How not to pack things before shipping

This article is a direct consequence of many horrible packaging jobs I've witnessed in the past years as a buyer on eBay.

Why is it such a big problem for some people to make sure that the contents of the package arrive in the exect same condition as they were shipped? They are either ignorant and believe the packages are handled with care or they are cheap and simply don't give a damn. The latest example is an IBM Model M keyboard I ordered last month. Upon arrival I discovered it wasn't boxed! Instead, it was wrapped in cardboard like you'd wrap a book. Needless to say, the keyboard didn't take this very well. The result was 12 broken rivets and one broken support.

My other experience comes from underpacked PC games. Some people think it's enough to simply use a normal paper envelope and be done with it. Wrong! In 99% cases the boxes arrive damaged, corners crushed and similar. If you want to package a game properly, at least use a layer of bubble-wrap and on top of that a bubble-wrap envelope. If you really want to do it right, put the game box inside a proper padded cardboard box. Your buyers will appreciate it.

Game Review: In The Doghouse

In The Doghouse is a simple yet addictive puzzle game by Nitrome. The idea is simple: sort out the pieces of the puzzle so they form a path to the dog's food bowl in the kitchen. You don't move the dog directly but rather move a bone which the dog then follows. To make things more interesting there are additional obstacles in the form of cats, elevators, electric gates etc. I'm currently stuck at level 39 out of 40. Give it a try, I'm sure it won't disappoint you.

Pros: + great gameplay + cute graphics

Cons: - repetitive music - needs more levels (!)

Rating: 9/10

Link: http://www.nitrome.com/games/doghouse/