Boomer Games and the Lost Art of Game Manuals
When the game publishers started marketing computer games in the late 1970s, they had to figure out a way to distribute the games to those who wanted to avail of them. Games back then were distributed via floppy disks and specific for the microcomputer platform they were intended for. Of course, both Boomers and Gen X are aware of this, but let's reminisce it for the sake of those younger than us.
The packaging usually came as a colorful box depicting the game and what it was called, tightly wrapped in cellophane and with an unmistakable fragrance gamers of the time were quite familiar with. Within the box was the entire game in itself which was composed of the disks (or cartridge in the case of console games), the manual, various pieces of product information and warranties, and the game paraphernalia (not all games had them) which was a jackpot to gamers at the time.
It was an understanding back then that the manual consisted not only of its printed self but all of the things included in the box. Except for the little bits and pieces considered as freebies, the items usually had something to do with playing the game. To this, we now look into the lost art of Boomer/Gen X game manuals and the items that came with it.
The Jack in the box
The common thought of the day was that if you bought a book, a vinyl record or cassette tape, or any other product marketed by a publisher, you have to get your money's worth. So, packages came in the most artistic, colorful, and scented way, and as amusing, usually got sold because of that.
Video and computer games were treated as published items (and unless you were very well-to-do, you needed a publisher to market your game), as to why games had to follow the standard art form of product marketing. The advertising was usually done through game magazines and TV ads but the gist was to make the packaging as attractive and enticing as possible.
Boxes came in different sized and varied looks but most adhered to the 7in-wide, 9in-tall and 2in-deep big box standard as to why you usually hear the contents moving around when the box was shaken.
Game instructions and important information
As mentioned, within the box was the manual and the pieces of printed cardboard or paper forms and info which had to do with the overall product and publisher. You had to at least scan the manual first before inserting the Floppy(s) or the CD into the drive. This did require some literacy on the part of the gamer and it did help a lot in understanding the game instead of figuring things out on your own.
The manual ranged from decent enough to outrigh beautiful works of art, especially for the fantasy-RPG type games. Some were colored, some were not, but they all had to be as informative as possible about the game mechanics, the lore, or any other pertinent information regarding the game.
Reading a beautiful lore/manual was like reading a short book and it was not only the artwork/graphics that drew you in but the prose of the text as well. Origin Systems who developed and published the legendary Ultima RPG game series is well known for their absolutely beautiful game packaging.
The tools of the trade
Aside from the Manual, the disk(s), disc(s), or cartridge, and the publisher's pieces of printed stuff were the beautiful paraphernalia. These were the cloth maps, code wheels, markers, and anything else that was needed to play the game. Even the freebies like model figures, folded wall posters, and rarely, a printed t-shirt were considered within the paraphernalia scope of the packaging.
All of these items, used together with, of course, the studying of the manual, made up for the instruction tools needed to smoothly play the game. What's more, gamers of the day would usually treasure these game packages, as they are now popular collector's items in our current timeline.
The lost art
The advent of the Internet and online gaming and marketing has sadly caused the gradual demise of the game package and everything within it. The physical game manual was lost in the annals of gaming history, and with the advancements of gaming technology and more newer and flexible ways to code and develop games, the need for a physical manual had ceased to exist.
Games today have user-friendly interfaces that make it easy for the player to acquire any pertinent information needed in playing the game. Many games have built-in manuals and even information databases and since games today have the option of either offline or online play, one can simply pause the game and surf the web for any information that one may need.
The Internet has also made access to online game groups, forums, and player sites that have become game information sources for both tips and solutions to gameplay. This has been going on since the early days of the Internet when gamers started using these mediums to communicate and connect with each other. Even console gaming today usually requires Internet connectivity.
Times have changed and remembering the game manual and beautiful packaging of the past gives such a strong nostalgic blast for us of the Boomer and Gen X generation of today. The art is a great piece of gaming history that will always be remembered as the gaming world moves forward into the future.
