Those of you who only started playing computer and video games in the late 1990s may wonder why anyone would write an article on computer game packaging. After all, today’s computer game boxes serve a largely utilitarian purpose of holding the game’s discs. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if 5 years from now computer games all come in cases similar to Playstation and Xbox games. I’ve seen several computer games come in packaging like this already. Many of today’s games don’t even come with a printed manual. You’re either left with an electronic copy or sometimes just an in-game tutorial.
It wasn’t always like this. In the early days of computer games, the design and contents of the computer game box was sometimes as important as the game itself. Box art was especially important. Publishers had to make the game look as exciting as possible to overcome the crude graphics. Many times a detailed manual was included, along with extra trinkets and foldouts.
I’ve saved every computer game I’ve ever owned. Below are some pictures of a few of my favorite games and some of the nifty items that came in their boxes.
Continue reading ‘The golden age of computer game packaging’
While making my daily rounds on the internet, I stumbled upon a strange, yet intriguing story. It seems that in 1981, a mysterious arcade game called Polybius appeared in various arcades around Portland, Oregon. Conflicting reports describe the gameplay as either a maze type game or an action shooter. The game, while extremely popular and addictive, caused its players to suffer from a series of disturbing side effects including amnesia, insomnia, nightmares, and night terrors. A few were reportedly driven to suicide. Many players swore off video games entirely. After about a month in the arcades, all of the Polybius machines were removed just as mysteriously as they had appeared.
There has been some rumors that the game was an experiment by the United States government (likely the CIA) in the area of behavior modification. Allegedly, arcade operators reported that mysterious men would come in and collect records from the machine. They apparently weren’t interested in the quarters. They just wanted information on how the game was played.
So did Polybius exist or is it just another internet legend? Here is a rare photograph of one of the Polybius machines. Or perhaps it’s simply a good Photoshop.
While it is likely that the story is merely an urban legend, it still makes for an entertaining story.
You can read more about it on Wikipedia.
Screenshot of the evil game? You decide.
