Ben-DutkaFor as long as we can remember, there have always been game manuals stuck within game boxes. It's just…the way things are.
But given the new "green" craze, perhaps the days of the paper manual are numbered. They certainly are at Ubisoft, as the publisher has revealed an environmental-friendly plan that will remove paper manuals from their PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games; players will instead receive a digital manual. In so doing, they say we'll have "easier and more intuitive access to game information," it can be a "more robust manual," and this plan will go into action this fall when Shaun White Snowboarding launches. Recent figures state that game manuals for video games consumes an average of 2 tons of wood from 13 trees, a net energy total of 28 million BTUs, which then causes over 6,000 lbs. of CO2 to be released. Said Ubisoft North America president Laurent Detoc:
"Ubisoft is often recognized for making great games, but it’s a special privilege to be the industry leader at saving trees. Eco-friendly initiatives are important to the global community and introducing in-game digital manuals on Xbox 360 and PS3 is just the latest example of Ubisoft’s ongoing commitment to being a more environmentally conscious company."
They even take things a step further by entering into a partnership with Technimark Inc. to release "the industry's most environmentally-responsible DVD case." It'll be used for all PC titles in North America in the future and the first to boast this new eco-friendly case will be Splinter Cell: Conviction , which releases on April 30. Some industry guys have already responded to this move and David Jaffe is none too happy about it; here's what he said on his Twitter page :
"HATE the idea of losing paper manuals. Great manuals add to the experience and – when you are a kid – make the car ride home from the store where you got the game bearable. I LOVED pouring over great game manuals as a kid."
I think we all did, Dave. On the other hand, Cliff Bleszinski says he "fully supports" the elimination of paper manuals, so…who you sidin' with? What's your take on all this?
In the voice of Ron Burgundy…"Who carrrres."
But if I had to side, even though I rarely look at the manuals, I'm for keeping the paper. It's just an old school part of owning the game.
Stay classy PSX
smells like cost cutting if u ask me
i agree with cavan-cost cutting first, green second
Paper manuals are already useless in most games this gen. It is very rare to find a manual with more than 10 pages without them being either half legal information and adds or filled with copies in other languages.
The best manual Iv seen this gen is for Resonance of Fate. That thing is filled with information and it even has a Hints and Tips section.
mw2 had a crappy a** manual wtf!!!!!
guess i need to check out my resonance of fate manual. it not that i dont read manuals, i usually get to it right before i start the game.
@Johnld
ROFs manual tells you just about every little detail anyone would need to play the game. It covers details about combat, hexes, terminals, tri-attacks, bonus shots, smackdowns, and so much more.
With a manual like that, no one should be asking how to do stuff.
I will miss the paper manuals. I like having a digital version of the manual available, but come on, the waste of paper in this world is not due to video game manuals.
If we want to save the trees, please stop making phone books. I get a damn phone book on my door step every six months. It goes straight to the recycle.
Don't you replace your phone books?
Wolf, I don't own a phone book. If I want a phone number, I look it up on Google. I didn't thumb you down though. =)
I'm not really sure why he got thumbed down.
Probably the gays, angry with his beliefs. It happens.
LMAO LV
lol lol lol lol @ LV. what does gays have to do with it?
Wolf is okay with the murdering of homosexuals so I could see why they would downvote his comments. 🙂
Last edited by LimitedVertigo on 4/20/2010 3:44:51 PM
cochise, the gays have been LV's whipping boy for years. Hmmm, in fact, he probably LITERALLY has a whipping boy at home.
lol lol lol lol lol lol ahhh i see i see
Ha, funny you should mention phone books, I just got 4 of them at my door yesterday.
The only reason I can think of on why they left me 4 of em, was they wanted to get home earlier without lugging them all & risking a double hernia, LOL
And I'll bet everywhere they stopped at got at least 4 books each too.
Ma Bell, you've got…..
scammed!!!!!
those cheap bastards, I don't want to have to quit and go to the main menu just to find something in the manual
Hmm, maybe they could make an ingame manual. hit the start button if while your in a game and have the manual pop up on screen..kind of like a HUD (Head's up Display) You keep playing the game while reading the manual…although I think that's what tutorials are for…
PS1 classics have the manual available just by hitting the PS button, they will probably go that route.
Though I rarely look at the manuals, I will miss the site of them when you open up the case. If it's just a disc in there it will feel like somethings missing. There are other forms of paper that are more environmentally conscious, why don't they just switch to that instead? Use a more renewable resource for making paper.
Although if they used something like Hemp I'm sure a lot of manuals would go up in smoke, so maybe that isn't a good idea either….
Almost all paper comes from one of two sources, renewable forests planted specifically for paper production in northern hemisphere western countries, or recycled paper.
See that's what I thought. I'm kinda torn on this issue. I don't mind them being green, but on the other hand haven't they heard of recycled paper?
i think everybody would love hemp manuals *wink wink*
Highlander's right, so is Cavan and Ogibillm (cost-cutting measure first, green second). Northern forests are a renewable resources. If they really cared they'd replace those petroleum based plastic cases with an engineered paper product.
What? No more manuals? No! I love reading those things on the drive home(during red traffic lights) from the game store. And what if I need to go to the bathroom for some time? I need something to read (newspapers are too inconvenient)
lol, I never understood why people need to read on the pot.
