Am I Wrong?

[Hoodoo]

I just met someone who is a fellow Atari enthusiast in my area. The difference is, he's a collector, and I'm a player. He was MORTIFIED to walk in and see a copy of Quadrun poking out of my old four switcher ("Bertha"!). I was shocked that he was so shocked. I've been playing Quadrun for over twenty years. I love the game, am I wrong to be playing it at this point? and if so...why am I wrong? I bought the game to play.....twenty three or twenty four years ago, and that has NOT changed. I own it still because I love to play it.

 

 

He brought the point up that I should get rid of my rares to a collector who can preserve them.....to my utter disgust. Sorry, I mean no offense to you collectors, I know there's a lot of you here, but I bought these to play, and I'm damned well going to play them. I don't care if its Asteroids or Quadrun, if its sitting on my game shelf, its seen a LOT of action over the years.

 

 

I guess what I really want to know is, both from the collectors and the gamers....Is it wrong for me to sit on my collection because I want to play them? I don't have ANYTHING that's "one of a kind" (like protos maybe only one person EVER played), so I don't feel my playing my copy of Quadrun over putting it in its box and never touching it again will really upset the balance of the Atari community.

[godzillajoe]

I never bought anything just to watch it sit on a shelf in a plastic bag or box.

 

Investing in Atari games is a bit silly if you ask me.

 

Oh look, I made a $30 profit on this game after 25 years.

 

Might as well buy some savings bonds instead.

[Atarimania75]

I just met someone who is a fellow Atari enthusiast in my area. The difference is, he's a collector, and I'm a player. He was MORTIFIED to walk in and see a copy of Quadrun poking out of my old four switcher ("Bertha"!). I was shocked that he was so shocked. I've been playing Quadrun for over twenty years. I love the game, am I wrong to be playing it at this point? and if so...why am I wrong? I bought the game to play.....twenty three or twenty four years ago, and that has NOT changed. I own it still because I love to play it.

 

 

He brought the point up that I should get rid of my rares to a collector who can preserve them.....to my utter disgust. Sorry, I mean no offense to you collectors, I know there's a lot of you here, but I bought these to play, and I'm damned well going to play them. I don't care if its Asteroids or Quadrun, if its sitting on my game shelf, its seen a LOT of action over the years.

 

 

I guess what I really want to know is, both from the collectors and the gamers....Is it wrong for me to sit on my collection because I want to play them? I don't have ANYTHING that's "one of a kind" (like protos maybe only one person EVER played), so I don't feel my playing my copy of Quadrun over putting it in its box and never touching it again will really upset the balance of the Atari community.

 

Don't feel quilty about it at all man! He probably just wants to grab the copy for himself You have the game for the right reason, because you enjoy it. You are the owner of the game so you have the control of how the game is stored and taken care of. I am a collector and player and i pop in my Qbert's Qubes game quite often. I also have been playing Cakewalk regularly as well.

[opeygon]

I am a gamer through and through. If I buy any boxed game it is for sentimental reasons only. I could care less about rarity, and I never buy or trade a game because of money. I have a good friend who is a collector/gamer, and I sometimes give him sh*t because I feel that he is to motivated by money. For me, I seek mostly the atari and nes games I played and loved as a child growing up in the eighties. None of them are rare, and all of them have little or no resale value and I don't care! I clean them, I play them, I give them a good home, and having them and playing them soothes my soul. In that respect, all my games are priceless!

[jetset]

LOL. Did he offer to buy it from you? Sounds like he was after that. Absolutely nothing wrong with colleting games to actually PLAY them, although personally I'd be nervous about playing a rare game like Quadrun myself.

[BigO]

The way I see it, it's your stuff. If you want to pile it all into the oven and melt it into one great lump then make a big ugly lamp out of it, I'm good with that.

Edited May 24, 2007 by BigO

[oldgames]

To each their own. I know that there are many collectors who just enjoy the collecting for itself, but it's hard for me to understand how they got interested in collecting. I'd say I'm about 50% collector and 50% gamer, but the only reason I am a collector is because I remember and enjoy reliving the fun of playing the games back in the day. If it weren't for the 50% gamer in me, I don't think the 50% collector would have ever surfaced. I don't own any games that I don't play because of their value or rarity. (I've got some that I don't play because they suck, though!)

[JellE]

Well... I am pretty much almost 100% collector. Only because that has been the way it has turned out... I have only been into Atari for about a year. Personally... (and because I do have limited experience with this.. I might get yelled at...but oh well) I think it is yours to do with whatever you choose to do with it. If you want to play the games till they no longer function... then do it. If you want to see them sitting on a shelf all pretty like... then do that. No one has a right to be disgusted with you, or upset with you because you love what you are doing. This is more, in my opinion, of someone who has nothing else better to do with their life than try to dictate to someone else how to live theirs.

 

Seriously though... the one that dies with the most toys... really doesn't win... cuz ya can't take it with ya! (at least not on some planes of existance) Might as well enjoy playing... while ya can and want to.

[Crazy Climber]

Did you mention having the box? If so I would probably sell just the box/manual if you are not a collector. If they are in good shape you could pull around $500 for them. As for the cartridge, keep playing it, they are tough. I used to play Music Machine and Malagai all the time. They are fun games, worth a few bucks but still fun to play. I can admit that I only played River Patrol once and then it went back on my shelf

[Atari2600Lives]

I just purchased a Pepsi invader (one of only 17 or 18 known ot exsist) for $1200.00 and the first thing I did when I got it was to stick it in my mahcine and play it. I am a hard core collector but I also play all my rare games.

