Marquee Selection Group Bandboxing

Originated by computer operating systems in the early 1980s, marquee selection aka group bandboxing is a GUI technology that allows users to group-select (or deselect) files and folders represented on-screen by either text or icons. Such objects can then be dealt with as a group; even dragged over the screen as a group, as in Amiga Workbench (a god-tier OS).

The act of group bandboxing can be described as dragging a rubber band over the screen in order to group-select items. Marquee selection is usually conducted via mouse-controlled cursor. In its smoothest form the cursor is hardware-rendered (e.g., the hardware cursor of VGA).

The advantage of marquee selection is that you don't have to individually assign an object to a group via shift-key group-selection. However, shift-key group selection has its advantages as well; it can also be used to deselect objects from a group (marquee-select 20 and deselect 2).

Another advantage of marquee selection is that it allows for easy selection of even one object, since the user does not have to click exactly on the target object.

In computer games marquee selection is typically employed for group-selecting combat units. The units can then be commanded to move or attack as one, and often in tactical formation. Sometimes, marquee selection auto-scrolls the screen as the box is dragged to its edges, thereby allowing the capture of off-screen units.

While marquee selection is an early 80s GUI tool and tech for OS users and graphicians, it was not commonly found in 80s computer games. Marquee selection became more common and hit its highpoint in 1990s Computer Game History.

Marquee Selection or group bandboxing is most commonly employed in real-time or semi-realtime computer games that feature full party, squad or army control, such as the cRPG and the RTS. Such computer games that do not feature marquee selection are much clunkier to play (e.g., BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks' Revenge).