic copy of game manuals in an effort to reduce cost (note: that's THEIR cost, not yours)

Though sometimes a smaller manual covering the basics in provided and fitting one into a DVD case shouldn't be an issue.

Take Ghost Recon. That manual is small but covers most everything aptly and concisely. Maybe what should be learned by the game companies is to convey information in a better manner.