Classic Console: Video Game Playing Cards

[undefinedknowledge]

Hello Everyone, I just wanted to introduce a new deck that is funding now on KS. Feel free to offer in advice, critiques, etc. We have yet to print with a high quality printer, so we are really hoping this deck is strong enough to meet the funding goal so we can get an EPCC deck produced and under our belts. Thank you all for your time and consideration!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/undefinedknowledge/classic-console-video-game-playing-cards











https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/undefinedknowledge/classic-console-video-game-playing-cards

[Justin O.]

I think this deck is conceptually fantastic, I love seeing all of my favorites represented here, but I think the blend of a classic concept with a markedly modern execution really kills the nostalgia. Outside of the imagery used the cars are way too busy and not quite there on the design level, too many textures/patterning and unecessary lines, the background and the framing circle are really not working for me. I would love to see alternative designs for this concept because I really like what they are trying to do, I just feel like they need to polish up how they are doing it.

[Don Boyer]

I think this deck is conceptually fantastic, I love seeing all of my favorites represented here, but I think the blend of a classic concept with a markedly modern execution really kills the nostalgia. Outside of the imagery used the cars are way too busy and not quite there on the design level, too many textures/patterning and unecessary lines, the background and the framing circle are really not working for me. I would love to see alternative designs for this concept because I really like what they are trying to do, I just feel like they need to polish up how they are doing it.

Classic concept with markedly modern execution?  Too many textures/patterns?  Unnecessary lines?  Please explain.

This company is a client of mine and I felt that the custom pips with the controller designs were fantastic, one of the more distinctive elements making this deck both unique and cool.  I also think that it is a minor miracle that they managed to pull off a two-way back with that pattern on it - diagonal patterns that complex are notoriously difficult to pull off as a two-way design.

Undefined Knowledge tried as hard as possible evoking the feel of the old console games in the courts without at the time invoking the wrath of the game companies' lawyers!  I feel they did an admirable job.

[Justin O.]

Classic concept with markedly modern execution?  Too many textures/patterns?  Unnecessary lines?  Please explain.

Hey Don, I agree about the pips, I actually think they nailed the design of those, and I love that the boarders have the controllers connected to their respective consoles. Besides that I think the use of the pip shapes as elements in the court images is over done, The JoD is the best example, the diamond ball isn't necessary, the diamond cutouts in the brick layers doesn't look good on the JoD. Further all of the images, except maybe Sonic's Green Zone, look like bad vector art. Bland with a way too liberal use of the Gradient Tool. The court backgrounds are the other design element that really kill it for me, the slate with the gradiated halftone reads as a faux metallic finish with a textured overlay and feels really out of place with even the more modern 16 bit 4th gen console references and the subtle carryover of that texture bleeding into the white circle frame looks noisy and create visual lines that aren't necessary and I think detract overall from the design. The clean, crisp design of the joker and the Ace through 10s is assaulted by the noisy and indelicate design of the courts.

The use of gradients, textures both on the actual game images and the backgrounds make the whole design look both cheap and much to modern for an homage to 16bit, and lower, systems. The pips, and a couple of the images are the only things I like about the cards. The card back looks great as well, but it has a completely different feel from the rest of the deck, which makes it feel disjointed from the overall style.

They have the right idea, but I don't think the design is there yet. That said, they will probably fund this project through nostalgia alone.

[Don Boyer]

Ah - you never mentioned courts in your initial reference!  You just wrote "cars," which I presumed meant "cards (but I was typing too fast)!"

For those courts to work as you're trying to present them, you really need to match the original look-and-feel - you have to make it original, but you have to make it look as if it was a high-quality screen grab of the actual games.

You could make those images two-sided, if you got creative about it.  Imagine instead of a giant pip in the center (that's easily confused with an Ace), you make a background in each half of the card that looks like the classic background from the game, but use pips as the characters being controlled.  Done well, the static images will feel more imbued with motion, there will be "two-headed" courts (which are greatly favored by most players over single-headed) and no one will ever confuse your court card for an Ace.

If you wanted to be really funny about it, you could tweak the index to look like the channel knob on ye olde school NTSC TV set, before everyone had HD and remote control.  Make a digital display showing the value and put the pip on the knob.  But then you'd have to repeat the concept for ALL the cards, since under no circumstances should a deck have multiple index formats.  It's worth a thought.

[aldazar]

I really like this idea and am quite a fan of the faces! The tuck box, on the other hand, I find completely underwhelming, and I don't particularly like the backs either...

Still, it's cool to see a deck featuring all the old school video games we used to play!

[Fess]

MPC printed relaunch.

Classic Console: Video Game Playing Cards RELAUNCH

[Don Boyer]

This is a super-fast campaign - only a week.  He's already hit the funding goal by using MPC.

I've got to say, as difficult as it can be to get a decent-sized deck run paid for and produced, MPC certainly lowers the barrier to entry for someone with a "shirt-pocket" project, too small for even a 2,500-deck print run.