Video Game Cover Art

MOST OF US LIKE VIDEO GAMES! Video game covers are an important part of the gaming experience for several reasons. Let’s take a look at a few covers new and older and see what information we may get just from looking at them.

Here is an older game cover for Mega Man. What information can you get from looking at this cover?

Here is an older game cover for Final Fantasy 1 ( wow, this IS old). What information can you get from looking at this cover?

Here is a game cover of Left 4 Dead. What information can you get from looking at this cover?

Here is a game cover of Lego Batman What information can you get from looking at this cover?

Here is a game cover of Fear What information can you get from looking at this cover?

So we have seen that there can be quite a bit of information gotten from the cover of a video game. Have you ever went to the store and browsed the games, buying one based on cover, screen shots and reading the back alone? I have!

What Makes a “good” Cover? We must keep in mind that a buyers first impression can and does influence their choice between games! The following are features that have been shown to draw people’s attention, increase sales and cause a cover to be considered “ good”.

1.Using Faces or Large Images of Characters from the game.

2. Ensure that the title is easy to read.

3. Screenshots on the back. There should be enough screen shots to show game play and main characters, big enough to show detail, and should be placed on the top portion of the back cover.

4. Other images on the cover to help set the background and show gameplay/genre.

5. Multiplayer options and hardware requirements should be clearly displayed using icons or bullet point text.

6. If the game is a sequel or based on a film/comic/TV series, the title should show this.

7. Age ratings should be easily located!

8. Don’t forget the game platform!!! People need to know right away if they can play this game at home with their platform!!

The following video game covers were labeled the WORST. See if you can tell why….

So by now, hopefully you have learned what makes a GOOD video game cover and what makes a BAD one. Your Assignment: You are going to create your own video game cover This will be a game that YOU make up. No, you can’t use an existing game! You need to know what genre your game will be, what characters there will be, what platform it will be for, the game rating, etc. Use what you have learned to create a cover that makes people want to buy your game! You can use graphics from the internet- but NOT graphics from other video games!

My Example