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Does video game box art matter anymore?

I miss Gamestation

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City artwork of Lance Vance standing in front of a window-walled building with a reflection of a palm tree.

I was devastated when my local Gamestation closed down. Inside it was like a server room, with aisles of games tightly bunched together. Excess games might lay flat on top of these rows, or you might find a few boxes toppled over in a domino effect. That's when you knew a game was doing well.

Whenever I was in town, I used to pop in and just browse. I particularly liked trading in old games and cashing them in for more old games. At that age, I wasn't super in tune with what was hot at the time, so cool box art fuelled my decisions. Nowadays though, I just download the games I want online with perhaps a quick glance at their box art. It begs the question, does it matter anymore?

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Ed Thorn avatar
Ed Thorn: When Ed's not cracking thugs with bicycles in Yakuza, he's likely swinging a badminton racket in real life. Any genre goes, but he's very into shooters and likes a weighty gun, particularly if they have a chainsaw attached to them. Adores orange and mango squash, unsure about olives.
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