quote:
Originally posted by Nandemonai:
If you go back and read what he said again, I think you'll find he didn't actually say that.He said he doesn't like the Greatest Hits repressings because the changes to the original box art are ugly. Note that a GH title was also released in a form that lacked this change - so what Benoit is saying is that if he wants one of those games, he buys the original version.
Well, I don't see him denying that he would buy/not buy a game based on the packaging, if there was no other alternative. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/tongue.gif[/img]
quote:
Originally posted by bishounen_blue:
Everything that you get when you buy a game is part of the game. The package is very much part of the game, and this applies to Japanese bishoujo games even more than most other types of media because the packaging is not of any set standard. The apperance of the package isn't just for selling the product but also for customer satisfaction. The back of the box for Utawareru mono has a bulleted list of the contents. Now, these aren't any special extras or anything. 1. Hard case (DVD case) This is prefered to a jewel case because it's bigger and it stresses the fact that it's a DVD. 2. Picture label. This means that there is a picture on the disc, as apposed just being silver with a logo. 3. Full color manual. It's just an average sized instruction manual with full color inside. There is a picture on the back of the case with all of these items layed out, and even the outter case is pictured here. Then you have fancier cases like the very large plastic case for Ui-chan no Nizuma diary. Then there is the thinner but longer case for Duel Savior that opens like a book, which adds a nice affect because the game story takes place inside a book. When people preorder/pay extra for limited edition versions of games that have special covers, are they paying for nothing? Of course not, the speical ones are usually much nicer. Even on standard games, there is cover art which is often not included in the game data at all. If you want to throw away all of your cases, that's your choice but you are throwing away part of the game.
Box design isn't part of the game. The game is data. That's it. I'm not saying that a pretty manual and cool little keychains and such are worthless--but they're still not part of the game. Additionally, something like box design (or lack of it) is completely superficial. Manuals and posters and keychains have uses, but a box is just a box. That's like buying a certain brand of cereal because the box looks spiffy. I'm not saying people don't do it (they do), but it doesn't contribute to the reason for buying the cereal in the first place--to eat it.
I'm not saying box design is unimportant, necessarily. It can help you decide whether to buy a game or not by telling you about the game. But I'm sure most people here order b-games online, meaning the box design doesn't serve any informational function. You buy a game to play it--not to look at the box. If, however, people put the boxes on prominent display to show to people and look at themselves...then perhaps I'm mistaken. If not, it's superficial, and serves no purpose other than creating hype (not necessarily a bad thing).
But my real point was that I don't understand how someone can argue that elaborate box design was important, while really good graphics are not (because okay graphics serve just as well). Graphics are part of the game experience, while box design is not. I don't get it...
I don't throw away part of the game when I throw away the case. I throw away part of the game package. By your logic, throwing away a registration form that has a cute little picture on the bottom is throwing away part of the game. Furthermore, I'm only throwing away parts of the game package that inconvenience me. If I don't enjoy these parts, then what's the point of keeping them? People who buy games for the box design enjoy the box design, even if the resulting joy is only momentary. If they truly derive some joy from looking at a cardboard box, then let them, even if I can't make sense of it. But criticizing me for throwing away the packaging...what basis does that have?
And yes, the correct usage in bishounen_blue's post is "effect." It's not really worth pointing out though...
quote:
Eh, they could always release a free downloadable demo like there is for most of these games in Japan.The Little My Maid demo is the only thing that made me decide to actually get the game when it comes out.
I can't really argue with that. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/smile.gif[/img] Still, you can't exactly walk into a store and play a demo before you buy it. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img] And there's plenty of people that buy games without reading reviews OR looking at demos. Good story still isn't something you can judge at a glance, like graphics, or even music/voice.
