Different icon for Games for Windows - LIVE

[cuzbabytonight 2]

I find it strange that it uses the modern Microsoft logo, I often confuse it with Microsoft Store. I think it would be better if it used the shiny Windows orb icon (since that it much more associated with GFWL) or something.

[SargeCassidy 1]

51 minutes ago, cuzbabytonight said:

I find it strange that it uses the modern Microsoft logo, I often confuse it with Microsoft Store. I think it would be better if it used the shiny Windows orb icon (since that it much more associated with GFWL) or something.

...but it does use the Windows orb?

[SargeCassidy 1]

1 minute ago, SojerManLan said:

...but it does use the Windows orb?

And in terms of PCGW availability icons, it's hard to mistake them either. 

[Aemony 142]

59 minutes ago, cuzbabytonight said:

I find it strange that it uses the modern Microsoft logo, I often confuse it with Microsoft Store. I think it would be better if it used the shiny Windows orb icon (since that it much more associated with GFWL) or something.

Please elaborate what icon you’re taking about.

[mrpenguinb 4]

Maybe they're talking about this 2015 concept (not sure if it's fan-made or official): https://logos.fandom.com/wiki/Games_for_Windows
Scroll down to the end of the list for the 2015 concept, and it's got the modern logo.

[cuzbabytonight 2]

23 hours ago, Aemony said:

Please elaborate what icon you’re taking about.

The icon for GFWL DRM. It uses the modern Microsoft logo, which I find very strange, as the shiny Windows orb is much more representative of GFWL.

[mrpenguinb 4]

12 hours ago, cuzbabytonight said:

The icon for GFWL DRM. It uses the modern Microsoft logo, which I find very strange, as the shiny Windows orb is much more representative of GFWL.

I see, https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Fallout_3
The DRM icon listed in the Availability section. Having it as an orb would be more clear/specific, that Microsoft logo is too generalised IMO to be used to show Games for Windows LIVE DRM. Never knew that's what that icon meant and that there was a difference on PCGW 😕 I can't imagine the confusion for users who rarely visit the wiki.

[Aemony 142]

22 hours ago, cuzbabytonight said:

The icon for GFWL DRM. It uses the modern Microsoft logo, which I find very strange, as the shiny Windows orb is much more representative of GFWL.

That's because the GFWL logo does not lend itself well to being used in such a way since it's a rasterized icon with lots of tiny details that doesn't scale well.

PCGamingWiki decided to move over to the current icon a few years ago after a discussion about it.

 

--- Edit: ---

Turns out I misremembered, and that discussion was probably about some other Microsoft/GFWL icon. The current GFWL icon has been in place since 2014 based on the file on the wiki: https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/File:Availability_Table_Icons_-_GFWL.svg

Edited May 9, 2022 by Aemony

[Aemony 142]

This here "GFWL icon" is in reality just the Windows Vista icon/start menu contained within a black box, and it doesn't work well at lower scales.

 

[cuzbabytonight 2]

2 hours ago, Aemony said:

This here "GFWL icon" is in reality just the Windows Vista icon/start menu contained within a black box, and it doesn't work well at lower scales.

 

I guess that's understandable, but the current one on PCGW is still strange to me as GFWL was discontinued before it got a modern design. While I have learned the difference, it definitely confused the first few times (and still occasionally gets me), newcomers to PCGW could have the same confusion.

 

Also, I zoomed out the page on my browser and the icon you posted doesn't look too bad (though idk if small browser zoom and an actual small scale look the same).

[Aemony 142]

Any icon would be confusing for visitors since GFWL never had a unique branding at the icon level. It was always promoted through logo-style or larger poster-style imagery, such as the Windows Vista logo/start menu with "LIVE" beneath it, or the "Games for Windows LIVE" or just "LIVE". Text in general doesn't work either unless it's one or two letters, while LIVE is four.

So it doesn't really necessarily matter what logo we're using as all of them have downsides, hence there's also no real reason to change from our existing icon that's been in use since 2014.

 

3 hours ago, cuzbabytonight said:

Also, I zoomed out the page on my browser and the icon you posted doesn't look too bad (though idk if small browser zoom and an actual small scale look the same).

That icon is almost twice as large as the actual icons in the availability table are, and based on how the zoom out in your web browser works it'll probably end up looking better than it would at 100% zoom as a 25x25 image in the table. And then on HiDPI devices that 25x25 rasterized image ends up looking super bad as a result of it not being vectorized (hence why we prefer to use vector icons wherever's possible).

[cuzbabytonight 2]

2 hours ago, Aemony said:

Any icon would be confusing for visitors since GFWL never had a unique branding at the icon level. It was always promoted through logo-style or larger poster-style imagery, such as the Windows Vista logo/start menu with "LIVE" beneath it, or the "Games for Windows LIVE" or just "LIVE". Text in general doesn't work either unless it's one or two letters, while LIVE is four.

So it doesn't really necessarily matter what logo we're using as all of them have downsides, hence there's also no real reason to change from our existing icon that's been in use since 2014.

 

That icon is almost twice as large as the actual icons in the availability table are, and based on how the zoom out in your web browser works it'll probably end up looking better than it would at 100% zoom as a 25x25 image in the table. And then on HiDPI devices that 25x25 rasterized image ends up looking super bad as a result of it not being vectorized (hence why we prefer to use vector icons wherever's possible).

The Logopedia link posted above by mrpenguinb has the GFWL logo in SVG format (although it has the full text next to it). But you said it's not changing so I guess it doesn't matter.

[Aemony 142]

They have a fan-made logo that features the Windows Vista logo along with a custom off-colored "Games for Windows" yeah 😄

But really, if we start throwing Windows Vista's icon around as if it were GFWL we'd have another person come in and complain about it as well.