Print Your Own BioShock Infinite Cover

[Steven Bogos]

Booker and Elizabeth 2 is the best one. Claiming that this game isn't about Booker is just absurd, did you even play the game at all? It's a companion story that is just as much about Elizabeth as it is about Booker, so they both deserve equal billing for the cover.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

Oh man, I checked out that forum thread, and some of their proposed covers were literally breathtaking. It's amazing how much more alive the game box can feel when it's not a generic grizzled gray-brown mess, covered with information we probably already know if we bought the damn game.

 

[1337mokro]

What cover?

I bought a digital copy for 30$. I told the store to shred the fucking CD because it was pointless to have them seeing as I would STILL have to activate it on steam.

Saved me 2 bucks on shipping me dids. All the cover I have is the name "Bioshock Infinite" in my library.

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

I'm shocked that virtually all of the covers in that neogaf thread are better than the ones that shipped with the game. It makes it pretty clear that there's little that's artistic about the process, but rather to catch the eye of Johnny McGenericson as quickly as possible. Which means a white dude in his 30s. Looking nonchalantly off to the right somewhere. Some orange and teal. A nice big gun. Ladies strictly in distress or for titillation. Now I made myself sad.

 

[Ymbirtt]

My god that NeoGAF thread is awesome, it's just a shame their PC library is a bit lacking. Look at this man's DX:HR box art. Just look at it. It won't sell the game to someone who's not already bought it, but I'd be proud to have that siting on my shelf.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=31046118&postcount=720

All games should totally have flippable covers - one for selling the game, and one for displaying once you've bought it.

 

[elilupe]

-snip-

Sorry, shouldn't have brought it up unless I wanted to talk about it I guess.

First off, don't worry, this isn't some PC gaming BS. It's a business perspectives thing.

Ask yourself this: What is the purpose of Cover Art? Not for the consumer, for the publisher. Here's a hint, it's the same reason they put cartoon characters on cereal boxes.

Answer: To make it more appealing. It's Advertising. Marketing. The purpose of cover art is to make the game look appealing to someone who knows nothing about the game. It's for those people who walk into a game store knowing nothing about the games on the rack. It's trying to get their attention and convince them to pick up the box and look closer.

Now think about Core Gamers. Do we care about the cover art when it comes to what games we buy? No. We research the game, read articles, watch trailers, etc. We're knowledgeable about the game itself, so the cover art is not going to influence our decision. Most times our decision to buy is made before we set foot in the store.

So when a publisher designs the cover art, they don't ask "Does this adequately convey the theme of the game?" Instead they ask, "Will this increase the chance that someone will take interest in the game, when they know nothing about it?"

Which is kind of disheartening because it says a lot about the general American Consumer, because our cover art is terrible, as a general rule.

I'm glad you actually have a thoughtful stance on this and it wasn't just some PC elitist crap
I do agree with you, cover art in the industry today is all about the money, in the same way that so very many other things in gaming are as well. But it does sorta depress me, I want covers to be a part of the game, maybe even enhance its meaning somehow. An example being CD/Record covers. The images on the cases that music comes in aren't there just to sell the music(when not talking about shallow pop), they serve to be part of the art that is the music.
It's one of those things, I guess, for me. I understand why the covers are often as artless as they are, but I would just love for that to change and have the covers be more important than just money.

 

[RJ 17]

while the real protagonist, Elizabeth, is bumped to the back cover for fear that her lady bumps and lacking arsenal will drive away the emotionally-stunted shooter audience.

I've heard you and Jim talk about this and I've really gotta disagree. Sure, Elizabeth is the star of the show and the princess in the tower, but the story itself is just as much a tale of Booker's redemption in both personality and in deed as it is about Elizabeth and her amazing princess power. I do agree it's a shame she's only one the back, but if anything they should both get equal billing as Elizabeth is no more the protagonist than Booker.

