collect-'em-up

English

Etymology

Modelled on earlier shoot-'em-up and beat-'em-up.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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Noun

collect-'em-up (plural collect-'em-ups)

1. (video games) A video game based around collecting items.

   Synonym: collectathon

   • 1988, Firefly (game review) in CRASH magazine (issue 50)

     Mix together a shoot-’em-up, a collect-’em-up and a maze game, add sundry reaction tests to taste and you’ve got a tasty game indeed.

   • 1993, Neil West, Nick Roberts, Super NES Games Unauthorized Power Tips Book:

     It's a scrolling, platform, arcade collect-'em-up adventure which shows off the SNES well, and not one you'll complete on the first couple of attempts!

   • 2012, Clive Fencott, Jo Clay, Mike Lockyer, Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games:

     In the beginning there were no genres. There was only a small number of games, most of which looked very different. As more games appeared you could perhaps begin to classify them: spaceship games, collect-'em-ups, and so on.