Gaming

The Joys of Physical Boxed Games

The Joys of Physical Boxed Games

Can you believe that 80% of games bought in the UK last year were digital? Downloads from the digital eShop, heaps of indie gems on Steam and masses of blockbuster AAA games. Boxed games still made up a sizeable chunk, but these days it’s all about apps and pressing play at midnight! What about those cold winter nights spent camping outside your local GAME, EB or GameStop? The whiff of sealed plastic. The joys of boxed games!

As technology and internet speeds ramp up; we’re in it for the instant fix. Buy a game? It’s yours to conquer in minutes. Seconds. It’s quick and simple. You could pop some chips on in the oven, make a tea and even read this blog. The game’s now yours, forever etched within your hard-drive.

But how about that feeling of saving up, travelling to the local game shop and tearing though the plastic? The box, the box in your hands! Here’s a little gaming trip down memory lane, the joys of boxed games. Do you relate?

Love at First Magazine Read

A once-a-month read. Every single page absorbed into your brain and you know exactly what games are coming out when. That must-have Lee Carvello’s Putting Challenge for NES must be yours!

Reading a magazine before the game comes out!

Release Day Looms

Anything to pass the time. A brisk walk. Doing the laundry. Anything to pass the excruciating wait for the game’s launch. Might as well re-read that magazine!

Passing the time with a sleeping Mario Bros

Goodbye, Piggy

Piggy bank, you’ve served me well! All the loose change, random buttons and staples; all ready to take down to the game shop. Rest in peace, little one!

Goodbye Piggybank - Joys of boxed games - Sailor Moon

Dodging the Boss Battle

It’s finally release day, but it’s a weekday. Is it worth waiting till Saturday rolls over? Of course not. Time to face the boss with the “I’ve got toilet problems and can’t come in today” spiel.

Flame up, buttercup! Dodge the boss to claim a prize

The Long Bus Ride

Hop on the bus, and in those days, there were no smartphones, no Pokémon GO stops. Silence. Music if you had a Walkman, but otherwise Timmy eating a bag of chips is your entertainment.

That long, excruciating bus ride into town!

Navigating the Queue

After that excruciating journey into town, it’s time to face the dread. The queue. Deirdre’s looking for that “jumping man” game for her son and Sean wants a refund for FIFA 2003 because it’s the exact same game as FIFA 2002.

Navigate the long queue to claim that game!

The Joys of Physical Boxed Games – Finally, Mine

It’s now in your paws. The wait, the adventure, the queues. A freshly wrapped bundle of joy is now yours to devour – the pure joys of physical boxed games!

The Joys of Boxes Games - Finally, Mine!

A Whiff of Sealed Plastic

This box, this shell of plastic is visual masterpiece! But doesn’t it just smell good? Tear it open and breathe it in, soak up those pixels and polygons! There’s no feeling quite like it!

Kid feels sorry for old people

Those Instruction Booklet Feels

Safety guidelines aside, it’s time to memorise the entire instruction booklet. How to put the game in correctly? Done. You’ve read it five times. Move the character up, how to jump, how to thrust, how to pump. It’s all there with glorious colour diagrams!

Reading that instruction book on the way home!

Set Sail for Adventure!

You’re now back home, exhausted but ready to take on that first chapter, that first adventure-mode run, that opening cut-scene. It’s all be worth it!

Set Sail for Adventure in Wind Waker

Do you relate? Do you prefer physical games over digital, or does it depend solely on the game itself? Let us know!

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About J

J is TeeChu's founder and resident artist, a big Sonic and Zelda fan. Born and raised on hedgehogs and forest adventures!

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