How many games are you away from becoming a ‘Games Collector’?

Murat Oktay18 February 2020

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Ever wondered how many games you need in your library to call yourself a ‘Games Collector’… Well, you may be closer to this exclusive group than you think!

How many games are you away from becoming a ‘Games Collector’?

Digital game distributer Fanatical surveyed over 6,000 people to understand the growing trend of ‘Games Collecting’ and to find out just how many games you need to own in order to join the club.

71% of the people asked considered themselves to be collectors, each owning a whopping 931 games on average. Considering that the average amount of games owned per person works out at 770 each, most gamers are only 161 games shy of earning the ‘Game Collector’ status.

Men are closer to earning the title than women, with men on average owning 179 more. However, that’s not to say that women aren’t serious about their gaming either, 70 of them said they own over 1,000 games with a few having up to 7,000 in their collection.

In fact, 23% of the overall audience claims to have more than 1,000 games, with some boasting an incredible 20,000 Steam and console games to choose from, which takes a portion of gamers past collector status and into the elite category!

Gaming is not just reserved for the young either. The age group which boasts some of the biggest collection sizes is the 35-44s who were kids when popular mainstream gaming found its way into many households in the 1970s and 1980s.

Teenagers own the least amount of games when compared with other age groups – under 18s have on average around 525 in their collection, compared with 907 in the 35-44 age group. Respondents were also asked for their views on the hobby and the industry itself.

When asked what they consider to be the best thing about the gaming industry, ‘choice’ came out on top.

“The best thing about the gaming industry is the variety of developers out there that pump out a multitude of games,” a survey respondent said. “Gamers in 2020 have more choice than ever before when it comes to games. 2D, 3D, VR, horror, sci-fi, racing, adventure – there’s a game out there for anyone and everyone.”

When asked about what the worst aspect of the industry was, ‘microtransactions’ was at the top of most gamers’ lists, with aspects such as publishers releasing unfinished games that require upgrades and creating games where they have to pay to do well. The majority of gamers stated that they preferred the ability to just buy a game and play it through to the end, without having to purchase items or upgrade their characters.

With new technologies and social media channels now leveling the playing field for Indie developers to compete with the big AAA brands, and websites like Fanatical offering bundled game packs for a much lower cost than the RRP, it’s never been easier for a gamer to quickly amass a few thousand games into their collection. With games also being released at a rapid rate each year, the number of ‘Games Collectors’ is only set to increase.