Collections

The goal of achieving a set of several other goals.

Games offer goals for players to try and reach, and many games provide many goals. One way of organizing these goals is to make additional goals which consist of reaching specific other goals, i.e., Collections of other goals. This creates a hierarchy of goals that can be used to provide a gameplay structure and allow planning of how players experience a game.

Examples

Drakborgen

Example: The WarioWare series focuses on small and quick games that have to be completed in sequence as part of a Collection.

Example: In Decathlon, players have 10 events to complete.

Example: Pac-Man has to gobble up all the pills to finish a level. While eating each pill is a very low-level goal, the goal for each level is the Collection of all pills.

Example: In Lotto, a Collection is completed by getting matching numbers during a draw.

Using the pattern

A basic requirement of integrating Collections into a game design is choosing what things are to be gathered through Collecting. Most Game Items can work for gathering diegetic Collections, and the Collecting or Ownership needed can be enabled for example through Gain Ownership, Transfer of Control, or through making the Game Items in question into Pick-Ups. Collections are however defined independently of how these are acquired Game Items - Deliver examines the goal of moving a Game Item) to a particular point and the goals can be combined. Deciding which things need to be collected can be seen as defining a Set of Game Items, but such Sets can provide other benefits than only completing a Collection goal.

While Collecting each thing for the Collection can be seen as a Goal in itself, other Goals (including other Collections) can be used explicitly to form Collection goals. Goals of eliminating Enemies (including Last Man Standing) is one possible example of using others Goals (specifically Eliminate) to make a Collection goal. Collections can also consist of Check Points as a way of tracking progress, this use adds most benefit in Races which do not have a forced linear progression. Achievements open up for meta game Collections, and achieving a set of endings in games with Open Destiny is another meta game example.

Narration Aspects

Collections can support Narration Structures if it makes sense to progress the intended story due to a number of Game Items being brought together. Examples of this include parts that can be used to build or repair Tools, Vehicles, or Installations.