Thoughts on “The amazing mail sent to a video game publisher”

This article did the rounds on my socials and on Bubbles, on how the publisher Panic receives mail by asking for it at the end of their games.

It’s something I was aware of, I finished one of their games (Thank Goodness You’re Here!) and sent them a postcard – I think it was a picture of the high street of the town I live in. So there’s every chance my mail is in the photo in that article.

It’s nothing too high tech, but when you finish you’re encouraged to visit a link mentioned in the credits. In it, it explains to send the developers a note, and if you put a self address envelope back in it, you could receive something back. No guarantees though. It was simple, and I think there was a bit of friction (it wasn’t just emailing them) and a bit of vulnerability (you were sharing your address with them), meant I wanted to do it.

I did message them, and I did get something back. I got this patch.

The article talks about how Activision in the 1980s inspired them, and it wasn’t just them. I have in my collection an “Elite” pin badge you got when you emailed the publishers of the BBC Micro game with a word that appears in the ending.

Sending snail mail related to computer software was rife in the shareware days (the amount of home addresses that appear in magazines and printed in software is ridiculous), but it’s effectively dead now. Which is sad. I did when I was more active on Twitch send my regulars Christmas cards, and I did send Dan Q a postcard as part of his “Postcards from the Internet” series when he asked for them. I’d like to think it gave a bit of joy in folks lives.

I am not going to lie, I’m thinking of adding something similar to my next game.

It’d be nice.