Y'know... in spite of all the "Collector's Editions" of videogames, that get released alongside their regular-edition counterparts, I've never actually met a collector of them.
A quick Amazon search for "Collector's Edition" reveals quite a few.
For instance, "Anno 2070 Collector's Edition". Given that this is a new franchise that nobody has seen anything from before... what kind of collector was this aimed at?
Collectors of Anno 2070 merchandise? Uh...
Collectors of rare videogames? Given that this can still be bought for the sum of £37 on Amazon it's hardly rare or valuable as rare videogames go, and these things are produced in such bulk that they never really would be.
The same search also takes me to "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13: Masters Collector's Edition". Um. This franchise has fans? Who'd fork out extra money for a couple of extra golf courses and maybe a fancy box? Ok I can see that golfers might have spare money for these sorts of things but aren't they the kinds of people who play real golf instead?
And to top it off I'm actually finding a pile of generic PC hidden-object shovelware crap in this search.
I mean, games like Star Wars: The Old Republic, I can understand. Star Wars is kind of a big deal and I can see people wanting to have a collection of stuff relating to it. Same with Batman. Or any established franchise.
But really, these people aren't thinking about "collectors". This is just a way to capitalise on peoples' urge to hoard trinkets and have everything in their game. Sometimes, it's a way to cut out some game content and sell it for more. Other times, it's a way to flog people an art book, a fancy box and a soundtrack CD that probably isn't all that good. Occasionally there's conscious effort but don't tell me this happens a lot, the bottom line is money.
But come on guys, does it have to be a "Collector's Edition" when you're not thinking about collectors? Can't we at least have a more honest name? Like, I dunno, "Overpriced Bullshit Edition".
Or "Premium Edition". Premium is a good, marketable word. Everything sounds better when it's PREMIUM. Seriously, stick the word "premium" before the name of any object or thing you like. It sounds a lot fancier and more alluring even though it actually only means "more expensive".
I think it fits well.
That is of course assuming these editions always have to exist. Which they don't.
EDIT: I was informed that Anno 2070 isn't actually a new franchise. Just one that basically nobody I know has ever talked about before. My point still stands though even if my example is wrong, there are new and unheard-of IPs that do this.
Unknown Dreams and How to Chase Them
Lately, I've been thinking on an article posted this Monday by Magic: The Gathering head designer, Mark Rosewater.
He talked about how he wound up with his dream job without even realising it was his dream job, defined a dream job with a Venn diagram ("Stuff You Love to Do", "Stuff You're Good At", "Stuff Someone Will Pay You to Do".).
Basically, his point seemed to be, find something you like doing that someone could eventually pay you to do, and start doing it. Eventually you can get good at it.
Seeing as game design is something I've always been fascinated by, and board/card games seem a lot simpler and easier to make than videogames (why learn programming when you can just type stuff and print onto cardboard, eh?), I figure I'll give that a try.
I sent him a question via Tumblr, asking for affordable ways to print boards, custom dice and identical-backed cards. If anyone else has ideas on this though, I would appreciate.
Another pipedream I could potentially pursue is writing. I don't think I'm all too good at that (yet) but I've got ideas floating around in my head for things that would make for cool stories and settings. I'm not sure I'd enjoy an over-abundance of that for too long but it's something I don't MIND doing.
Now, there might be a way to combine the two.
I'm now trying to work out how some kind of story-driven boardgame could work. One that has a self-contained story that's somehow different each time you play it. I suppose a sort of multiplayer Choose Your Own Adventure book, but not a D&D-esque RPG that demands that kind of commitment.
Ideas are coming to me. We'll see.
Either way, I'm going to try and create interesting things and share them with people. Maybe, eventually, someone will hire me to do more of that. Or something. If that happens, I'll have an amazing job. If it doesn't, I'll have an enjoyable hobby. Either way I win, really.
He talked about how he wound up with his dream job without even realising it was his dream job, defined a dream job with a Venn diagram ("Stuff You Love to Do", "Stuff You're Good At", "Stuff Someone Will Pay You to Do".).
Basically, his point seemed to be, find something you like doing that someone could eventually pay you to do, and start doing it. Eventually you can get good at it.
Seeing as game design is something I've always been fascinated by, and board/card games seem a lot simpler and easier to make than videogames (why learn programming when you can just type stuff and print onto cardboard, eh?), I figure I'll give that a try.
I sent him a question via Tumblr, asking for affordable ways to print boards, custom dice and identical-backed cards. If anyone else has ideas on this though, I would appreciate.
Another pipedream I could potentially pursue is writing. I don't think I'm all too good at that (yet) but I've got ideas floating around in my head for things that would make for cool stories and settings. I'm not sure I'd enjoy an over-abundance of that for too long but it's something I don't MIND doing.
Now, there might be a way to combine the two.
I'm now trying to work out how some kind of story-driven boardgame could work. One that has a self-contained story that's somehow different each time you play it. I suppose a sort of multiplayer Choose Your Own Adventure book, but not a D&D-esque RPG that demands that kind of commitment.
Ideas are coming to me. We'll see.
Either way, I'm going to try and create interesting things and share them with people. Maybe, eventually, someone will hire me to do more of that. Or something. If that happens, I'll have an amazing job. If it doesn't, I'll have an enjoyable hobby. Either way I win, really.
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