{"id":7745,"date":"2021-10-14T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/?p=7745"},"modified":"2021-10-15T12:52:03","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T16:52:03","slug":"the-collector-in-spiritfarer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/?p=7745","title":{"rendered":"The Collector in Spiritfarer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There is a character in Spiritfarer<\/em> called the Collector, a well-dressed, finicky walrus who goes by the name of Susan. When the player first meets Susan, she describes her distaste for the collection of \u201cjunk.\u201d Nonetheless, Susan is the in-game collections achievement tracker, and will reward the player for finding objects throughout the game. While Susan is a minor character in-game, \u201ccollection management\u201d is a real-world profession integral to museums, libraries and other curatorial institutions of all themes and sizes. This post will discuss Susan\u2019s role and her views on collecting, and compare Susan and her ideas to real-world institutional collection management practices. In comparing real-world collection practices with those in Spiritfarer<\/em>, I hope to show how Spiritfarer<\/em>\u2019s \u201creconstructive\u201d storytelling and its collection mechanics can help shed light on\u00a0the memory function of collection management policies and practices of\u00a0libraries and museums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Game<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created by Thunder Lotus in 2020, Spiritfarer<\/em> is a 2D side-scrolling action-platformer and lore-rich adventure game, also pitched as \u201ccozy management game about dying.\u201d The game\u2019s protagonist, Stella the spiritfarer (or ferrymaster), goes around the magical and charming world on her ever-expanding boat, befriending and caring for spirits until they\u2019re ready to move on to the afterlife. In an interview<\/a>, the studio staff describe their inspirations for the game\u2019s setting and gameplay, which include Greek mythology, Studio Ghibli\u2019s Spirited Away<\/em>, and farming simulators such a Harvest Moon<\/em> and Stardew Valley<\/em>. The game\u2019s easy pace, detailed animation, and beautiful music come together to unravel touching stories that explore death and compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of gameplay, Stella (the player) manages her boat by travelling from island to island, collecting materials which she uses to build structures, make items, and upgrade the vessel. Stella has a bottomless inventory, and everything from wooden planks to bottled ectoplasm will be kept until the items are used or sold. As Stella meets spirits on her journey from island to island, the spirits join Stella on her boat as a passenger. They request structures (like a kitchen or gallery) or food, which the player crafts. Spirits will also ask for quest-specific items, and Stella is often sent across the map to find knick-knacks in boxes, on top of buildings, and even in the middle of the sea. The quests, which drive the stories pertaining to the spirits, lead Stella to numerous islands, including one called Susan\u2019s Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Susan\u2019s Museum<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan\u2019s Museum is an island in the North West part of the world in a region called Hummingberg. When Stella arrives at the island, she goes up an elegant white ladder which leads to a single platform. The tiny one-person island is an elegant lounge for the NPC who lives there, and there isn\u2019t anything or anyone for the player to interact with, except Susan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan is the Collector. Susan is a walrus (many NPCs are animals), and her introduction dialogue reveals a lot about her personality, as well as her opinion about the act of collecting. Stella never speaks, so Susan has a one-way introductory \u201cconversation\u201d. Her monologue is as follows (shortened for length):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026 The gods, in all their materialistic arrogance, have played a cruel trick on me.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, I am the Collector not by choice, but by duty.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through your ceaseless plunder of this world\u2019s very finite wonders, you will no doubt come to stockpile a collection of junk to rival the greatest garbage dumps of history.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My duty is to \u201creward\u201d this unconscionable behavior with, well, more junk.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My predecessors used to ask for the accumulated bundles as payment, to do who knows what with.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the job description says nothing about that, and I certainly have no interest in your filth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when the time comes, show me what monstrous assortments you managed to pull together, grab your meaningless reward, and leave.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Spiritfarer<\/em>\u2019s gameplay, Susan functions as a collection achievement tracker. The Spiritfarer<\/em> Art Book states, \u201cIn a game filled with objectives, gathering and building mechanics, Susan the walrus\u2019 primary purpose is to deter Stella from collecting the unnecessary. What she considers unnecessary, however, is… a lot of things.