Open Forum: Do You Collect Gaming Merchandise?

Videogame merchandise can come in all manner of shapes and sizes. From insanely detailed replicas to coasters and posters, there are plenty of options when it comes to displaying your level of devotion to a particular game or franchise.

Having grown into the world’s largest entertainment industry, videogames continue to merge with pop culture. Walking down a busy high street almost a decade ago, you’d struggle to spot someone wearing a Call of Duty t-shirt or an Assassin’s Creed beanie. Nowadays these items of clothing seem commonplace, alongside a broad selection of memorabilia that will even cater towards even the most niche of tastes.

I’ve always had fairly minimalist tastes when it comes to decor and lining my shelves with trinkets. In our digital era, where game discs are becoming less and less relevant, I’ve tried to keep as many cases as possible, building a shrine to convey my fandom. Older games in particular, including several Final Fantasy titles and the original Metal Gear Solid, occupy a particularly sacred spot among the rest.

That’s not to say I haven’t bought merch in the past, though what I do have is rather limited. I have a handful of gaming t-shirts purchased donkey’s years ago. Having been a rather chubby teen, there’s one – bearing the iconic Gears of War lancer – that now seems oversized by comparison.

In terms of toys and statues, I try my best to avoid them. For some reason I own an official Dark Void figurine measuring around eight or nine inches – I remember buying it for 30p at a boot sale where some guy was selling at least a hundred of the things!

GamingTat-Amiibo

My lack of interest stems for a void in unity between all the various product ranges. I suppose that’s why I’ve warmed towards Nintendo’s Amiibo range. There’s an aesthetic consistency about them despite, even among characters plucked from others games like Pacman, Ryu, and Sonic The Hedgehog. Needless to say, if Sony ever jumped on the toys-to-life bandwagon and did a good job with them, I’d be borderline broke.

Everyone knows that Dave is particularly hardcore when it comes to video games. However, much like myself, he’s tried to keep his collection at a minimum with a handful of Amiibo and the odd bit of memorabilia.

Within my collection there’s a strict “NO STEELBOOK” rule. A bit strict, I know, but it’s one of those preferences I strictly impose. Aran, on the other hand, actively seeks them out, or at least those that come as part of a limited run. Always on the lookout for something rare and exciting, he owns a physical copy of Retro City Rampage with only 2,000 of them in existence.

Dom’s another steelcase nut, or at least he used to be. Like many gamers, he’s also ponied up the cash for branded controllers and headsets, showing his love for both Halo and Gears. More recently, he and his son Noah have boarded the toys to life train, populating the family sitting room with an assortment of Amiibo, Disney Infinity, and LEGO Dimensions pieces.

GamingTat-Controller

Resident comic reader Kris has a small colony of Marvel figures perched on his desk. He’s picked some gaming bits up over the years though, including several freebies from events and expos, as well as a model of Kat from Halo: Reach.

Confessing to a bit of historical steelbook fever himself, Teflon has moved away from this fad. Given how commonplace they are nowadays who can blame him, especially when publishers try to wring an extra £20 from punters. Besides, there’s not enough room in his Uncharted 3 chest to hold any more of them.

Tuffcub more or less gave the same answer. Whether it’s bonus postcards, artbooks or other small trinkets, the novelty there has worn off. He reckons that as you get older you begin to realise how much pointless tat you seem to accumulate. I guess that excludes his comprehensive collection of Transformers, then?

20 Comments

  1. I have no intetest in gaming merchandise at all.

    I do, however, like to buy games on disc and the idea of selling or trading one (even if it’s really shit) when I’ve finished it fills me with cold dread.

    I have no idea why this is.

    • I’m the same except I try and sell it on straight away. Just last week I sent FIFA16 and Battlefront and got £40. That pays for The Division. I do sometimes wish I could play something again. But there are so many good games that I like, I want to experience them all if possible, so I’m not one to sink 50 hours plus into a single game. I’ll complete the story and then clear up easy trophies or go for platinum if it’s easy.

      Each to their own of course!

  2. Yes I do collectible special/limited edition. My gaming room is full of gaming collectibles and Avengers Hot Toys
    I do have a few steel cases and the most gaming collectible is Assassins Creed from Black Flag figurine to Syndicate. My last collectible was Pip Boy Edition and my next gaming collected is Nathan Drake figurine with Uncharted 4 game!
    Tempted to pre order Homefront Giolath Edition even though I already pre ordered Doom collectors edition and both of these are in May in fact make that 3 collectibles in May as Uncharted is May 10th *gulp*

  3. They look cool so you buy them but then just clutter up the place or end up in a cupboard.

  4. I’ve got rather a ridiculous collect of stuff – and whilst I have some, I’m not that fussed about character figures. I quite like a steelbook, or an edition that comes with an art book or soundtrack. I what initially grabbed my interest was exclusive in-game DLC items, although these now all seem to be purchasable somewhere down the line.

    Of note I (like Arun) have a Vita version of Retro City Rampage DX (still sealed); I have my original PSOne Grand Theft Auto Limited Edition; I have the short-supplied Ni No Kuni Special Edition. More recently: Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition; MGSV with the prosthetic arm; and Black Ops 3 Collectors Edition which came with a Jugga-nog fridge from zombies! I also have several Prestige Editions of CoD which have real night-vision goggles; all the GTA, Fallout, Dead Space, Metal Gear and Uncharted specials editions; maybe 40-50 other steelbooks and limited editions (probably more). I rather like the BioShock 2 special edition which has the sound track on a 12″ vinyl.

    I also have my entire PSOne, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP and PSV collection – never traded anything in.

    I don’t really go in for themed headsets, consoles or controllers.

  5. Waste of time really, it’s nothing but dust gathering clutter. I collected on PS3 but then asked myself why am I doing this. I do love collecting PS4 controllers though

  6. Nope. It’s just materialistic desire as this stuff serves no practical purpose.

  7. I’ve got some pretty cool batman statues and a lot of artbooks, not much else though.

  8. Never have, never will. However, some of the collectables are great and I know many TSA’ers love to buy them. It’s all good either way.

  9. I’m not an active collector of any form of memorabilia. But that’s not to say I don’t own any.

    I’ve got a dozen Amiibo, but I only buy the ones that offer something in my games. I got Bowser to use in Mario Party, a couple I got with a game like Yarn Yoshi and Wolf Link, the rest offer additional costumes and dlc. With the exception of Wii Fit Trainer. I’m not sure why I got that. The ridiculousness of its existence, probably.

    I’ve got that Titanfall controller for Xbone, because it reminded me of Designers Republic and it looks cool. I also think it has a nice feel to it, smoother than regular ones. Probably because of all the paint. And I like how it isn’t obviously for Titanfall. I don’t even play that game.

    I’ve got a pair of Halo 5 action figures I got because I was interested in the build quality and the REQ packs they came with… Build quality was decent, paint application great, REQ packs awful. They’re gathering dust on a shelf now, not sure what to do with them.

    I sometimes buy Collectors Editions for games in series I like. Rarely ones that come with figures and such, but I don’t mind art-books, soundtracks and bundled DLC. Sometimes you even get a nice manual!

  10. No, thanks, not interested.

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