Declutter your life by throwing away the retail packaging from your video games. Here is why.

Video game packaging

We are all familiar with the way a physical video game disk is packaged: it is provided in a standard-sized plastic box with a clear wallet for the insertion of the game cover. Inside, we find the disk or disks, and optionally some blurb regarding voucher codes or advertising.

Used games

I like to purchase used copies of older XBox One games as they are very cheap and widely available online at Amazon and eBay, and on the High Street at CeX and Game. These games have a low resale value, so typically I don't sell them on.

Better storage for games

I purchased a large zip-up DVD storage wallet with space for storing hundreds of disks. Now, when I purchase a new (to me) game, I remove the disk(s) and any relevant voucher codes and store them in the wallet. The rest of the packaging I throw into the recycling.

Justification

The may seem like a crazy idea, but here is why I do it:

  • As the games have almost no resale value, I have no requirement to keep them in a resalable state.
  • But if I was to resell them then missing packaging is unlikely to impact significantly on overall amount I would receive.
  • It's just packaging that is designed to protect the product and entice you into buying it
  • I don't value the physical product; the game is the on the disk (or, increasingly, delivered via a huge patch at the point of install)
  • I don't enough space to store a load of boxes
  • I'm not 'collecting' games to save them in mint condition for the sake of posterity
  • All the artwork is available online
  • Games are increasingly moving to digital delivery so the physical product is no longer the primary distribution medium.

Contraindication and exceptions

I might not treat every game in this way. If I had a game with significant resale or sentimental value then I'd hang onto the packaging. But these are very much exceptions.

So go ahead and declutter your life by throwing away all of those disk boxes.