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Bruce’s
Attic: Outside The Box By
Bruce Whitehill Knucklesbones
May 2006 Issue Click
here for pdf version of this article Game
inventors and other creative people are always trying to “think
outside the box.” Game players are most concerned with what’s inside
the box. But what the public sees is
the box. It’s that piece of covered cardboard packaging that holds the
key to the treasures inside. The box art and creative copy are often the
main—sometimes only—elements
promoting the sale of a game. Maybe you can’t judge a book by its
cover, but you won’t buy it if you don’t like the title or don’t
like the look of it. Some
major game companies seem more concerned with what the box looks like
than what’s inside. When I worked at a well-known game publisher in
the mid-1980s, I had to present a product to the head of the company’s
England branch, who was in the United States looking for products to
take back to the United Kingdom. I was two sentences into the
description of the game when he interrupted and asked to see the cover.
I explained that I was not involved in doing the cover art, only the
game play, whereupon he abruptly got up and left the room. The
demonstration was over. At
that time, most game boxes had the same information on all four sides of
the box. When I suggested putting different data on each side in order
to provide the consumer with more information, I was told that the store
clerks wouldn’t know in which direction to stack the games and
consumers wouldn’t know they were looking at the same game from
different sides. Now, some enlightened companies put lots of different
information all over the box sides and even on the inner box. Certain
information should be on every
game box, and this is where American companies need to adopt the
European standards. Besides the obvious—the title and “second line
copy” (that one-line sales pitch under the title)—the first piece of
information should be the name of the inventors. Major U.S. companies
have been reluctant to list the inventor because the company feels that
the games are collaborative efforts of artists, designers, copyrighters
and so on. Certainly a lot of people are involved in the final effort,
but the idea and development of a game is usually a result of the
inspiration and proficiency of one person or team. That person should
receive credit for the work. The late acclaimed prolific American
inventor Sid Sackson is probably better known in Europe than in the
United States simply because the European manufacturers put his name on
the box. How would the game manufacturer feel if the company
name were not on the box? The
public is more likely to recognize the name of a known inventor than
they are able to remember what companies produce certain titles; a study
years ago showed that many or most Americans didn’t know which company
made Monopoly. Three
things that appear in a small area on almost every game box in Europe
tell you the number of players the game is designed for, the suitable
age range of players and the duration of play. Most American companies
indicate the number of players and age range, but they all
should. (I get a kick out of companies that list their game as being for
ages 9 to 99. My father is 96 and still plays bridge; I’ve been
tempted to buy him a 9-99 game and let him know I’ll replace it when
he outgrows it.) What’s
missing on most American game boxes is the approximate length of time
the game should take to play. Is it 12 minutes or 120 minutes? It
doesn’t matter if a game marked “20 minutes” takes you 35, but it
certainly does matter if a game that is not marked winds up taking an
hour and a half. If a game is properly play-tested, the average duration
of play should be well known. What’s
missing on all game boxes? Well, maybe it shouldn’t be on the box (or
instructions) because it sounds limiting, but at least every game
reviewer should cover it in a critique: In a multi-player game, what is
the optimum number of players? Some games marked for two to six
players, for example, are pretty boring for two or too tedious for six
(you wait a long time between moves); the manufacturer is trying to
extend the market, since the game can
be played by different numbers, even though it is best with a certain
number. And some games listed as being for two to four players are great
fun for five or six, but the game comes equipped with only enough score
pads or pawns to accommodate four. Game
boxes also shouldn’t be any bigger than they have to be. Once again,
the Europeans outbox the Americans by packing smaller containers with
more materials. Some packaging is downright clever! On the other hand,
putting some sheets of paper and a few dice in a box and then expanding
it to 2 inches deep because a dice cup has been included leaves some
buyers feeling cheated. The
side panels (the “aprons”) of the bottom part of the box should be
designed as well. Obviously this is not something prospective buyers
will see until after they’ve made the purchase (which is why the
bottom of the box should be used to show a picture of the gameboard and
information about how to play), yet it is another opportunity to provide
additional information to the consumer or, through illustrations, set
the tone of the game. But I have an ulterior motive as well for wanting
to see illustrated box bottom aprons. As a photographer, I take lots of
pictures of people playing games, with the box lid turned upside down on
the table. Hence, in the picture, the title of the game being
photographed (as well as other text and illustrations) is always upside
down, since when a lid is removed, it is invariably turned over. (Check
it out next time you’re in a roomful of game players.) If the aprons
on the box cover were printed upside
down, then the game title and company and other information would be
right-side up when the lid is upside down. Game
boxes (should) give you the information about what’s to be found
inside, who the inventor is and for whom the game is suitable. And, as
the boxes showcase the talents of some very gifted illustrators, these
artists should also be given named credit on the packaging, or, at the
very least, should be allowed to sign their work. The
game box is the opening to what may be amazing or amusing, stimulating
entertainment for one or more players, ages six and up, for ten minutes
or for hours and hours. Bruce
Whitehill, “The Big Game Hunter,” is a games collector, inventor and
writer. As a games historian he is dedicated to uncovering the histories
of games, the companies that manufactured them and the people who
invented them. Note
from Mary Couzin, Founder of DiscoverGames.com: I strongly recommend
that game lovers, industry people and especially game inventors
subscribe to this entertaining and educational magazine – a wealth of
information. Visit www.kbones.com
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