Endo's Game

Wanted: Fallout 3 Tea Set

Merchandise can also act as a statement of identity. What better way to show a love of Asian culture than with a Kidrobot Munnie caricature of a famous cultural icon. No doubt The Pip-Boy 3000 digital clocks, which came with the Fallout 3 limited edition, sit proudly on nightstands everywhere as bedroom defining ornamentation. And, as the term memorabilia implies, these tangible pieces of otherwise ephemeral experiences act as a quick way for people to conjure up scenes and moments associated with their favorite pieces of media. A glance at my pose-able robots instantly reminds me not only of the cartoons I watched with them in it, but also of that period in my life. For a few minutes, the responsibilities of the work day wash away and their value is made clear.

However, I'm not afraid to call a spade a spade. The Akuma statue isn't art, and the supposed rarity of any of these items - only 10,000 available! - is something of a sales tactic. I am just fooling myself if I believe the plastic Pikachus, limited edition Oblivion pogs (if only) and Gears of War Lancers are more culturally significant than my aunt Maude's cookie jar collection. But that doesn't mean collecting cookie jars is stupid, or that carrying a Lancer on a gun rack in your car is tacky.

Merchandise is, at face value, a cynical enterprise. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. I wrapped myself up in wicked combination of toys and cartoons as a child, and the power fantasies of He-Man became my own. Perhaps that's why media related merchandise has become so popular over the past few years; the idea of this inseparable combination was normalized by a generation raised on Transformers, He-Man and G.I. Joe.

As stupid as I find most of the videogame special editions, with their plastic figurines, and as overpriced as I think the dramatically posed Master Chief statues are, there will doubtless be a piece of merchandise that captures my imagination, that I want to pose proudly on my desk for all the world to see. Just as generations previous have done with their baseball cards and bijou posters, I'll look at my Shadow of the Colossus statue, fondly remember my time with that game and hope that it will inspire a reaction of curiosity or fascination from other people who encounter it.

Despite what he may have said, mounting a Lancer on a gun rack in a pick-up truck is tacky.