 

[Paradoxrifts]

Do any of the alternate covers feature *anything* other than generic grizzled stubble man or the princess Belle rip-off? Maybe something focusing on the architecture of the floating city, perhaps?

 

[CyanideSandwich]

All games should totally have flippable covers - one for selling the game, and one for displaying once you've bought it.

Yes please.

OT: I'm really glad they've given people this option. The current front box art is woefully generic and in all honesty, not representative of what you'll find in the game. It makes it look like a gung-ho military FPS when it's so much more.

 

[BrainWalker]

I am pretty jazzed about these alternate Bioshock Infinite covers, and I'm probably going to be printing that "falling" cover, but let me just join the chorus of people being blown away by that NeoGAF thread. So many of those covers are so good, they basically shame the industry.

With the tools provided, I might even create a few covers of my own.

 

[cookyt]

I think there's huge potential for reversible covers! The developer wins, and the consumer wins, because "what's that? our pretty cover won't sell? We have to put a generic grizzled gun toting action hero on the front even though it's actually a game about puppies? No biggy, we'll just put the real cover on the inside, free of all the legal and technical mumbo jumbo >"

.
Well, that's only if the people paying to print the covers in the first place really care enough about the game enough to justify the extra expense. Really, I can't see how having reversible covers for the common copy of the game would bolster overall sales (anyone who knows about/wants the cover would probably have gotten the game otherwise). Nice covers, however, do have a place on special edition boxes, though. That said, I'd love to have some of those NeoGAF covers on my shelf.

There's a whole lot I'm tempted to mention (like the fact Cover Art really isn't for us [read core gamers]) but suffice to say I'm glad they're giving people more options.

What? Cover art isn't for core gamers? What in the heck is that supposed to mean? If I had to categorize myself into "core gamer" or "non-core gamer/casual gamer", I'd obviously classify myself as a core gamer, being on this site, and I LOVE cover art. Well-done cover art is fantastic, think about the Japanese cover of ICO, Kingdom Hearts, Out of This World, or Secret of Mana. Saying cover art is for non-core gamers is just a strange stance, I think. Unless you believe the only core gamers are those who play on Steam and thus don't have the boxes to place cover art on, but that's a whole other barrel o' monkeys.

Sorry, shouldn't have brought it up unless I wanted to talk about it I guess.

First off, don't worry, this isn't some PC gaming BS. It's a business perspectives thing.

Ask yourself this: What is the purpose of Cover Art? Not for the consumer, for the publisher. Here's a hint, it's the same reason they put cartoon characters on cereal boxes.

Answer: To make it more appealing. It's Advertising. Marketing. The purpose of cover art is to make the game look appealing to someone who knows nothing about the game. It's for those people who walk into a game store knowing nothing about the games on the rack. It's trying to get their attention and convince them to pick up the box and look closer.

Now think about Core Gamers. Do we care about the cover art when it comes to what games we buy? No. We research the game, read articles, watch trailers, etc. We're knowledgeable about the game itself, so the cover art is not going to influence our decision. Most times our decision to buy is made before we set foot in the store.

So when a publisher designs the cover art, they don't ask "Does this adequately convey the theme of the game?" Instead they ask, "Will this increase the chance that someone will take interest in the game, when they know nothing about it?"

Which is kind of disheartening because it says a lot about the general American Consumer, because our cover art is terrible, as a general rule.

That's a well-thought out argument which I agree with, but I think you go too far when you say "core" gamers don't want covers. If someone really likes a game, they probably wouldn't be opposed to having a piece of art which captures the spirit and theme of the game. Something which, at a glance, can immediately remind them of everything which made that game worthwhile, and of the emotion they experienced when playing it. The cover art on most games don't do this, but a determined individual can always go out of his way to find (and print) a piece of art that does.

Personally, I find it a bit saddening that I don't have physical copies of my game art/covers these days. but I make up for it with a large directory with desktop wallpapers.

