Video game completion. Whether collecting every coin or capturing every creature, there’s often an inexplicable need to fully complete video games. Why is that?
What does it mean to complete a game? While some may define it as playing a game from opening cutscene to the last, others have a more exact definition of how to properly complete a game.
This may go anywhere from collecting every item in a game, to defeating every enemy or puzzle that crosses a gamer’s path.
But why put ourselves through the torture of finding every single Yoshi coin in Super Mario World, or all of the orbs in Jak and Daxter?
This article explores why video game players often feel the drive to collect everything that can be collected.
The innate human need to do so
Whether its evolutionary or psychological, there is something deeply embedded in the human mind that makes completing a game all the more rewarding.
It’s in our human nature
It’s only natural that creatures who strive to get A’s on their 
Games like Brain Age and Chibi Robo tap directly into these established human drives. At that, it’s highly unlikely that we’d get the same enjoyment out of scrubbing floors spotless with a toothbrush in the real world.
The feeling of missing out if we don’t
No one likes to be left out of the crowd. If something’s said to be fun, we like to see it through to the end.
Also, why start a story if we have no intention on finishing it to the upteenth degree? If we’re going to dedicate time to a game, we might as well put our best effort into it.
There’s a driving story
What happens when you catch them all? Why, that’s the exact thing Game Freak wants you to wonder! When there are concrete promises that something happens if you do go the extra mile to collect all that there is in a game, video games draw players deeper into their world.
Why else you should complete good games at 100%?
Someone spent a lot of time putting it together
There’s something to be said for giving more of your attention due to the time that whomever developed it spent on the object. This translates directly into finding all of a certain object in a game.
Important backstory is in objects
A perfect example of these types of items is in the Square Enix reboot of Tomb Raider. Without reading through the writings of your fellow survivors or past island inhabitants, big reveals would have a much smaller impact.
The locations of items are strategic
Making sure that collectables are evenly spaced throughout a game’s world can be tricky business. When it’s not done right, those collectables stick out like a sore thumb.
It takes a lot of time and effort to make sure that rare objects in-game still feel rare. While it’s something many wouldn’t think twice of, we’re sure that countless hours go into game development and play testers to find the perfect balance with this.
The design of these objects took a lot of work
If players ignore objects that took developers a long time to conceptualize, this is nothing short of a travesty. For example, when a journal entry is handwritten, there’s no doubt that a lot of thought went into crafting the perfect writing style for a given character.
Take Naughty Dogs’ The Last of Us for example. Characters sending their last ditch effort toward telling humanity what they kept secret for years will have shaky penmanship, while those writing drawn out love letters will have beautiful curly q’s and s’s.
Read on to learn of special easter eggs given to especially hard-working players.
Rewards
Gamemakers will sometimes add in special end-game treats that will appeal to the completionist.
‘Kingdom Hearts I’ secret movie
The reward for beating the first Kingdom Hearts within certain qualifications produces this amazing clip. The mystery of who the Blonde Haired Man lit the internet abuzz with speculation and sleuthing. If not a smart marketing move, this alone justified collecting all 101 Dalmatians to dedicated players.
’Uncharted’ fat Nathan Drake
In all three Uncharted games, it’s possible to unlock a “Doughnut Drake” skin from completing certain specifications. If not rewarding, this is a funny example of a treat for dedicated players.
We’d love to see other games use this unlockable skin bonus. Tomb Raider III had an infamous topless Lara rumor, which turned out to be false. Speaking of sexy end-game completionist reveals…
‘Metroid’ Samus’ gender
The gender of the Metroid protagonist was not revealed in the original NES game up until the end. And what better way to reveal that your main character is female than showing them in a skimpy bathing suit?
Although her gender was sort of revealed to all players, those who completed the game in a quick fashion received a scantily clothed Samus.
Those sure are some attractive 8-bit legs…