\u201d Thus, every time Stella visits Susan, the player can see the figurines, sea creatures, gems, metals\/ores, and dishes (as in cooked dishes) the player has collected. Some of these items are crafting materials (or are<\/em> crafted items), while some items are knick-knacks (such as figurines) that can be sold for in-game currency. As Susan describes, each time the player reaches a collection milestone, the player receives an award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collection Development<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan the walrus\u2019s role as the Collector exists in real life. There are private collectors in the world at large, but the roles I\u2019m most familiar with are librarians and archivists, who often hold some responsibilities related to collecting (and often also curating) for an institution. Just the way Susan is concerned about people collecting \u201cjunk,\u201d real-world professionals are also mindful of what they collect for their institution. To establish some rules about what to collect (or not), these professionals often use a \u201ccollections development policy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A collections development policy (or management policy, or selection policy, you get the idea) is like a \u201crulebook\u201d for institutions that engage in collection and curatorial practices. A public library,<\/a> university<\/a>, museum<\/a>, or even government institution<\/a> will use such a framework to determine whether potential objects fall within the scope of their mandate. Unfortunately for Susan, Stella\u2019s relentless habit of collecting is<\/em> her scope, which can seem pretty arbitrary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to considering what is useful and not useful for taking in, a collections management policy also helps determine when some item should be retired. Some institutions call that \u201cdeaccession,\u201d other calls this \u201cweeding.\u201d Libraries<\/a> do it, and so do museums<\/a>. In Spiritfarer<\/em>, there are items called \u201ctchotchke\u201d (miscellaneous items) and their descriptions say \u201cShould be sold.\u201d They have no other value. When the player sells these items, that\u2019s sort of like weeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine a bookshelf with ten books. Now imagine a bookshelf with a hundred books. If you\u2019re looking for one title, the bookshelf with ten books would be easier to search through. But, the bookshelf of one hundred books has a higher chance of having the title you\u2019re looking for. Do institutions keep a smaller collection to make search more manageable, or manage a robust collection to ensure they can fulfill patron requests? These determinations are (part of) the job of the librarians and archivists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan considers a lot of items as \u201cjunk.\u201d \u201cJunk\u201d and \u201cgarbage\u201d might be harsh words, but professionals also must consider the value of a given book or object in a collection of curated items. Sometimes books get damaged (missing pages, moldy, etc.), and are no longer useful or safe for patrons. Sometimes books become outdated when new editions are published. Sometimes the best thing to do for everyone is to remove the book in question from circulation, and either archive a legacy copy or sell superfluous books in library sales (or, if the book is literally in tatters, recycle it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back to Susan the walrus. She mentions payment, \u201cMy predecessors used to ask for the accumulated bundles as payment, to do who knows what with. But the job description says nothing about that, and I certainly have no interest in your filth.\u201d Susan\u2019s function is unique in that she merely looks at what you have in your inventory, then rewards you. In most games, like in Stardew Valley<\/em><\/a>, the museum usually keeps the in-game item. In real-world situations, the books or objects are obviously given or loaned to the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan also mentioned rewards: \u201cMy duty is to \u2018reward\u2019 this unconscionable behavior with, well, more junk.\u201d Curatorial institutions do not typically reward patrons for the process<\/em> of collecting. If anything, previous acquisition processes have come under scrutiny because of unscrupulous methods of artifact collection; museums are now careful about stolen or looted objects (as briefly mentioned in the Museum in Animal Crossing<\/a>). On the flip side, the history and uses of an object is often what makes it valuable, so collecting objects of value can be a double-edged sword!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do institutions reward people who donate or sell stuff to them? Well, some institutions buy stuff, so the seller gets money. New York Public Library had acquired some books<\/a> for their performing arts branch in 2020, noting that the process was reduced \u201cfor financial and physical reasons\u201d but nonetheless indicates that market transactions can be part of curatorial policies and practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common practice for curatorial institutions is to receive collection items by donation. Reviewing donations is a thorough process<\/a>. If items are selected for inclusion in a collection or exhibit, donors might be \u201crewarded\u201d with their name on a museum label. But \u201creward\u201d could be something beyond money, a certificate, or wall plaque. For some, donating to an institution means their family or personal story gets preserved<\/a>. In Spiritfarer<\/em>, the whole point of the game is to learn and acknowledge stories of people\u2019s lives. To have someone see, hear, or read your story, to know it will be kept safe for your family, community, and future observers, that may be a reward in and of itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does Susan give Stella when she shows up with a full roster of fish, figurines, metals, gems, or cooked dishes? Susan will reward the player with more materials, a few tchotchke, a handful of structure blueprints, or the occasional character customizable outfit. Yes, Susan does complain about it the whole time. Rather than actual preservation and