[homerwannabee]

Dude I would not sweet it. Tell the guy that there are plenty of Quadruns that are being taken care of with kit gloves. Your friend acts like there were only 50 of these made. If this was Birthday Mania than I would say that yeah you probably should preserve the cart for historical perspective.

[Hoodoo]

I do indeed have the box and manual, and while I am not *technically* a collector, these pieces are part of the nostalgia involved with securing the game in the first place. It's in between Frogger and Asteroids on the shelf,so its comfy!

[Atarimania75]

Dude I would not sweet it. Tell the guy that there are plenty of Quadruns that are being taken care of with kit gloves. Your friend acts like there were only 50 of these made. If this was Birthday Mania than I would say that yeah you probably should preserve the cart for historical perspective.

 

Dude your trying to sell your Quadrun on ebay right now. So don't forget these Quadrun's are Ultra Ultra rare!

Edited May 24, 2007 by Atarimania75

[Atarimania75]

I do indeed have the box and manual, and while I am not *technically* a collector, these pieces are part of the nostalgia involved with securing the game in the first place. It's in between Frogger and Asteroids on the shelf,so its comfy!

 

 

You go man!!!

Edited May 24, 2007 by Atarimania75

[+FujiSkunk]

I put this way: I'm a collector. I collect to play.

 

Things like Kroko Carts and Cuttle Carts are God-sends, but there's still something magical about having a stack of cartridges waiting to be popped in one at a time whenever I'm ready for some quality Atari time... and that goes just as much for the likes of Q*Bert's Qubes and Ikari Warriors as it does Combat and Space Invaders.

 

I haven't found a Quadrun yet, but I'm still looking!

[Lord Thag]

Yeah, I hear you guys. I have a *lot* of stuff now, but I get it all with the intention of playing it. I also have some R9 and R10 games that actually get played. Don't feel bad! A game is not a *game* if you don't play it, you know? Nothing wrong with collecting or playing them, it's up to you. Don't let some guy make you feel guilty for using a game to do what it was designed to do!

[+Omegamatrix]

Don't worry. Boxes are for collectors, loose games for players. He shouldn't be mortified if the loose game is being played as long as the box is preserved. I play my rares all the time (albeit very gently).

[Atariman]

Yeah, I agree with the general response here - it's your stuff. I'm a collector, but if someone had a copy of a rare game and they actually enjoyed playing it and used it from time to time, I'd rather see THAT than it be torn from their hands just to be placed on a shelf. Game play comes first, collecting comes second. If it were just collecting dust/mildew in your basement/closet, then I'd answer differently, but if the cart is valued by the owner, there's absolutely no reason that it should be transferred to the hands of a collector.

 

It's your stuff, so tell him to take his collection and shove it!

[shadow460]

Any and all of my games are subject to being played at any time. My rarest 2600 game, Party Mix, was loaded via cassette player a few months back and played.

I've got some rare portable games, too. Guess what? I throw them in a carrier with the common stuff, and I whip them out and play them whenever the urge strikes.

[Spirantho]

I play Quadrun - it's a good game! I also own a Cuttle Cart II and an EPROM burner if I wanted to make a copy, but I don't. Playing the game isn't going to damage anything- in fact most electronics like to be used every now and again, so you're probably actually preserving your game more by playing it carefully than you would be leaving it in a plastic bag somewhere.

 

It's not as though carts can only be played a certain amount of times before they become uncollectable or anything.

 

BTW, what's your high score on Quadrun?

[Mayhem]

Spirantho brings up the point I was going to make. I'm a collector and a player. Hence I have my complete Quadrun sitting on the shelf (the one used to win the Atari competition and now signed by Steve Woita) and use my CC2 to play the game if I want to give it a spin. Buying the CC2 to save wear and tear on my valuable originals is pretty much the major reason I bought it

[candiru]

I wouldn't let anyone talk me out of something I own and enjoy simply because of some superior attitude on their part.

 

You want to REALLY give your buddy a heart attack? Make a fake Quadrun label and stick it to a Pac-Man cart, then let him catch you using it for a drink coaster.

[shep]

I never bought anything just to watch it sit on a shelf in a plastic bag or box.

 

Investing in Atari games is a bit silly if you ask me.

 

Oh look, I made a $30 profit on this game after 25 years.

 

Might as well buy some savings bonds instead.

 

Though not to disrespect collectors, I agree. Games were meant to be played, and they are just things...so enjoy them. But in this circumstance, to each his own.

[accousticguitar]

If it were mine, I would sell it...so I could buy a bunch more games!

[godzillajoe]

I never bought anything just to watch it sit on a shelf in a plastic bag or box.

 

Investing in Atari games is a bit silly if you ask me.

 

Oh look, I made a $30 profit on this game after 25 years.

 

Might as well buy some savings bonds instead.

 

Though not to disrespect collectors, I agree. Games were meant to be played, and they are just things...so enjoy them. But in this circumstance, to each his own.

 

I'm not trying to disrespect anyone either. People can do whatever the hell they want with their Atari games or whatever else they collect. Personally I don't get enjoyment out of just owning something, I wanna USE it. Especially games. And women!