If you follow Amiibo news then you probably heard about the new Shovel Knight Amiibo.  It is interesting and exciting news for many and it looks like Nintendo may soon create Amiibos for games beyond their franchises.  That creates a whole world of possibilities and is something people have been dreaming of since Amiibos were first announced.

I have not played Shovel Knight though I hear it is an excellent game and I won’t get the Amiibo until I play the game, because I want to make sure that I enjoy it.  This shows a change in opinion that I have had over the last month or two.  When Amiibos first came out, I decided to collect all of them.  At the time, this meant Super Smash Bros., but the Super Mario series came out and I ended up buying all of those too since they were all classic Nintendo characters.  The same was also true with Splatoon even though I was not sure if I would buy or enjoy Splatoon, Once the Splatoon Amiibos came out, I just had this feeling that I would care about the game and that the hype that Nintendo was creating would be well-founded.  That turned out to be true and I am glad I own the Splatoon 3-pack and I will buy and play the game in the near future.

With that said, the new Amiibo lines are having me rethink my collecting goals.  The issue is that some of the Amiibo that are coming out do not appeal to me as much as some of the previous ones.  For example, I like Animal Crossing: A New Leaf, but I don’t know how many Animal Crossing games I’ll buy in the future and I don’t have a fondness for the characters like many people do.  Because the Animal Crossing Amiibos tie into more Animal Crossing games, it seems easy for me to decide not to collect those Amiibos because I am not missing out much by not getting them.  The same is true for the new Shovel Knight Amiibo.  I don’t know if I like the game so I don’t plan on rushing out (or camping out like I normally do) for an Amiibo that I am unsure if I like the character/game.  I’m not sure if it is confirmed, but it sounds like the Amiibo will unlock a co-op mode in the game which is cool, but if I don’t get the game then it is not useful.  Also, I suspect Nintendo will not support functionality of third-party characters nearly as much as with their own so a Shovel Knight Amiibo might have way less usefulness than other Amiibos.

I may talk more about collecting goals at some point in the future, but I think it is very important when you collect something to set goals for yourself that are fun and achievable.  For me, one of my concerns has always been not having too many figures that I can’t display or enjoy them.  Amiibos are small in size, but with so many now coming out and no signs of slowing down in the future, I am starting to change my goals from getting them all, to focusing only on ones I know I will like/appreciate.  This is a good rule for all collectors to follow, because you don’t want to have a house full of stuff you felt obligated to buy or that you don’t enjoy.  Just because you have narrow or narrowing focus does not mean a lack of interest in something too.  It helps you use your time and money wisely.  So I am happy for everyone who is getting a Shovel Knight Amiibo and I hope Nintendo continues to release all kinds of exciting Amiibos.  From now on, I will buy only what I want or will enjoy the most and won’t be afraid to skip the others and I encourage you to do the same.