In many games there are a lot of stupid filler items that you don’t know what they do and they don’t matter. (i.e. crafting ingredients). They are so ubiquitous across games that there ought to be a word for them. Sort of like a “MacGuffin” (except a MacGuffin moves the plot along, and these filler items don’t).
Is there a name for these filler items? If not, got any ideas?
Junk
Junk items are what I usually call them. They might have some use, but they’re mostly there to pass out the inventory.
For me, Trash items are a little worse, where they might do something bad (like stopping you from picking up other items because it takes up extra inventory spots or something).
I think this is the best answer. But actually there’s at least 4 levels.
As said, Trash is actively in your way and blocks useful items until you deal with it. It sucks.
Scrap takes inventory space but you can refine it or sell it for something useful. So it’s almost a currency, just with extra steps.
Junk is filler, you may have to scroll past it but it’s just weightless fluff that only occupies space visually. You don’t have to deal with it in a meaningful way.
And then Trinkets are all the little trophies and audio logs that get their own special screen you can just 100% ignore if you want.
You’ve got the new best answer!
I always called it “clutter” tho I don’t know whether this is in any way official. De-cluttering an inventory means tossing the useless stuff out or packing it away.
There’s an actual 'clutter warehouse" in morrowind that you can get to by cheat code except nothing in there is even an ingredient. It’s all bowls and cups and pillows and things that have no function in the actual game. I think it was their test area to make sure all the meshes looked and worked right? That’s what I think of when I see “clutter” in this context.
There is the Mournhold clutter collector, who gives you a quest to bring him random knick-knacks from around Vardenfell.
Tchotchkes?
“Tchotchkes: A knickknack or trinket; a decorative item or souvenir of little value.” <– This isn’t bad
guff.
Guffipedia was a gold mine.
Vendor trash
miscellanea?
“the intern’s summer project”
“Mathom” - A trinket or piece of bric-a-brac; a knick-knack, often used in regifting. Term coined by J.R.R. Tolkien
One more word to add to the collection: cruft. Stuff that just builds up without you really noticing, mostly because it’s easier to collect everything than to filter it out of the good stuff.
Shop Fodder. Warning for TVTropes link.
Bad game design?
Dungeon Lint
