REDISCOVER YOUR LOVE FOR PHYSICAL MEDIA
This project explores the important experience of physical media for games, movies, and or shows. As we enter an era where streaming has become the priority way of dispersing media, I aim to highlight why physical media, including DVDs, merchandise, and posters, shouldn’t be disregarded and left behind. Through this physicality, not only is media preserved, but it allows for creative design outlets that let fans into the world of that art form.
I have used the horror video game Resident Evil 4 Remake by Capcom as a case study. The goal is to create new physical media for this game and to present it through creative packaging not standard to the gaming industry. While not entirely practical, this project is meant to contextualize and focus on the possibilities physical media can create and how they can enhance the media they represent.
Physical Packaging & Final Deliverables
Each item I created for this project represents a different aspect of the game. Items made include a series of posters representative of the game's visual and story elements, character charms, new cover art, and a game manual in the style of an FBI debrief folder meant to be given to the main character, Agent Leon S. Kennedy. All items are presented in his briefcase that serves as the game's inventory while you play.
Game manuals, a now lost and missed form of physical media, served as a way to become indulged in the world before even playing the game, providing information on the story, characters, and settings. They’d be in the style of the game's branding or would feel like something you’d find in the game. With this came a redesign of the game's physical cover. Oftentimes, a game's cover sleeve will be double-sided, with the back having a more artistic approach to a cover design, something fans tend to prefer to the main cover.
Game Manual
Game Manual
These are character charms inspired by collectible charms within the game itself. While playing, you have the opportunity to collect charms of characters, items, and/or enemies. These charms can be attached to Leon’s briefcase as an accessory and provide an extra boost to Leon’s gameplay. Playing off of this, I decided to make these charms a reality by illustrating beloved characters of the game and attaching them to my presented briefcase.