COLUMN | For many of us, video games are more than just a way to spend our free time. We have our favorite genres, worlds we like to go to, stories we want to create, brands we support. It’s more than just entertainment – it’s a piece of history, culture and memories that have shaped an entire generation of gamers. Today, with the extinction of physical copies of games, this common heritage is under serious threat. But it’s not true that games could ever feel safe in boxes.
Not everyone remembers – in fact, I know it myself from stories and legends – that in order to play a video game, you once had to leave the house, go to a special place, insert a coin, and after a quarter or two, let others play. Not only did we not own the games, but the equipment for playing them belonged to the owner of the club or cafe where we were only guests. Only then did technology make it possible to shrink devices enough to fit in our living rooms and offices. This moment changed the industry.
The creators of consoles, computers and the games themselves have done a lot to make us want to keep their products in our homes. The equipment had to look good next to the TV and be an attractive piece of equipment. Game boxes, however, have become something more than a toothpaste wrapper that ends up in the waste bin. Colorful, with an eye-catching cover, sometimes in a special collector’s box. We were supposed to want to own them. Don’t be ashamed to put them in a display case, in plain view, next to a good novel or a film cassette. Games have not only become “ours” – they have become part of us.
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