Survey Results

I created a small, 10-question survey to gauge people's opinions about collectables in games and shared it with my peers. I did this to gain better insight into both the player's and developer's view on the importance of collectables.

My first 2 questions were to discover the range of people taking part in the survey. I ended up with very diverse responses when it comes to opinions on collectables which was great because it shows both sides of this spectrum. About half of the people would consider themselves more of a completionist than not while 20% remained neural.

This result carried over to the second question where the other 30% agreed with the statement 'Collectables are pointless'. I found it interesting that, while 70% either disagreed or were neutral, nobody strongly agreed that collectables are pointless

Many people made the point that collectables can add a lot to a game whether that be extra game time, lore or simply something cool to discover like an Easter egg. However, others stated that unless the collectables alter the game in some way, they are not worth going out of your way for. This comes back to the idea of finding a balance between developer benefits vs consumer benefits. Developers must find a way to implement collectables without making the player feel obligated to get them in order to progress through the game. One participant also stated that if 100%ing the game is made more challenging by collectables it feels more rewarding when the player reaches that point. A factor that could be enhanced by giving players something exciting/interesting to look at with each collectable and therefore rewarding their gradual progression.

^(Question: Why did you choose that?)^

There was a resounding unison with the next question as everyone agreed that collectables are more appealing when there is a reward available. This has brought me to an interesting idea that perhaps some collectable systems are forcing players to go searching for them as there are some instances where they reward the player with upgrades or stronger character/weapons.

The most picked options for question 5 reveal that when it comes to collectables most players are looking for convenience. Collecting items that are nearby, ones that give visual/audible clues or ones that are in your path on the way to somewhere else shows that while some players may enjoy the collectables they shouldn't be made a chore for these players either. Once again it has been made clear that rewarding the player is a large incentive for collectables. The decision between completing the game vs completing collectables first is evenly split and I think that comes down to the range of participants are their varying levels of completionism. Although only 2 people said that they utilise collectables as a change of pace, I think this could be an interesting avenue to explore, as I too sometimes go looking for them when relaxing on a game rather than being thrown into the action.

Once again, another definite answer with 90% of people saying they would rather use a guide/video to find collectables. There was one person who remained neutral on this question. I can somewhat relate to this answer as I used to enjoy 100%ing a game without the help of a guide but if I feel I am struggling to find a few well hidden collectables I am open to online help.

80% of people agreed that collectables should give some kind of assistance in helping the player find them. Things like map icons, sound cues and visual effects are great ways of accomplishing this but it also has to match the tone, style and feel of the game.

The majority agreed that collectables should be something more than a cheap achievement. In a previous question a few stated that they can be a tool to add lore. Another said they can be fun to find.

Only one person believes that the creation of collectables is a waste of resources. I believe that this gives my project a good foundation to stand on now that I have opinions not only from the player's perspective but from game designers as well.

While there is a wide range of games named in this question, I have noticed that there is a trend between long running series being mentioned. Games that have been around for longer have probably fallen victim to collectable systems of the time but as they develop they continue to improve and evolve in order to keep the player entertained. The best example of this is comparing the two Assassin's Creed answers. One participant stated that the first game has a bad collectable system which I do agree with since it adds nothing to the game besides achievements however, a different participant said the Ezio trilogy AC games had a good system because of the rewards available for collecting them. This shows that the improvement over just a couple of years can affect the consumer's opinion of their series.

^(Question: Are there any games which you think have either a good or bad collectible system?)^

Despite the participants having widely varying opinions on their own experiences with collectables, I find it interesting that they have all mostly agreed that there are ways to do collectables well and that they should not be abandoned, only adapted.