Tell GR is a weekly Game Revolution community feature in which we ask you a question, and you answer it in the comments section below. Read the GR editorial team’s opinions before sharing your own responses!
We’re all collectors in some way. We’ve all got a stash of something we don’t really need but like to keep around, or we’ve got a pile of things others might class as “junk” but we treasure deeply. But is there anything that you go out of your way to collect? Is there something that you just can’t get enough of, to the point where you want to own every other variation of that thing?
Be it stamps, Pokemon cards, Warhammer, model train sets, or something entirely different, we want to know what you collect. Let us know in the comments section and we’ll feature our favorite response in next week’s Tell GR!
“I collect a little of a lot of things”
Paul Tamburro, executive editor: I collect a little of a lot of things, but there’s nothing that I’d say I’ve gone OTT with. I’m not the kind of guy with shelves full of amiibo, but I do have a pretty extensive collection of video games and tabletop games.
I’ve got a lot of hobbies, but I’m really not into clutter. Most people who are into collecting seem to have it displayed all over their house, but I’d much rather keep it all stored away until I have a use for it. My office cupboards are filled with games that I only get out when I’m actually using them.
There’s nothing in my “collection” that I would consider a prize piece. There are games that I certainly use more than others — King of Tokyo’s a party favorite, we’ve got a ton of mileage out of Betrayal at House on the Hill, and I’m soon going to be digging into Scythe — but I’ve never spent a ton of money on a game. I always weigh up the price with how much use I’m likely to get out of it, which is exactly the reason why Gloomhaven continues to elude me.
“I have way too many retro consoles”
Jason Faulkner, senior editor: I collect retro consoles primarily. I have way too many, but I don’t think I’m quite at Hoarders level yet. I’m doing my best to get there, though. I live in an apartment, which puts a bit of a damper on my ability to pursue too many collections. However, I’ve got a few things besides old consoles I tend to gravitate towards.
I really like LaserDisc and Betamax, and I have a modest collection of those. I’ve got a Pioneer CLD-D704, a LaserActive, and an excellent Sony Betamax player, but my collection of movies for both is relatively modest because they take up a ton of space. I have this weird thing where I feel like certain movies are best watched in specific formats. So, anything from about 1988-1998 I prefer on LaserDisc. If it’s pre-1988, I like to watch it on Betamax. Post-1998, Blu-Ray is ideal. There’s something about analog video that really captures those time periods for me that digital media just can’t match.
I also collect video game guides and magazines. Most of them I have to keep in storage, unfortunately. But, I do have almost the entirety of Nintendo Power magazine in plastic protectors and neatly organized on a bookshelf, which was a big goal of mine since I was a kid. I’ve got all the important issues (#1-150ish), and I’m only missing a few of the later run when Future took over, and I could care less about those for real.
I’ve found that when I collect, I’m less about getting all of something than I am focusing on a certain time period. I’m a person who is in love with the halcyon days of the 80s and 90s, and I think that was the golden age of video game development. Tons of great games are still coming out, but that time period was so experimental in tech and gaming, and I love looking back and seeing how we got here and what might have been.
“The nearest thing to a collection is my draw full of wires”
Mack Ashworth, lead editor: When it comes to real-life collectibles, I don’t really collect anything. I’m pretty boring like that, honestly. I collected football stickers as a child, as well as these little Crazy Bones characters, and also Pokemon cards, but I left that behind in my teenage years.
The nearest thing to a “collection” in my home is my draw full of wires. I have so many cables that I “might need one day.” There are a good 20 HDMI cables, all of varying standards, and if anyone needs a phone charging cable, you can borrow one, or 50, from me.
These days my collections are purely virtual. Whether it’s capturing Pokemon to complete my Pokedex, or bugs and fish for Blathers’ museum in Animal Crossing, I’m fond of trying to complete those kinds of in-game encyclopedias.
“I don’t like stuff”
Michael Leri, lead writer: I’m not much of a collector. I don’t like stuff. However, I came to a conclusion the other day and it feeds into why I like to collect trophies on the PlayStation family of consoles.
Getting trophies is like having a digital bookcase of what you have and what you have done. It gives me the emotional satisfaction of collecting without needing the physical space to house it all.
I like having that sort of record and looking back at what I’ve accomplished. Trophies are a good way to do both without having boxes and boxes of plastic.
