EA ditches games manuals – who cares?

gamerblorge.com: EA is ditching printed games manuals for all its titles. Does anyone actually care about games manuals anymore? Or even look at them for that matter?

Electronic Arts (EA) recently announced it is going to ditch games manuals completely. From now on none of its PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 titles will come with a printed game manual, with a digital on-disc manual being provided instead. Fight Night Champion and the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 were the first games to be affected, and the initiative will continue going forward.

[mushroomwig]

I don't care, I've never really bothered with manuals and it's better for the environment.

[Neckbear]

Again, it's not like the tree they use for manuals wouldn't go somewhere else, and said trees actually affected the enviorment.

Then again, nowadays you have to pay an extra 20-40$ to get what you used to get back then (Actually COLORED book with information about the game's world, art and characters, alongside some extra physical goodies), so whatever.

[sdtarm]

they better ship the game with a small artbook at least

or charge me 5 bucks less

[Baba1906]

lol neckbear, how can you say that. of course it matters if you use less paper, and games are sold in the millions. the production will go down if less paper can be sold. and its not only the trees, but a lot of energie that is invested in producing this little booklets. thats like saying it doesnt matter how much electricity japanese people are using in this difficult time. im not saying that i allways do what is right for the envirement, but i think its irresponsable to say that it doesnt make a difference.
I think its a great idea. i almost never look at them or just really fast and than i forgett it.

[Ghost_Sparta]

...and you can download them for their official site, so you have no problem, I think!

[insomnium2]

I haven't opened a game manual in years. I have internet for all the info I need on games.

[sickbird]

how do you get 7 disagrees? manuals these day aare like a page, who reads that crap?

[insomnium2]

LOL beats me..... I loved manuals back in the Nes, SNES, Mega Drive, PS1 and even PS2 era but nowadays I have my internet to lean on with any possible problem I might have with a game. I'm sorry if that disturbs people enough to disagree.

Otherwise it would be ok but the way this site thinks of agrees and disagrees I had to say that.

[Tommykrem]

I don't think it will have any noticeable impact on the environment at all, and I therefore don't want EA to make people think that's why they're cutting it, but I don't mind that they're ditching manuals really.
Even though they sometimes can be good to have.

[unicron7]

Now what I am supposed to read while taking a shit?

[peowpeow]

Porn

[Saint-Revlot]

Um, how do you read porn.

[Max Power]

You can read smut.

[PS3Freak]

Shitting with a boner.... doesn't work all that well. You're piss will go straight out ahead of you, hahaha.

[gcolley]

it depends on the game. RPGs always benefit from a game manual

[NJShadow]

The only time it matters is if it's a game that actually requires a manual, either because it's complex, the instructions are vague, or you just want to know more about a certain aspect of the game. Otherwise, I don't mind losing them. (Though I must admit, manuals were cool up until about the PS2 days when they got much thinner. I'd always comb through my old Genesis manuals.)

[nightmarex121]

I like gamer manuals when they become like a poster, but i look at it once or sometimes never so idc.

[AntiHeroComplex]

i care. but ea sucks with its online pass anyway so count me out.

[plb]

I used them in the days where games didn't tell you how to play e.g new snes ps1 etc

[Aquateenkid]

Theres just something about having a physical manual. Good bathroom reading material too.

[rezzah]

ive noticed recently i havnt cared to look at manuals, if i ever did itd be for any artwork (if there is any).

[hellzsupernova]

i do not care i have not used a manual since.....socom 2? lol

[George Sears]

I hope this does not become a trend. Getting less for the same price is never a good thing.

[femshep]

its nice to have for reference but if you NEED it to play a game then you should game.....games now a days tell you how to play right away then hold your hand thru the whole game...this is why i like games like demon souls they just place you in it and the very basic controls everything else....your on your own

[hazelamy]

have you played any of the fifa games lately? fifa 09 had 9 pages of it's manual dedicated to the controls.

feature creep forced on these games to justify the new versions with this ludicrous annual release schedule has made the game's controls just ridiculously complicated.

[femshep]

i have not ive never been into sports games really....but i guess it doesn't hurt to try

[Kewl_Kat]

I really hope this would reduce game prices by AT LEAST a dollar.

[stuntman_mike]

E.A will probably use this as some sales gimmick. buy our manual-less games exclusively for and extra 20 bucks lol.

[stuntman_mike]

I remember the Japanese game manuals used to look awesome (even better than the actual game in some cases) really colourful and exuberant.

[No Way]

Just EA getting cheaper, hah.
The company .. not the games.

-.-

[Pillage05]

I haven't read a game manual in so long. Games today do enough hand holding so that there isn't much need. Probably easier to just do an online manual if needed.

[AfricanWoolf]

I never mind if a company cuts a few small corners, as long as those savings are passed down to me.

No manual, cool, give me a discount please.

[hazelamy]

i don't because i don't buy their identikit, feature creep, annual update sports games any more, well not new anyway, i bought tiger woods o7 for 360 the other week. :)

but the latest sports games they've released have ridiculously complicated controls, and you can't exactly pause the game in the middle of an online game to check how to do a certain move can you?
having a manual open in front of you will be invaluable at times.

and make no mistake, if there is an environmental benefit to this it's just a bonus as far as ea are concerned, the main motivation will be money.

[hazelamy]

if they're really worried about the environment, then they should get the paper for their manuals from sustainable sources, places where they plant at least as many new trees as they chop down.

[HaHa_Ostrich]

Some rather complex games should include a manual (At least a digital manual). I remember being VERY confused at the beginning of Oblivion (first elders scrolls game I have played), so many abilities and stuff, the manual was really helpfull to me.

[InTheLab]

They've replaced your manuals with ADs for other EA titles.

For instance..In DA2 there's an ad for DEAD Space 2, Mass Effect 2 DLC, Bulletstorm, and Crysis.

Sure they're worried about our environment....

[Ethereal]

I care.