 

[kael013]

My God, that NeoGAF thread... It's beautiful.

OT: Eh, I enjoy the alternative they provided on the flipside, but I think I may mess around in GIMP for a while and make a reversible cover with the alternative they shipped the game with and the Falling art. I just can't live with the thought that the original crappy cover art is even [i/]touching[/i] the box.

 

[Dfskelleton]

I really like the reversible cover it came with (the storybook looking one), but the fact that they're still offering these for people who want them is great.

Also, while I've seen the NeoGAF page before (and it's awesome), I'm waiting for someone to make some kind of alternate cover for Spec Ops: The Line.
I very well may have to make one myself...

 

[mad825]

Looking at people's most of the replies to this utterly pointless gimmick doesn't surprise me why the consumer gets ripped-off on a regular basis.

It's a cover ffs, do you just stand there fingering yourself over it? Most reasonable people buy a game to bloody play the game not look at some cover.

 

[Metalrocks]

thats actually really nice of them. she is actually the real hero of them game. she must on front. still thinking which one i choose. maybe i just get some of them and change them when i feel like it.
even when i play it on pc, i still got my self the retail version. damn game was on 3 dvds. downloading it from steam would have taken days with my crappy connection.

 

[Muspelheim]

Neat! This really is the best of two worlds. The marketing department gets to sleep easy at night knowing the ever-so fragile fratboy demographic won't be turned off from their product and everyone who isn't pleased with the cover gets an alternative. It's a fun idea, and I've been replacing covers I don't like with my own for ages, for the hell of it.

And yes, I know it's uncool to even care about how the box looks, but honestly. Some aestetic sense never hurt anyone, considering we don't all suit up in grey stain-resistant jump suits every morning.

Exactly how does people caring even affect anything for people that don't, anyway?

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Cool! What kind of covers can I get for steam?

Oh. I can't can I?

Sigh.

Good news, Steam lets you change the icons for the grid and list views! Here's a site filled with pretty much any game you need.
http://steambanners.booru.org/index.php

OT: I don't like how a lot of alternative covers don't have the top-bar. I don't mind a colourful side, but if the whole thing's colourful then it clashes with the rest of my games and looks bad. Wouldn't mind finding the top-bars on their own so I can photoshop them in, because a lot of these covers are damn sexy.

 

[Sunrider]

Sorry, shouldn't have brought it up unless I wanted to talk about it I guess.

First off, don't worry, this isn't some PC gaming BS. It's a business perspectives thing.

Ask yourself this: What is the purpose of Cover Art? Not for the consumer, for the publisher. Here's a hint, it's the same reason they put cartoon characters on cereal boxes.

Answer: To make it more appealing. It's Advertising. Marketing. The purpose of cover art is to make the game look appealing to someone who knows nothing about the game. It's for those people who walk into a game store knowing nothing about the games on the rack. It's trying to get their attention and convince them to pick up the box and look closer.

Now think about Core Gamers. Do we care about the cover art when it comes to what games we buy? No. We research the game, read articles, watch trailers, etc. We're knowledgeable about the game itself, so the cover art is not going to influence our decision. Most times our decision to buy is made before we set foot in the store.

So when a publisher designs the cover art, they don't ask "Does this adequately convey the theme of the game?" Instead they ask, "Will this increase the chance that someone will take interest in the game, when they know nothing about it?"

Which is kind of disheartening because it says a lot about the general American Consumer, because our cover art is terrible, as a general rule.

I think the opposite argument could be made as well. You're right, we don't buy games based on cover art, but rather because of reasons you already brought up, and that is exactly why I think this is just as great for "core gamers" as anyone else. While we don't buy games for the cover art, we still appreciate good cover art as much as the next guy. Being able to switch out that terrible US cover art for something else? I'm all for that (even if I'm not American, but you get the point).

In any case, no one loses out in this deal. There really is no negative argument to be made, regardless of what demographic you belong to.