Collectibles are in-game treasures that are discovered by players as they explore a game. It certainly does give us a sense of satisfaction since collectibles help us connect the dots when a game’s lore is missing a few details. Nobody can argue the fact that humans love to collect stuff.
Video game collectibles run on our curiosity to find them. The fun part is that collectibles can be found in the majority of titles nowadays. From big Triple-A games like Call of Duty and God of War to indies like Cuphead and Celeste, every game has something new to offer. For one, Celeste offers collectibles that serve a purpose inside the game while Cuphead has action figures and toys.
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The majority of us at Player.me aren’t completionists, but we’re hard-core gamers at heart. That means we remember vividly how it felt to hold an action figure of Link and Zelda after the Breath of the Wild was released. The sense of ownership was empowering – which is a good thing. Then our kids found them and the rest is history.
A Little History
Collectibles have been part of video games as far back as Pacman and Sonic. Pacman collected orbs while Sonic collected gold rings. The current status quo is that some collectibles in modern video games serve no other purpose than acting as filler content. Nowadays, only completionists look for collectibles because they want to reach the 100% status. It’s a chase that’s not as rewarding as many players will have you think. You’ll dump hours on a video game for collectibles that aren’t worth a dime outside of the title.
But let’s put a date to it – the first video game with a collectible that served no function was Adventure – a Atari 2600 video game that was released in 1980. After that, we have the Mega Man with collectibles like E-tanks which heals players when the going gets tough. Nevertheless, you can still complete games without including the collectibles. Part of the reason why E-tanks were valued is because they weren’t easy to find.
Also, the star that players received at the end of completing Super Mario 64 is another highlight. It signaled the entry of a new type of player – the completionist. Soon after, games like Assassin’s Creed joined the list of video games to award collectibles to players. In games like Spyro, you would have to collect some items before you could advance and the grind for these collectibles made all the difference. Why? Because we always had to tweak our playstyle.
Classifying Collectibles
Collectibles are based on three metrics – what, how, and why. To put it in better perspective, think of it this way.
- How the collectibles are presented.
- The requirements you must fulfill to acquire them.
- What values they bring to the table.
A Good Example
Pokemon is a game known far and wide because it took the idea of collectibles to a whole new level. For one, Pokemons are creatures that are collected by hunters. Or better yet, you can use the word “Tamed”. After hunting for them, you can then battle other hunters with your collected Pokemons.
A Bad Example
God of War is a great example of how bad collectibles have gotten. While the video game itself is a hit, a lot of its collectibles are dull. For example, Odin’s ravens are collectibles in God of War that you must hit with your axe to collect them. Unfortunately, they serve no other purpose than to inform players that the All-Father is spying on them. They don’t boost stats nor are players rewarded with a new weapon.
That said, besides making players feel omnipresent, killing Odin’s ravens is boring. Sure, it takes some skill and quick fingers to hit the All-Father’s ravens, but the initial satisfaction you feel when you hit these birds quickly vanishes. During our God of War Ragnarok walkthrough, we weren’t trying too hard to eliminate these spectral birds because they weren’t valuable.
Are Collectibles Profitable?
Absolutely! But the collectible must classify as a one-of-a-kind. This means it can successfully satisfy the three criteria for evaluating a collectible – the how, why, and what. There’s no hobby on earth that doesn’t have devoted collectors, be it cars, houses, art, or games! So if you have any video game collectible be it a cartridge or CD game itself, it might be worth a lot to someone out there. Maybe not currently, but the future can be unpredictable. You just have to auction it at a proper agency – that is, a company with the right networking reach.
Yes, there’s evidence! Over the years, several collectibles have been sold for a solid price. For example, Adult Link toys based on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were created by Nintendo back in the 1990s. They made only 300 of these figurines which are now worth up to $8,000 each, depending on their condition. Nintendo makes some awesome games so another of their games makes the list. That is, an original and unopened Super Marios Bros was sold for $2 million dollars. As you can see, the sky’s truly the limit but in the end, marketing matters.
Benefits of Collectibles
There are certain benefits to owning collectibles whether in-game or in real life. Some of them are:
Aesthetic Appeal
There’s definitely an appeal to owning a figurine of your favourite game characters. Some memorable mentions off of our heads are Soap from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Link from the Legend of Zelda, Kratos from God of War, and Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series.
Holding them in our hands is nostalgic because we spent a lot of time with these fictional characters. Video games are windows to another dimension – one that the army is taking advantage of in the form of virtual reality war exercises for their soldiers. It helps with reaction times, among others – they said. And funnily enough, a lot of these characters have real-life inspiration—you only need to know your history to find similar figures.
Bonus Content Additions
Many collectibles add bonus content such as new paths, quests, or branches of the storyline that players can explore. For one, Mushroom Boi from Dead Cells can be sacrificed in the Dilapidated Arboretum to skip a boss fight. It’s a collectible or a skill that you can earn by defeating enemies in the Dilapidated Arboretum. Alternatively, you can use the Blueprint Extractor to get this skill from an enemy Mushroom Boi.
Our Final Say
We’re not arguing that collectibles are useful, besides being sold as toys by companies and any individual with the skills to make one. For the most part though, collectibles have only existed in video games to encourage players to keep playing after they’ve completed the main storyline. So, the facts are there – collectibles are basically one of the essentials of making a great video game. Without them, Super Mario wouldn’t be such a smash hit. Everyone with a console back then must surely remember the sibling rivalry when you played Mario with your family.
Hopefully, collectibles will play a much bigger role in video games. They don’t have to be functional, but nowadays, video games have made gathering collectibles dull and boring. Hopefully, more studios will include them for purposes that actually affect the player’s experience. It’s underdeveloped and the day that developers give it more attention will be a good day because collectibles can finally be rewarding again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Games Have Collectibles?
Collectibles are afterthoughts in games to keep players entertained long after they’re done with the main story. In other words, they’re there to add another layer to video games because players can quickly get bored once there’s nothing else to do.
What Are the Different Types of Collectibles?
The different categories of collectibles are antiques, toys, cards, coins, comic books, and stamps. There are more, of course, since video game CDs can also qualify as collectibles.
What Game Has the Most Collectibles?
Spyro has more than 17,000 collectibles while Crash Bandicoot 4 has more than 15,000 collectibles. As you may have noticed, both of these games are PlayStation titles, which isn’t surprising. The PlayStation studios are known for their dedication so this is considered the norm by Sony.