Are Collectors Editions of Games Actually Worth Collecting?

I love purchasing collectors editions that come with action figures. As I love collecting them! Thus, I can't understand who would purchase a collector's edition if they didn't want something to keep from it.

You're in charge of your own money and actions. Someone telling me that it is of their opinion that such things are just a good dust collector, means f*** all to me. Such things have personal value, not resale value - lol!

gearbox did it right with the bl2 ultimate loot chest

I really cant believe some of you will pay 20 dollars extra for in game extras that's already or should be in the game but will complain about spending the extra 30 dollars for a nice artbook or a nice statue, which you can resell individually, I had my share of bad CE, and I learned from it, now that I know whats valuable, I profit from it, I just wanted to point out not every CE are bad, diminish in value, some of them, like the original bioshock, profits from it, I really do believe that in 5 years, the untimate songbird edition sealed will be sold for 350+ average and will skyrocket to 700 dollars in 10 years, this is what I believe. those of you who have the skyrim statue, keep it for roughly 5 years, then watch as your statue goes up for sale on ebay for 250+

EDIT just looked up the production in skyrim statue, nevermind what I said it will go up slightly in value but not as much as what I was originally expecting

I have a display case/curio cabinet filled with my CEs that I have purchased over the years, and I can say that I only buy CEs that catch my interest and that I feel I will keep for display for a long period of time. Out of the dozen+ CEs that I have the only ones that I have regret for buying are the COD ones (edit: And the D3 one, cause the game sucked), they are shitily made and break very quickly (My NVG I used once the day I got them, took out the batteries, and put on display, and a year later they no longer work at all)(The BO2 heli sucks and doesn't fly correctly even right out of the box and the adjusting knobs don't work at all (apparently they are all like this))(My RC car for BO actually still works fine though surprisingly). I do however agree that it would be nice to get more in game exclusive items with CEs, and it would make a hell of alot more sense if they actually and limited quantities for them, each marked like 1/5000 or something.

I don't buy these things to resell, so I care little about any dollar value attached to whatever these collector's editions come with. So to that end, I've been very disappointed with the amount of money I've spent on them as they do end up collecting dust. Some of the CE's that come with in-game extras are nice, but it definitely seems like it's just a hook to get you to spend that extra money for more worthless packaged stuff.

I don't buy CE's anymore now, and I doubt I'll be convinced to buy them again anytime soon unless, as it was mentioned in the video, there is something in there that will definitely enhance my enjoyment of the game. Statues and impractical controllers aren't on that list, but soundtracks and artbooks for a series I really like (especially when they have some in-depth commentary) might be. Interesting discussion!

I am a small time collector and I belive some game memobilia may be worth the money, but not what comes in collectors editions of games. Small, intricately detailed, extremely limited model statues that are released by third party memorabilia creators are more justifiably worth the price and will most likely worth something in the future. Whether the price for a 5'' statue of Shepard will be worth a lot of money in 20 years or not is up for debate. I personally won’t buy any game items unless it’s a life size replica of the Master sword and Hylian shield. Both forged with real steel using real metallurgy techniques. The sword has to be sharp enough to cut a bush with one swipe, and the shield strong enough to stop a sword strike and both have to have Miyamoto’s signature etched into the steel. Then I would buy it, but I don’t see them releasing that at least until the 50th anniversary of Zelda

still don't believe me scrubs?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bioshock-Big-Daddy-Metal-Statue-from-the-Collectors-Edition-/111009984203?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item19d8b5eecb
USED 1 ITEM ONLY 55 dollars

some of you need to know what makes collectors edition worth collecting, most of you console peasents will think the GT5 collectors edition was worth collecting, so you bought it, realized it was crap for 100 dollars and said to yourself, I will never buy a CE ever again,

I usually get them if the model thing you get is actually good PC only ofc

wow, a lot of you guys do not know what value is, just because you purchased a collectors edition one time and it "sucked' does not mean it all "sucks" know what your buying and you will find some of this can go up in value

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Starcraft-II-Wings-of-Liberty-SC-2-Collectors-Edition-PC-MAC-/261156127829?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3cce1e4455
starcraft 2 collectors, not even an old game at all, sold for 200 dollars, that's double the regular price

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BioShock-PC-game-RARE-Collectors-Edition-w-BIG-DADDY-FIGURINE-MINT-/111004496473?pt=AU_PC_Video_Games_Games&hash=item19d8623259

regular price 70 dollars, sold for 310 dollars, I sold my opened big daddy statue only for 50 dollars, which means I got the game, sound track, steel case for 20 bucks

haters gunna hate

Collectors editions should only contain things that add background and enjoyment to the game. Soundtracks, concept art, maybe posters, and bonus content are all that are needed unless it is actually useful, like a backpack or sword...

