Interesting read over on 1up — the history of packaging trends in PC gaming. No, really. Remember the code wheels (I had one in Legacy of the Ancients and the Legend of Blacksilver, for C64). Remember Marathon's absurd box? Remember the boatload of instruction manuals for something like Pirates!

It's more than just nostalgia, though. The packaging, does a pretty good job tracing the state of the art for PC gaming. It shows the attempts at copy protection, the deepening play experiences that required a ton of documentation, and takes you from dependency on in-store sales to the transition to online sales and DLC.

And plus, it's the weekend. This is the time for neat evergreen features and lists. And dammit, I'm gonna find stuff that isn't GTA IV, too.

Shrink Wrapped: A History of PC Game Packaging Trends
[1up]

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