@world
Its just time you cant get back, hahaha. i guess might as well get some use out of that time. also, if you're in the can, its an unspoken agreement of "do not disturb". who wants to be bothered by other people when you're reading something interesting, hahaha.
Last edited by johnld on 4/20/2010 3:51:24 PM
I'm betting they are still going to use the cases that have tabs for a manual
Yeah, chances are that won't change. I don't to many devs that make their own cases. (actually I don't know any at all) If not they might just use Blu-Ray cases, which will be odd for games to be in.
Hopefully Ubisoft is the only publisher that does this. I like the having the manuals inside the case.
I will say this, there seems to be a big push to go all digital on the horizon.
they have to spring it on us slowly.
The day I agree with someone with a name like Bleszinski, you can plant me in the ground.
There is nothing 'eco' friendly in this move at all. Most paper used in the west comes from either sustainable forests planted specifically for paper, or recycled paper. The hardwood forests of the tropics are used for other things such as furniture, but not paper.
This is less about being 'eco' friendly than it is about spending less on packaging. What the hell is the difference between the digital release and the physical one if all you get is the disc? I used to wonder this about PC games. They used to come with a whole book of instructions and information, then it became a small pamphlet, with the rest on the disc, and now it's whatever fits into a jewel case.
Next thing you know you'll spend an extra $20 to get a 'special' collectors edition with a paper manual, and still have to fork over another $20 for the strategy guide.
I smell BS on this one. It's a move designed to squeeze more money out of the sale, kinda like when airlines started charging for checked baggage, and then drinks on the plane, and now someone wants to charge for carry-on bags. Chip, chip, chip away. Let's see if the sheep will stand for this….Oh, they do, they do stand for it. Yay! more money for us!
Hey Highlander, check your Inbox in the forums. I sent you a message.
-Arvis
Oh, and don't overlook the fact that some airlines are going to start charging you to use the bathroom. I can't see how that could possibly stand up in court.
You will start having people purposely shizoly their drawers in protest on the plane.
Pee on the floor. It works for Grey Hound.
🙂
What does it say Arvis? There are no secrets around here.
Yes, forward me that email. Post-haste.
Jawknee, I just pooped my drawers in protest. Give me paper manuals.
Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 4/20/2010 12:22:40 PM
@highlander
you are talking about US right? i'm not sure but i think ubisoft is bases somewhere else so it might be a different situation. but still, havent they heard of recycled paper? when i look/buy games for my collection, theres 3 things i look for, game manual, official game case and cover art, and the game of course. it just makes the game legit for me.
Yea johnld, most of the CDs I buy, the artists have opted for recycled packaging. Works just fine and even looks better in some cases.
I just have to say, I laugh harder reader psx comments than any other time of the day. Keep it up people.
Paper or digital, Just put something in the manual that actually says something.
I get more info on-line in forums about using game features than whats in the manual anyways.
This will have little to no impact on the environment. The real impact will be Ubisofts wallet. Cheapskates. They ask us to spend $60 bucks on their games the least they can do is insert a printed manual. But it must make them feel good to be "doing their part."
I'm never buying another Ubisoft game anyways so they can do what they want.
Last edited by Jawknee on 4/20/2010 11:29:44 AM
All the other crap that other game companies are pulling and your not going to buy another UBISOFT product because of a missing game manual? Really? Wow, that's like cutting your foot off because you stubbed your toe.
I'm mildly annoyed over the idea of losing a game manual, but not to the point of not buying another game from them. Besides I want to see another Assassin's Creed so I'll be buying from them again. Or if they make another HAWX since there doesn't seem to be another Ace Combat coming to the PS3.
Everything is going to be going digital eventually, maybe not this gen, but I think that this generation is the testing platform for other generations to come. We're going to see more stuff like this and Sony is at the forefront with the push for digital downloads.
If we're going to lose our minds over a missing manual, then you are not going to like what is coming…
Haha no no, this is a drop I'm the bucket. I won't buy anymore Ubisoft games because they are a lazy developer and their games suck. I've never liked Ubisoft, this is just added baggage.
And with the amount of money, time and effort Sony put behind blue ray, I highly doubt they will be pushing for all digital all the time any time soon.
Last edited by Jawknee on 4/20/2010 11:57:51 AM
Although I really have no idea about those "green" statistics and if all those BTUs and CO2 from making manuals is a lot, I will say it would be a shame to lose the in-box manuals. The guy is right, the manual adds to the game and is part of the experience of buying a game. No one is going to check the digital manual. I see more people going to their computer and looking up their problem on google before going to an in-game manual.
What will happen with this is when you hit the PS button one of the options will be Game Manual and you can flip through the pages. They did this for the Metal Gear Solid(1) digital download.
The REAL crime is that most manuals are no longer in color! Although..I guess if they went digital it wouldn't really cost much to make them in color again… but that's not the point! We want physical manuals in color!
Game manuals should be the first thing you interact with when you purchase a game and it would be nice to see more developers use the manual to engulf us into the game's world/story.
Yes, but what about the CO2 and all the BTUs that come from providing the manuals digitally? You have to have the game console and screen active in order to view it, that burns energy and causes excess heat.
People seem to forget CO2 is planet food.
@ jawknee
yes and its also an evil greenhouse gas that causes global warming which can then cause earthquakes!!
lol, jokes and sarcasm aside this move is totally not because they want to go green, its just a way to cut costs.