Well it depends for me. I have bought a couple of collector editions. For me I love the art book, and the making of DVD. The main reason I will buy it is if I want to support the game, and really spend more money on that game then just the 60 dollar version. I also look for Price vs quantity. If the price is right and you get enough for the value I tend to say yay. But like I said games I want to really support I will buy the collector's edition. I bought the AC3 collectors edition, and I actually love the statue, and will totally keep it up, I mean I have a ton of model cars all over my room, so to me it is no different. Now don't get me wrong I don't buy them all the time.

And just to clarify about the Dead Island Body statue, he says it's grotesque in it's own right, dude really it's a zombie game, what did you want them to make a statue holding flowers and a box of chocolates -.-.

I only get the big 120-150 dollar ones for games i REALLY like. The only statue i've gotten of late is the Connor satue from AC3. Alot of game are also coming out with $80 dollar ones (like bioshock and Last of Us) that add alot of physical goodies (and game goodies) for not much more than the game.

I enjoy collector editions when the items that come with it actually offer some use. For instance, I bought the GTA IV collector edition which came with your usual art book and soundtrack which are nice but then it also came with a small duffel bag and lock box. Admittedly the lock box is now just used as a regular box where I throw my change, but the bag I actually use quite frequently. Often times it will be my carry on for planes or just a convenient place to put things when I'm planning to go on the road.

Thing is, its irrelevant to call them Collector editions because of a major issue. Those are made up in so large numbers, than even in 1000 years, they will never ever worth anything.

Instead, save your cash for Butcher Cover of Yesterday and Today of the Beatles. That is worth calling : collector edition.

I don't particularly like metal cases, yeah, i know i'm weird. But to me, they just mess up my library of games by being different. And when I like a series, I'm most likely going to love it forever. I don't mind getting that God of War : Ascension statue because i'm a diehard God of War fan. I'll probably put it in my home office, on my desk, alongside my other gaming statues. I wouldn't purchase a WoW or Skyrim collector, not because I don't like the product, but because i'm not fan enough. These items should resonate with your personal appreciation of a franchise.

Well, they're called Collector's Editions, meaning it won't pertain to everybody who is interested in the game itself. But even with that said, some (not all) items included in CEs I feel a person will hold onto for a certain amount of time and then either get rid of it or sell it just like all the other consumer products we buy. Makes me think of George Carlin's take on "stuff"

Only thing I like about collector's editions are the nicer containers they come in, like the rusty tin case the Bioshock one came in was great. The only physical things I like are something that seems to tie into the game or universe somehow, like journals of an in-universe character that adds to the lore. But generally those aren't worth having, I just read it on the internet.

It was a part of the normal game, but the physical thing that can with a game I loved (And actually USED!) the most was the map that came with Morrowind. Loved picking a strange looking place on the map and venturing out into danger on a mission to make it there and check it out. The physical map had all the detail, pretty much everything; but the in-game map was black, and only lit up where you had been. So using the physical map in tandem with in-game information was both helpful and immersive

This discusion is like a atheist talking about christianity or vise versa, or some one who prefer classic music and some one who prefer heavy metal. This guy isnt a collectionist so for him this is trash, and for other is atreasure even when in the future will worth nothing.

I always hate the big clunky things, Skyrim statue for instance. I never understood collectors editions, some cool stuff I'll admit, but a statue or anything like that is just "space" that doesn't really add anything to the product as a whole. I remember getting the Rift collector's edition and liked it, simple things, art book/USB drive stand out, things I can actually use. Even then, I felt like I still paid too much for nothing really. I REALLY don't understand $150 collectors editions...

That's just me though, everything is worth what the purchaser is willing to pay.

Artbooks, soundtracks, behind the scenes DVDs. The other things are ok but after a while they end up in a box in the atic.

The CEs I like the most are the ones that include extra content that's relevant to the game. Halo 3 had a journal that one of the scientists wrote that had insight to the coming problems. ACIII had George Washington's journal. Alan Wake had a book that had passages supposedly written by Wake. It's those things that directly tie in to the gaming experience that are the best CE inclusions. I also love the soundtracks being included (CD's... NOT downloads!).

