Are You a Hoarder in Games?

[Moonface]

Congratulations! You have received a consumable item in a game you're playing. "You should totally use it", the game encourages, but your mind says "I should save this for later". Later never comes, and the item sits in your inventory forever on a journey to the credits with you.

I'm sure we've all been there at some point, so are you a hoarder/saver when it comes to consumable items in games that aren't renewable, or do you just use anything at your disposal without worrying about a potential rainy day ahead?

I know I am atrocious at not using items in games if I can't replace them. I can't think of any particular game I've done it in right now but I absolutely know I do it. XD

[Dragon Lord]

I definitely tend to hoard higher tier healing items -- like Elixers/Megaelixers in Final Fantasy games. I keep telling myself I should save them for the end of the game/final boss, but then I never end up actually needing to use them and they just go to waste. I've started to get a lot better about making myself use them whenever instead, so I'm working on it.

Other times I hoard items it's mainly because I forget about them. This happens a lot with consumable attack items in games. I always forget I have them because it's usually more worthwhile just to use my own spells/skills/whatever rather than using consumables that tend to be much weaker in comparison.

[Mr EliteL]

Can be I guess, don't want to run out of quick heals or stamina type items. I tend to forget other consumable items like boosting your own attack or defense, or like DL mentioned just one-off attacks that usually aren't that great except maybe the high-tiered versions. Although usually the game has a limit to what you can carry on person anyway, so essentials take priority and stuff I don't deem necessary stay in the er...home inventory to either remain there, never be picked up because I don't need it/have too much already (like Mint in Genshin), or if craftable, crafted into something else that could also potentially never get used.

[Ravenfreak]

I think I am a hoarder in video games. xD Once my inventory gets full, then I will started to sell items for better ones. In Pokemon Go, I like to try and catch all the different Pikachu wearing different hats, and they take up space in my Pokemon storage. :V I need to upgrade again soon, for a while I was also wanting to keep different variations of Pokemon too such as a shadow one, a purified one, lucky one, etc.

[Kyng]

Yes, definitely... I always seem to end up saving my items for later, unless there's just no way I can win without them .

One partial exception to this is when games limit the number of items I can carry at any one time - in which case, I'll typically dump the least useful stuff. But even then, I'll often upgrade my carrying capacity when the time comes to upgrade my character!

[Moonface]

I definitely tend to hoard higher tier healing items -- like Elixers/Megaelixers in Final Fantasy games. I keep telling myself I should save them for the end of the game/final boss, but then I never end up actually needing to use them and they just go to waste. I've started to get a lot better about making myself use them whenever instead, so I'm working on it.

Other times I hoard items it's mainly because I forget about them. This happens a lot with consumable attack items in games. I always forget I have them because it's usually more worthwhile just to use my own spells/skills/whatever rather than using consumables that tend to be much weaker in comparison.

Reading this, it reminds me of how I treat almost every item in the Pokémon games. I'll generally never use healing items outside of gym battles because it'll feel like a waste, especially since the games give me the impression that money is a finite resource and eventually it will run out so I never want to spend money on more healing items out of fear that it'll screw me over later on when I need a lot for stuff like the Elite 4 but lack the funds to have enough of them (or revive items). As for other items like X- items and such, I just forget about them or feel like I'm wasting a turn popping one over attacking instead.

If it wasn't for the fact the game makes you buy them and consume them immediately, I'd definitely end up hoarding the meal items in Horizon Forbidden West. I did a quest that lets me redeem one for free but because it procs immediately, I have never used it since I think it'll just be a waste unless I'm planning to do nothing but hop between machine sites because food items are only useful for combat.

The same applies slightly to Rune Arcs in Elden Ring. I never want to use them because they only last until you die, and normally if I need to use one it's when I'm struggling against something where I will likely die, but once I manage to beat whatever I'm struggling against I've probably leveled up enough to not need the Rune Arc. It isn't helped that a lot of the Great Runes in Elden Ring aren't that great, and some of the actual good ones are so late into the game attached to some of the strongest and toughest bosses that their usefulness is negated by the fact nothing you face will be as hard as what you had to fight to get that Great Rune, so why even bother using Rune Arcs to activate it? Originally I hoarded them to save them for tough fights, but now I hoard them because the benefit doesn't outweigh the cost.

[Maniakkid25]

I am absolutely an item hoarder if the items aren't readily available in a shop or something. This is probably the one and only good thing about the strict 32-item limit in Legend of Dragoon; it forces you to constantly use inventory items so you actually have room to pick up stuff from treasure chests. SMT is also a good example where it's nigh-impossible to be an item hoarder; the bosses are hard enough as it is, and not dipping into your items is nothing short of a death wish. The TRICK is not using so many that you aren't screwed later...

[Dragon Lord]

I definitely tend to hoard higher tier healing items -- like Elixers/Megaelixers in Final Fantasy games. I keep telling myself I should save them for the end of the game/final boss, but then I never end up actually needing to use them and they just go to waste. I've started to get a lot better about making myself use them whenever instead, so I'm working on it.

Other times I hoard items it's mainly because I forget about them. This happens a lot with consumable attack items in games. I always forget I have them because it's usually more worthwhile just to use my own spells/skills/whatever rather than using consumables that tend to be much weaker in comparison.

Reading this, it reminds me of how I treat almost every item in the Pokémon games. I'll generally never use healing items outside of gym battles because it'll feel like a waste, especially since the games give me the impression that money is a finite resource and eventually it will run out so I never want to spend money on more healing items out of fear that it'll screw me over later on when I need a lot for stuff like the Elite 4 but lack the funds to have enough of them (or revive items). As for other items like X- items and such, I just forget about them or feel like I'm wasting a turn popping one over attacking instead.

Yeah, I'd put Pokemon under the "I hoard items because they're useless" category. You never need the X-Stat items because the games aren't hard enough to require boosting your stats, and healing isn't needed as long as you have a balanced team because you'll just be switching out your 'Mon to match weaknesses anyways, so none of your Pokemon will usually have the problem of being low on HP and needing to be healed (outside of doing something like a solo run, of course). 

If it wasn't for having to buy Pokeballs (and even then you could argue that you just catch what you want for your team and ignore everything else), I probably wouldn't even spend any of the money you get in Pokemon games.

[ShiraNoMai]

I'd say I horde items less in Pokémon than I do in any other game, though that may be because in the early titles, you were item capacity limited, so your bag got full pretty quick. Gen 1 was especially bad because of how literally everything was in one unorganized bag (no bag 'pockets' to separate items). I tend to sell or toss (if they're worth less than $100) things I will never use. If I think I may use it, I tend to store things in the Item PC for later use.
I still have bag organizing habits from those entries in the series so I'll still be stingy with what I keep in my bags, but they have made the systems SO much better with time.

Generally though, unless the game makes them out to be SUPER special/unique, I use my items. Of course, this kind of lackadaisical attitude lead me to making the stupid decision of using my Master Ball on a mere Ursaring in Pokémon Gold because I was out of balls and it was hard to catch (I didn't know there were multiple, it was a first encounter). I was 7 years old, you'll have to forgive the logic.