When Game Covers Get it Wrong - Part 1

Being a game designer is a curse and a blessing. The blessing is obvious, I have the greatest job in the world but the curse is less obvious.

It ruins your life.

For once I'm not talking about my heroin addiction and I should perhaps clarify my statement; specifically it heightens your critique of everything and how you look at everything you encounter. Every designer should have read The Design of Everyday Things and have a thoroughly analytical view of everything they come across.

In CSI New York, Gary Sinise's detective character said "It's my job to know a little bit about everything." This is especially true of game designers and an analytical view along with a buckshot spread of knowledge are the best qualities of a good designer.

Apparently this doesn't apply to the rest of the fucking industry. By which I mean box art designers.

Example A - Ninja Blade

I mean, what even is this?

For the record, I like Ninja Blade and am a From Software fan boy but whoever let this out needs firing.

There is fuck all worth buying at the moment besides this and so the question has to be asked, why was this the final box art candidate?

Ok, it isn't particularly offensive (and certainly doesn't feature Master Chief falling over) but it breaks several (what I consider to be) rules of consumer psychology.

Imagine walking into a store and seeing this on the shelf. Get up out of your chair, brush the cheese puff dust off your belly and walk past this image, just glancing at it as if you were in a store.

What can you tell me about it?

The only thing you will note is that it is mostly black with what appears to be random noise all over it. Upon closer inspection that random noise is actually a ninja (replete with blades) and something with a tongue falling down a skyscraper.

Fair enough, this actually tells you a lot about the game but doesn't help sell copies. The art is indistinct and nothing stands out. There is nothing memorable and this is all important in retail space. If someone doesn't walk past and instantly see something appealling they have moved on and are not picking up a copy of that game.

In a couple of weeks where there is nothing to buy other than Chinatown Wars (which is goddamn excellent thanks for asking) and Mad World, this could have been a huge seller on the 360. Hell, in a similar release schedule a couple of years ago, Tenchu Z broke the top 20. People like ninjas and they like buying games for their 360, this could sell a shitload but it probably won't. I'm not saying this is all down to the box art but it has an effect.

When I saw this in a store the other day I walked right past it, acknowledged the words Ninja Blade and moved on. Later I thought back to the box and realised I couldn't actually picture what was on it and this inspired this very niche interest blog post (sorry I haven't kept up with my one a day count recently. Work, Halo Wars and Warhammer painting has kept me busy).

So there's an insight into a designers mind. The slightest thing about product design triggers off totally OCD amounts of thought and neural processing cycles. Box art design is one of my favourite topics as some are things of beauty (PAL Resident Evil 4) and some are fucking abortions (NTSC Resident Evil 4). And for the record, I liked the Orange Box box art.