The Evolution of Video Game Packaging: A New Era of Visual Identity

In the era before GamePass and mobile games, people used to purchase large cardboard boxes filled with CD-ROMs containing the latest video games. A whole generation may have missed the time when walking into a computer store felt like the massive game box was leaping into their hands.

As the video game industry matured, visiting computer store shelves meant encountering shareware games in plastic bags alongside decorative boxes adorned with cutting-edge graphic technologies. However, some designers pushed further, seizing the opportunity to transform standard cardboard boxes into sculptural objects of attraction. Among the unsung heroes of computer game packaging is designer Hock Wah Yeo.

A recent in-depth study of Yeo’s career conducted by an unknown online platform served as a nostalgic journey akin to Proust’s “madeleine” for those growing up in the ’90s. During the wild west days of the video game industry, Yeo ran a design studio with partner Valerie Wong. While Wong handled corporate clients, Yeo delved into the world of gaming.

Initially, Wong & Yeo Design Studio worked on iconic but conventional titles like “The Guardian Legend” and “Lode Runner” before Yeo had the chance to unleash his creativity by designing the packaging for the flight simulator “Jetfighter: The Adventure” from 1988.

Soon, game publishers realized that Yeo’s work drew in customers. Broderbund entrusted him with redesigning the packaging for “Prince of Persia” three years after its debut. Sales reportedly tripled once Yeo’s two-piece design hit the shelves, making everyone want the “Prince of Persia” box. Yeo continued experimenting, creating a transformer box for “Ultrabots” and a design inspired by egg cartons for “Havoc.”

Yeo once said, “If you want to sell something, you have to touch it.” In a time devoid of ubiquitous reviews and advertisements, game sellers relied on what customers could discern from the packaging to decide what products to display. Yeo excelled at crafting packages that promised something special and convinced people to take them home – so much so that Wong & Yeo Design Studio received acknowledgments on the bottom of the box, a rarity back then.

From the heyday of cardboard video game boxes, Yeo transitioned to web design and branding at his new studio, Yeo Design. He graciously shared a selection of images showcasing some of his most iconic PC projects on subsequent slides, along with links to their online versions. If you want to learn more about Yeo’s history and packaging tales, visit this portal.

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The source of the article is from the blog agogs.sk