collections management (since Susan doesn\u2019t keep anything, display anything, or provide plot-essential rewards), Susan\u2019s purpose, design, and script seem more about creating a memorable character and sending a message, rather than serving any significant function in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art Collector and Curator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hesitated to use the term \u201ccurator\u201d throughout this piece to describe the player or Susan, because there\u2019s actually a \u201ccurator\u201d character in Spiritfarer<\/em> named Gustav. Gustav is a tall brown and red owl, and he is one of the spirits Stella helps usher onto the afterlife. When he was alive, he was an art curator and event organizer. Unlike Susan, who is a static resource NPC on her island, Gustav has a robust storyline — the player actually meets Gustav first, who sends Stella to Susan\u2019s Museum in search of \u201ctraditional woodprints\u201d to complete his collection. In Spiritfarer<\/em>, Susan and Gustav are set up as opposing personalities. Susan had obtained the woodprints first and refused to sell them to Gustav. The Spiritfarer<\/em> Art Book states, \u201cHer character is to be Gustav\u2019s foil in his quest to curate rare authentic pieces of art. She does not care to understand the reasons for what she sees as futile, and will snidely hide away any piece coveted by Gustav if she manages to get her hands on it first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Susan, Gustav has some strong opinions about his work. During his dialogues, he gets very offended that \u201csome no-good, foul-mouthed miscreant just had the audacity to call me\u2026 I can\u2019t even say it\u2026 an art collector!… I am a CURATOR!\u201d Gustav goes on to describe the differences between art collectors and curators: \u201cI do not amass, evaluate, weigh or risk! I do not trade! I protect! I alone ensure the legacy of humanity\u2019s greatest achievements! What? Overreacting? Have you gone mad?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t speak for art collectors or curators, but archivists and librarians can and sometimes do see themselves as protectors of their collections<\/a> who \u201censure the legacy of humanity\u2019s greatest achievements.\u201d And they do it in the way Gustav describes. Archivists and librarians amass objects, evaluate their worth, and yes, sometimes trade (or loan<\/a>) them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Gustav is insulted by the mix-up, the Spiritfarer<\/em> Art Book states, \u201cFor all the antagonizing both Susan and Gustav inflict on one another, they share some traits. A close look at their respective living quarters reveals a love for the same beverages, both enjoy meticulously cared for objects and Bauhaus-inspired furniture.\u201d Their work (and their personalities) are more similar than they might care to admit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bonus: The Archive Room<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2021 Summer update, Thunder Lotus introduced a new storyline and character, Beverly. Beverly is a small, round, cute blue owl who likes to reminisce about the past. She often talks about her husband and children, and through most of the game is a chattery, friendly, but lonely lady. Like Gustav, she is a spirit that Stella helps. In order to progress in Beverly\u2019s storyline, Stella must build \u201cArchive Room B-2522.\u201d It is a room filled with acid-free storage boxes, video cassettes, film reels, and an old-school projector. To be clear, Gustav and Susan\u2019s dialogue revealed that they were professionals, whereas Beverly was more of a neighbor and housewife.  \u201cArchive Room B-2522\u201d is more a metaphor representing nostalgia and memory, rather than an indication of Beverly\u2019s profession. Nonetheless, all three characters care deeply about objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stella is tasked with running around the map to find memorabilia from Beverly\u2019s life, which are projected onto the archive room\u2019s wall for Beverly to spectate. Beverly\u2019s relationship to collected objects is less formal, and much more nostalgic. Stella obtains a photo of Beverly\u2019s son and her deceased husband\u2019s lecture notes, among other things. Unlike Susan\u2019s collectables, which are generally crafting\/crafted materials that have generic uses throughout the game, the memorabilia is specific to Beverly\u2019s storyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beverly\u2019s family photos and notes (all called \u201cacetate\u201d) are scattered around the map as part of the gameplay — this also happens with real-world personal artifacts. When people move, whether out of the family home or from apartment to apartment, items will inevitably get misplaced. The fact that the acetates are important to Beverly, but are scattered across the map, shows why collection management is important. Beverly shows signs of memory loss early on, so Stella becomes the memory keeper on Beverly\u2019s behalf. With that said, personal\/family collections like Beverly\u2019s can be well maintained — personal collections can even be added to institutional or private collections<\/a>. In real-world application, archivists and librarians are often the memory keepers. The policies and community teamwork is what keeps the memories alive and relevant. That is why \u201ccollection management\u201d is a job and a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan, Gustav, and Beverly are characters in Spiritfarer<\/em> whose relations with collecting and caring for objects are comparable to real-world collection activities and practices. There are everyday people who take care of memorabilia collections, whether through family albums or even a shoebox of notes. There are consequences when the process goes astray: a collection