CMON Feature Friday: The Art of Collecting

As humans, we’re natural collectors. Whether it’s Beanie Babies, baseball cards, little porcelain unicorns, or comic books, we feel connected to those things. To a certain degree, our collections say a lot about us. Firstly, by what we decide to collect, and secondly, by the items that make it into our collections.     

If you’ve been into board games for a while, chances are you’ve amassed a collection of some size. Of course, you’ll have a few games in there that you don’t consider part of the main set. Maybe they were given as a gift from a well-meaning family member who heard you like board games (I’m looking at you Two and a Half Men Monopoly). But for the most part, we take pride in the titles that make it onto our shelves. Some we hang on to for their rarity, others for nostalgia, and some just cause we like the game. When people think about the games they’ve collected, they can probably tell you a story about each and every one of them. 

One of the interesting aspects of board games as collectables is that they’re meant to be shared with other people. It’s not like a collection of snow globes that requires very little interaction (yeah, I know you’ve got to shake ‘em to get the full effect, but still). Board games are a shared experience you can have with your friends and family, and as such, your collection opens itself up to critique. Those in the know may look at your collection and wonder why a certain game made the cut, or how you got your hands on another one.