Organizing my games

[Rik]

I am now in the process of organizing my games.Easier said than done!This is probably a silly question,but how do you guys organize your carts?One can organize their games by manufacturer,alphabetically,the list goes on.I tried last night but screwed up major with my inventory tally,have to start over.I must have 400-500 games now or more,scattered everywhere,just cant decide on how to organize them.Any tips would be appreciated,thanx

[tremoloman2006]

I am now in the process of organizing my games.Easier said than done!This is probably a silly question,but how do you guys organize your carts?One can organize their games by manufacturer,alphabetically,the list goes on.I tried last night but screwed up major with my inventory tally,have to start over.I must have 400-500 games now or more,scattered everywhere,just cant decide on how to organize them.Any tips would be appreciated,thanx

 

I go in alphabetical order for each manufacturer. That is, I'll group all the CBS carts together then put them in alphabetical order, then Atari, etc. Since different menufacturers use different styles and sizes, I find this the easiest way to keep the neat and tidy in the drawers I use. Its not perfect but it does look better than putting all brands mixed together. I hate the M-Networks carts... they always fall over like dominos.

[SRGilbert]

Just alpha by title for me. Too much thinking to have to remember the publisher, and some only have one or two games anyway.

[Deteacher]

When I had them on display, it was alpha by title for me as well. Now that they're stored away (for the time being) I just keep an Excel spreadsheet. I also use the Cart Commander to keep track as well.

[Rik]

When I had them on display, it was alpha by title for me as well. Now that they're stored away (for the time being) I just keep an Excel spreadsheet. I also use the Cart Commander to keep track as well.

Excuse my ignorance,what is the Cart Commander?

[A.J. Franzman]

Just alpha by title for me. Too much thinking to have to remember the publisher, and some only have one or two games anyway.

My thoughts exactly; as a player more than a collector I don't want to be bothered trying to remember who made which game -- when I want to play a certain game I never have trouble remembering what it's named!

 

The only difficulty is with my current storage system (boxes from copier paper, with homemade lift-out cardboard trays to put two levels of carts in each box). Since tall cartridges (CommaVid, Imagic, Konami, M-Network/INTV, Xonox, etc.) don't fit with the others, they all go together in one tray. So if I'm looking for a particular title, and forget that it's one of the odd carts, it might take a little longer to find it.

Edited April 8, 2008 by A.J. Franzman

[shadow460]

I am now in the process of organizing my games.Easier said than done!This is probably a silly question,but how do you guys organize your carts?One can organize their games by manufacturer,alphabetically,the list goes on.I tried last night but screwed up major with my inventory tally,have to start over.I must have 400-500 games now or more,scattered everywhere,just cant decide on how to organize them.Any tips would be appreciated,thanx

 

I go in alphabetical order for each manufacturer. That is, I'll group all the CBS carts together then put them in alphabetical order, then Atari, etc. Since different menufacturers use different styles and sizes, I find this the easiest way to keep the neat and tidy in the drawers I use. Its not perfect but it does look better than putting all brands mixed together. I hate the M-Networks carts... they always fall over like dominos.

 

That's how I do it, since it lets them all fit into a smaller area. I don't have trouble remembering who made what games from my original collection or from the carts I have today.

Time for Rabbit Transit. Now let me see, was that in the Starpath pile or the Atari pile? And which pile did I drop Frogger into?

Edited April 7, 2008 by shadow460

[+Random Terrain]

When I used to have my games out, I tried grouping them in various ways, but I usually put similar types of games together. Then it was easy to grab the type of game I was in the mood for.

[mrppv666]

I think mine are all alphabetical by manufacturer but the manufacturer is alphabetical too... But I also have Atari separated by labels... Ugh... I think my system is dumb... maybe that's why I stopped playing Atari... organizing 300-400 different games got to my brain!

[+Omegamatrix]

I just toss mine in a Rubbermaid bin by manufacture. I don't try to organize them alphabetically, just group them by stuff like Atari Red Labels, Atari Silver labels, etc...

[ls650]

My carts are in a large Tupperware container, listed alphabetically by game title.

[Emehr]

Alpha by manufacturer for me. It just looks nicer on a shelf that way (IMHO). For Atari-made games I organize by label: Original-style (picture or not, doesn't matter as the end labels look the same), silver labels, then red labels. I only have around 100-something games so it's not a big deal remembering who made what. Plus, it's more a matter of how the cartridge is shaped.

 

All of my other systems are strictly in alpha order.

[+Ransom]

I use a pretty idiosyncratic method right now to store my collection of boxed games.

 

My Intellivision games are stored alphabetically first by manufacturer, then within the first-party section, they're sorted by 'network' ("Action Network", "Sports Network," etc.), then by game title.

 

All my other games are stored alphabetically by manufacturer, then by game title. But the first-party section comes first, even if that puts it out of alphabetical order with the third-party names (note that this is different than the Intellivision section).

 

Part of the idiosyncratic nature of my storage system stems from the aesthetic consideration of which looks best appearing first on the shelf. Usually, the first party boxes all look great together, whereas the smaller selections of third-party titles usually look more jumbled.

[crunchysuperman]

Alphabetical by manufacturer, just like the list in my sig.

[Tempest]

Am I the only one who does it by part number? In my collection it's Combat before Adventure. Always...

 

Tempest

[theking21083]

I also display them alphabetical by company.

[+Random Terrain]

Am I the only one who put similar games together? For example, I had Defender, Stargate and Chopper Command together. Games like Space Invaders, Demon Attack, and Phoenix were together. Maze games like Pac-Man, Lock 'N' Chase, and Mouse Trap were together.

 

I can't be the only one who did that. I must have skipped a post.

[SRGilbert]

I have a better idea: just dump all your loose carts into a big velvet bag. Then when you want to play, just close your eyes, reach in, and get a surprise!

[mimo]

2 boxes,

Box 1- games I like and play

Box 2- The other ones

[joeybastard]

Alphabetical by title works for me. It's the easiest way to find stuff since I probably wouldn't remember which company made what half of the time.

[Dauber]

I do it by console then alphabetical by name...although I'm thinking of having one box dedicated to homebrews, as I usually play a bunch of those in one sitting...

[Mirage]

First by company, then alphabetically within company. But companies are not alphabetical. They're by image/size (?) of company. Atari is first, followed by Activision, then Imagic, then CBS, Fox, and so on. The little one- or two-off companies are at the end, along with the crap like Mythicon.

[phuzzed]

i group mine by company and then by game title, in alphabetical order (as best as I can). I don't use the drawer system yet, but some shallow rubber-maid containers i purchased years ago. It get's the job done.

 

I guess another question is, does everybody leave their systems out and hooked up to their TV, or do you drag them out when you want to play them?

[theking21083]

I leave mine hooded up, I'm too lazy to drag them out just to play a game or two. If they aren't hooked up I will usually find something else to do.

[Rik]

My dream is to display my collection store style,like you saw in the stores back in the day,with all the carousel clothes hangers,kiosks,etc.I just simply dont have the room.I also have about 400 + modern,old dos pc games,some in their big boxes,some just jewel cases.Although quite exhausting,i find this endeavour to be a fun one!

Edited April 10, 2008 by Rik