could get overwhelming, or items can go lost. That\u2019s why there are careers centered around collections management, as we see with librarians and archivists. They help create, manage, and modify collections depending on their institution\u2019s mandate, or individual need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the collections there are the people. Collections, and the objects in them, hold memories, possess narratives, and have intrinsic value. The Susans, Gustavs, and Beverlys of the world help preserve and define what that value is. The broad range of how Spiritfarer<\/em> characters engage with and talk about objects is only a sample of the breadth and depth of ideas and practices in real-world collection management. What is this collection trying to say? What was the collector or curator thinking about when putting this collection together? Is anything missing from the collection, and if so, why? Who is this collection for? Whether in-game or in the real world, the collection of meaningful artifacts is about gathering fragments and traces of people\u2019s lives to preserve their stories for collective memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Library Association. \u201cCollection Maintenance and Weeding.\u201d American Library Association. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/www.ala.org\/tools\/challengesupport\/selectionpolicytoolkit\/weeding<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brooklyn Public Library. \u201cMaterials Selection Policy,\u201d January 31, 2017. <\/a>https:\/\/www.bklynlibrary.org\/use-the-library\/policy\/materials-selection<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. \u201cCollections Management Policy,\u201d n.d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbia University Libraries. \u201cCollection Development.\u201d Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/library.columbia.edu\/about\/policies\/collection-development.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miranda Hambro and Matt Heffernan. \u201cThe Life Cycle of a Loan.\u201d Museum of the City of New York. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/www.mcny.org\/story\/life-cycle-loan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

National Archives. \u201cHow to Preserve Family Archives (Papers and Photographs).\u201d National Archives, August 15, 2016. <\/a>https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/preservation\/family-archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New-York Historical Society. \u201cWant to Donate an Object to New-York Historical? Here\u2019s How It Happens.\u201d New-York Historical Society. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/behindthescenes.nyhistory.org\/want-to-donate-an-object-to-new-york-historical-heres-how-it-happens\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NY State Parks. \u201cCollections Management Policy,\u201d n.d., 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Olivia Campbell. \u201cThe Delicate Work of Protecting Priceless Archives – The Atlantic.\u201d Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/culture\/archive\/2021\/07\/archival-mishaps\/619420\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rebecca Littman. \u201cWhile We Were Out: New Acquisitions at the Library for the Performing Arts.\u201d The New York Public Library. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/www.nypl.org\/blog\/2020\/11\/19\/lpa-new-acquisitions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smithsonian Institution Archives. \u201cWeeding Files.\u201d Smithsonian Institution Archives. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/siarchives.si.edu\/what-we-do\/weeding-files<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Society of American Archivists. \u201cDonating Your Personal or Family Records to a Repository.\u201d Society of American Archivists. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/www2.archivists.org\/publications\/brochures\/donating-familyrecs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Escapist. \u201cSpiritfarer Documentary – A Game About Dying.\u201d YouTube. Accessed September 8, 2021. <\/a>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=qxx8sEGjntI<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. \u201cCollections Management Policy,\u201d n.d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thunder Lotus. Spiritfarer Art Book. August 8, 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a character in Spiritfarer called the Collector, a well-dressed, finicky walrus who goes by the name of Susan. When the player first meets Susan, she describes her distaste for the collection of \u201cjunk.\u201d Nonetheless, Susan is the in-game collections achievement tracker, and will reward the player for findingContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":7746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[15],"tags":[421,392,582,86,125,73,237],"coauthors":[499],"class_list":["entry","author-alai","post-7745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","tag-2d-side-scroller","tag-archiving","tag-libraries","tag-memory","tag-museums","tag-public-memory","tag-storytelling"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/A1_Main.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7745","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7745"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7745\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7760,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7745\/revisions\/7760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7745"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7745"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7745"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.playthepast.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=7745"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}