Digital distribution brought huge advantages, but in the process we've lost much more than just physical copies. We also left behind everything that came with them: manuals, maps, posters... and boxes. Fortunately, the internet is full of enthusiasts obsessed with preserving that material, which is how we discovered Kirkland's Manual Labor, a project dedicated to archiving the manuals of thousands of games for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Super Nintendo.
These days, buying a video game is nothing special: you go to the store, make a couple of clicks, and the title is added to your library. In fact, you haven't even bought it—all you get is a license. But things were very different before, and I'd almost dare say "better." Buying a game was something tangible, real.
Now anyone can say that "Switch games are still physical," but the experience has been reduced to its bare minimum. Honestly, I think we're paying a huge premium for glorified flash cards. The "premium versions" of modern games are just gimmicks to tempt us with pre-orders. So what alternatives do we have?
Kirkland's Manual Labor: Thousands of Manuals for PS1, PS2, and SNES
On one hand, GOG usually includes nice extras with the games you buy there, like manuals and wallpapers. On the other, there are online projects such as Kirkland's Manual Labor, dedicated to digitally preserving the manuals and booklets of thousands of games for PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Super Nintendo. Right now, the archive includes 1,288 PS1 games, 1,904 PS2 games, and 724 SNES games. The focus is on US releases.
PS2 and SNES manuals are backed up on the Internet Archive, but for PS1 manuals you have to visit the official site. There you'll also find some "longbox" versions of the manuals—102 in total—as well as references to the so-called Lightspan Adventures, exclusive games for educational environments. (PlayStation consoles in schools? I wonder how that worked...)
To wrap up, the obvious part: you can download each manual individually or use the torrents to create local copies of this impressive project. Personally, I recommend grabbing the PS1 torrent so we don't reduce the official site to ashes. Links below!
Kirkland's Manual Labor: PS1, PS2, SNES