I think that panel lacks somebody that consider video games as art. Of course there's value in some collector's edition.

I want that Eddie Riggs statue.

My wife and I love how the stuff adds to our room. We like our house tobe filled with stuff like this.

i`d only collect tomb raider or resident evil stuff nothing more than that.and i would collect it not to make my enjoyment of the game better but for the love of the universe that these 2 games are all about.

The only collectors edition I've ever bought is Alan Wake, and that was only because the price was the same as the standard edition. I don't see the appeal of them at all.

I like the Metal Gear Rising limited edition. The effing lamp is SIIICK!!!

Only thing I'd like would be GoW III Pandora Box...

You don't need to watch the video to find this out.

The answer is: "NO!"

I don't buy CEs mostly because I don't get the point. I buy a game for the game. Not for some statue that was made by someone else. I am more interested in stuff that actually came from the developers. Items like artbooks, sound tracks, and other developer notes. I don't really understand why those should only be included in CEs. That stuff was already made before the game was published and will probably be on the internet by day one.

If you're actually looking to collect one of these and sell it later then shouldn't you be leaving everything inside the box??

Nora. I see what you mean... Tiffany`s story is cool, on sunday I bought a gorgeous Lotus Elise after having made $7632 this last month and-more than, 10 grand last month. this is certainly the nicest-work Ive had. I actually started 7-months ago and almost immediately began to bring in more than $77, per-hour. I work through this website....... BIT40. ℂom

I'm usually put off by the prices of Collector's Editions and the only two I've ever bought were because of discounts (Assassins Creed Revelations CE was only £10 more than the standard edition, and Batman: Arkham City CE was on sale for £25 a few weeks ago). I suppose it depends how much extra money you're willing to spend and how interesting the collectibles are. Most of the Collector's Editions that come with DLC are a bit of a rip-off, because that DLC is almost always released later on for everyone else, so it sort of devalues the point of spending more on a CE.

it all depends if its special and how many people got it. I have the special edition windwaker/masterquest zelda for gamecube and its worth over a hundred bucks..and metal gear 3 collectors is worth a sh!tload. If your really into collecting you don't buy new games..generally you are buying "retro" or last gen games when they are at their lowest and you won't be looking at every collectors edition out there but something that has future prospects or is rare. I'm thinking those crappy red Wiis that didn't have wifi would be worth more than the normal wiis in 3 or 4 generations but I don't really think they will be worth much.

It all depends on the people buying it. If they can afford to spend extra cash, why not? My only collector's edition would be the Shogun 2 samurai model and makes a pretty nice decoration.

I only buy the ones that care small and such, like DMC IV Collector's Edition, so it can go with the rest of my games. No point in spending $150 on a statue and other doohickeys, I'm only after the game, I like the title of "collector's edition" more than the contents themselves.

Last CE I bought was C&C 3, and after I received it, my thought was "why the hell did I get the CE?"

it's only worth if you LOVE & OBSESSED OVER the game :)

The last think I bought that had some value was Guild Wars 1 Collectors Ed. Its a waste of money. They mass produce these days, and they give you extra codes for shit you dont need.

It depends on the contents of the CE and how do you feel about the game. I dont like toys that come with this editions. I like artbooks, soundtracks, and more book like goodies, and also a steel case

NOPE! They are not worth anything.

Best thing to do is to wait for about 6 months after a game comes out and the retailers, trying to clear shelf space of these behemoth boxes, mark these Collector's Editions down to almost nothing. I have gotten absolute steals on these things - Uncharted 3, Star Wars Old Republic, Infamous 2 to name just a few.

When collector editions first became the done thing I did go a bit gaga for them. Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed II, Modern Warfare 2, Killzone 3 and God of War III all come to mind. I've since sold on most of it and now only spend more money on the initial game purchase if it comes with some form of digital content or artbook. If I want a statue or figure there are plenty premium pieces out there to buy separately.

Ive looked at Amazon.com and people are reselling some of these collectors editions for $200 and higher to other people. Apparently there is a niche market for people who like to collect this kind of stuff.

What if the statues and such was sold separately? I would still be interested in buying the statue because I like the statue. Maybe at a price of $20, not $60 more then the actual cost of the game.