Lunchtime Discussion: Collectibles

More and more games seem to get limited editions with some form of collectible these days. Of course they are awesome, but you do start to run out of shelf space after a while. I can’t get to about half of my books because I’m using the spare space on the shelves to store collectibles and Transformers toys. The amount of Transformers I have might start to become an issue soon, but they’re awesome. Who doesn’t want a robot in disguise?

However in game collectibles take up no shelf space, so maybe they’re more practical for the serious collector. They don’t cost you anything, you can have a hundred in game and not weigh down your character and if you collect them all you might even get a reward. Of course you have to work to get them, it’s unlikely that you’ll have to jump a chasm and then run up a wall to go and buy the special edition of a game. If you do it might be worth thinking about a change of shop.

I think the real advantage of virtual collectibles over real ones, is the virtual give you the sense of achievement. What sense of achievement is there in going to buy something? Almost none, unless you’re heavily into retail therapy. By contrast in game collectibles are specifically crafted to be just challenging enough to give a significant sense of achievement, the whole point is to keep players playing longer than just completing the game.

So do you play for collectibles? Do you prefer virtual ones over real ones, or do you like to have something you can hold? Do you not bother with any at all?