I recently bought the Xbox game Balan’s Wonderworld. I acquired a physical copy from Amazon fairly cheap so had to go through the process of waiting for the delivery before I could unwrap the cellophane and put the disc in to install. I knew this would take hours because of internet connection and download speeds. I’ve known this was the case since I got an Xbox One, having to wait really kills the excitement.

Back in the days of the Xbox 360, the PS2, PS1 and Megadrive before them I was able to play a game upon insertion. I remember the days of going to a shop, getting a game, being so excited as I reread the box a thousand times on the trip home to then play the game resulting in satisfaction at something new, even if it wasn’t very good.

That satisfaction is rare these days. Having to install everything does ruin the gaming experience a little, the excitement dies before the game finishes downloading.

Sometimes though, when you buy new and physical you open the game box to find something extra. I don’t mean a DLC code or the health and safety booklets that you sometimes get. I mean something unexpected that gives the excitement an extra burst, something like the above pictured ticket.

It’s a pointless little item that was on top of the disc. It just made me smile to see it. That little extra made the wait feel worth it like playing straight away would have done. Part of the game world was in my hands.

I got a coaster once from a different game and I remember the map of Cyrodiil from Oblivion. It’s just a really nice business practice to give the buyers something extra, even if it’s just a piece of paper. This idea applies to everything, not just gaming.