Master Chief’s Helmet (Halo 3)

A Digital World

Our world is now dominated by digital-only and digital-first materials. It has become a societal norm for us to stream our music, to read e-books and articles online, and to download digital games from our consoles, smartphones, or PCs. The spectre of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is also lurking in the ether, and this digital-only fad of legitimising access and ownership to digital artwork has both raised eyebrows and razed wallets in recent months.

So, in this context of a brave new digital world, what physical videogame objects still exist for players to own and collect?

The Mjonir Mark VI

Introducing: a replica model of Master Chief’s iconic helmet — the Mjolnir Mark VI, if you want to get specific about this — as seen in the Halo series of sci-fi first-person shooters. Our slick, camouflage green and ebullient gold helmet is an iconic symbol of both the entire Halo series, and of Xbox as a videogame platform. The original Xbox console was initially released in North America on 15 November 2001, and the first Halo title, Halo: Combat Evolved, was a launch title for the system.

Ever since then, for over two decades, Halo iconography has been tied to Xbox; you could even argue that Master Chief has become a mascot character for Xbox!

15th Anniversary of Halo 3

This physical replica of Master Chief’s helmet is a key component of Halo 3: Legendary Edition, the most expensive edition of Halo 3 available to purchase when the title was released across the world between 25-26 September 2007. Halo 3 is perhaps the most popular entry to the series and celebrates it’s 15th anniversary this month.

However, we want to focus on how this helmet represents a modern phenomenon: the rise of collecting videogame materials and ephemera in the 21st century through Collector’s Editions.

Preservation

As a museum, preserving all different iterations of a videogame, including their often expensive and expansive physical editions, is a significant part of our work. It is vital that we understand the historical contexts in which these objects are made, and how they were received by players. Whatever you call them — ‘Collector’s Editions’, ‘Special Editions’, ‘Limited Editions’ — all of these alternate versions of a physical manifestation of a videogame have become popular in recent history.

This could mean, even in the absence of physical discs and cartridges, there are more types of physical item to preserve and care for than ever before.

Halo 3: Legendary Edition

Upon release in 2007, Halo 3: Legendary Edition was an expensive edition of the title. This real-world cost is, in part, a result of the many extra materials that come packaged in with it.

The Halo 3: Legendary Edition came with a replica of Master Chief’s helmet, a Halo 3 poster, an illustrated storybook of Halo 3’s iconic campaign, and a couple of behind-the-scenes DVDs on making the game.

These external objects speak volumes about what fans find really interesting about a videogame series. Unlike our Super Mario Sunshine guidebook from July’s Object of the Month, our Halo helmet does not provide the player with any insight into how they can potentially play the game. Instead, the possession of this object can be interpreted as a status symbol within videogames culture, allowing fans to proudly and physically illustrate their fandom of the series to other players.

In a world where the intrinsic and monetary value of digital goods are regularly debated — as seen with the recent fascination with the murky waters of NFTs — our bombastic replica of Master Chief’s helmet speaks to a broader want of physical material to connect with a videogame series and all of its components, such as its characters and story.

Collecting in the 21st Century

But let’s return to our initial question: “what does it really mean to ‘collect’ a videogame in the 21st century?”

For some players and fans, collecting physical objects and memorabilia of digital games can potentially foster a sense of lasting physical belonging and attachment to a videogame and its surrounding cultures. In many ways, the museum’s continuing preservation of our Halo 3: Legendary Edition helmet offers an insight into how — in an almost fully digital world — some players still fundamentally desire ownership of developer-made physical material that publicly symbolises their experiences with a videogame. Though, equally, ownership of a physical object does not automatically bestow that player a deeper level of fandom.