The Death of Video Game Box Art

Summary

The video script by Jaky critiques the decline in creativity of video game box art, lamenting the shift from unique and memorable designs of the 90s to the generic, character-focused covers of today. Jaky explores the history of box art, noting how necessity once drove artistic creativity, and how localization often altered artwork for different markets. The script highlights the stark contrast between the artistic covers of games like 'Mega Man' in Japan and their simplified U.S. versions, and argues that despite exceptions like the 'GTA' series, the U.S. marketing preference for character-centric imagery has contributed to the demise of distinctive box art.

Takeaways

• 🎮 Video game box art has become generic and lacks creativity compared to the past.
• 🔫 Common cliches include a main character standing with a weapon or a close-up of their face.
• 🏆 Despite dull covers, games can be deep and memorable, but are often judged by their cover art.
• 🕰 In the early days of gaming, unique box art was necessary due to limitations in technology.
• 🎨 Classic games like 'Double Dragon II' had eye-catching art that was more appealing than simple 3D models.
• 🌏 Localization sometimes changed box art to appeal to different markets, with varying results.
• 📦 The 90s are considered the golden age for video game box art, with memorable visuals for games like 'Chrono Trigger' and 'Ocarina of Time'.
• 📈 Marketing strategies in the U.S. have favored character-focused box art over stylish logos or art.
• 📚 The PS2 era saw a shift towards lazy artwork with characters and weapons, influenced by marketing trends.
• 🌐 In recent generations, unique box art has become rare, with most games following a similar template.
• 💔 The speaker speculates that unique, memorable video game box art may be dead, with America being a contributing factor.

Q & A

What is the main issue the speaker has with modern video game box art?

The speaker criticizes modern video game box art for being generic and lazy, often featuring a main character with a weapon or a close-up face shot, which can be misleading and does not always reflect the quality of the game inside.

What does the speaker consider the golden age of video game box art?

The speaker considers the 90s, the era of NES, SNES, and GENESNES, as the golden age of video game box art due to its creativity and unique designs.

Why was unique box art more common in the early days of gaming?

Unique box art was more common in the early days of gaming because of the necessity for creativity, as 3D models were not yet available, and artists had to create the artwork from scratch.

What is the speaker's opinion on the box art of 'Secret of Mana'?

The speaker appreciates the box art of 'Secret of Mana' as it is memorable and a good visualization of the game's quality.

Why did publishers sometimes use different artists for the U.S. localization of a game?

Publishers used different artists for the U.S. localization of a game in hopes of selling more copies by appealing to the local market's preferences.

What is the speaker's view on the box art of 'Mega Man' in the U.S. compared to its original Japanese version?

The speaker prefers the original Japanese box art of 'Mega Man' for its fun and colorful representation of the game, while criticizing the U.S. version for its lack of appeal.

How has the advancement in technology affected video game box art?

The advancement in technology has led to the use of clean, decent-looking CGI characters on box art more frequently, which the speaker feels has contributed to the decline in creativity and uniqueness of box art.

What is the speaker's opinion on the U.S. box art for 'Ico'?

The speaker is disappointed with the U.S. box art for 'Ico', describing it as lacking the atmospheric quality and beauty of the European and Japanese versions.

What marketing strategy does the speaker believe has led to the decline in unique video game box art?

The speaker believes that the marketing strategy focusing on featuring a main character, particularly an angry one, on the box art has led to the decline in unique and creative designs.

What examples does the speaker give of games with unique box art that still sold well in the U.S.?

The speaker mentions the 'Grand Theft Auto' series as examples of games with unique box art that sold well in the U.S., showcasing the tiled style and color palette reflecting the game's setting.

How does the speaker describe the current state of video game box art across different regions?

The speaker describes the current state of video game box art as being largely the same across different regions, with unique and memorable designs being rare and replaced by generic templates.