1Up Looks at the History of Game Packaging
1Up has a feature about the history of computer game packaging from 1980 through to the present called “Shrink Wrapped”.
An excerpt:
In the bag: Starting small
Picture this: Back in 1980, some snot-nosed punk (and ComputerLand retail employee) named Richard Garriott coded a little RPG for the Apple II, which he called Akalabeth: World of Doom. Lacking the funds or the connections to get it published in any sort of professional capacity, Garriott hand-copied a stack of labeled disks and instructions, stuck ‘em all in plastic baggies, and personally peddled them to software stores. That is, until word of Akalabeth spread like wildfire and California Pacific Computer Company picked up the publishing rights. Thus did Garriott’s alter-ego, Lord British, rise to power.
I still remember the Electronic Arts “Album Cover” packaging. Good times.
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