Shopper shocked by ridiculous packaging of game product: 'It made me kind of sad'

A Reddit post is taking aim at wasteful packaging practices that many consumers find frustrating, both for their wallets and home storage space.

What happened?

A user in the r/Anticonsumption subreddit shared their disappointment about the oversized packaging for a small set of Dungeons & Dragons dice.

"So much packaging. I have a crow brain that loves dice. I just like to go look at them at the store sometimes. This is just so much packaging for seven little dice, and it made me kind of sad?" the post read.

The photo shows seven small gaming dice encased in a disproportionately large plastic and cardboard container, a packaging choice that takes up shelf and storage space for a product that could fit in the palm of your hand.

Fellow Reddit users quickly chimed in with their frustrations. One commenter called out Hasbro, the parent company behind D&D: "This is Hasbro we're talking about. … Filling landfills is their business model. Please god, just once, can there be some public condemnation of Hasbro for all the material waste they create, by design."

Why is excessive packaging concerning?

For consumers, oversized packaging creates immediate practical problems. Bulky packages occupy more space in shopping bags, vehicles, and homes. They're more difficult to store and more frustrating to open, often requiring scissors or other tools to access the product inside.

This approach also drives up costs. Larger packaging requires more raw materials to produce and takes up more space during shipping and storage — expenses that companies typically pass on to customers in the form of higher prices.

When you finally get your product home, you're responsible for disposing of all the extra material. Consumers don't have industrial-scale recycling capabilities, so much of this waste winds up in household trash bins and eventually landfills, where it can take hundreds of years to break down.

Is Hasbro doing anything about this?

In 2019, Hasbro announced plans to phase out plastic from new packaging. The company pledged to eliminate "virtually all plastic in packaging" — including polybags, elastic bands, shrink wrap, window sheets, and blister packs — from new products by the end of 2022.

However, critics point out that the company still produces large amounts of plastic products, and packaging problems persist across many of its brands, as the Reddit post highlights.

When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks 😍 The information it provides 🧐 The waste it produces 🗑️ I don't think about packaging at all 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

The gaming industry has particular challenges with packaging, as products need to stand out on crowded store shelves. Some specialty dice manufacturers have shifted to smaller, reusable containers or fabric pouches, proving that alternatives exist even within this competitive market.

What can I do about excess packaging?

Buy loose items when possible rather than prepackaged ones. Many game stores now offer "bulk bins" of gaming dice that use much less packaging.

Look for brands that use minimal or sustainable packaging. Some companies now use cardboard or paper packaging instead of plastic clamshells.

Consider secondhand purchases, which often come with little to no packaging. Many gaming communities have active trade and resale markets.

Share your concerns directly with companies through social media, email, or customer service. Companies track these communications, and enough feedback can drive change.

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