Anyone else here ever feel "overwhelmed" by a video game collection?

[psquare75]

Since I've "organized" (Made a game room) I breathe much easier. I think a lot of it is organization.

[Eltigro]

Only when I have to move it.

[ilovethevectrex]

i do sometimes. i love the vectrex (as you can tell from my user name) and i mainly concentrate on my vectrex collection. i have tried to get somthing rare to add to my collection, but it has been a fail so far. i REALLY WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING RARE FOR MY COLLECTION! but ya i know what you mean. i would sugest taking a break for a while if you are overwhelmed

[ilovethevectrex]

Since I've "organized" (Made a game room) I breathe much easier. I think a lot of it is organization.

i agree totaly. i organized my collection, and it is much easier to collect things!

[ilovethevectrex]

i like to keep my collection small (small meaning 10-15 consoles) i dont like to have to much, i value each of my consoles instead of just buying everything and then just ignoring it. i actually PLAY ON MY CONSOLES, i dont just leave them on my shelf for show

[psquare75]

i like to keep my collection small (small meaning 10-15 consoles) i dont like to have to much, i value each of my consoles instead of just buying everything and then just ignoring it. i actually PLAY ON MY CONSOLES, i dont just leave them on my shelf for show

 

Oh, as do I.. I only buy things I know I'll use (I don't need 25 different NES controllers, for example). Just, how feasible is to play every console every day? Personally, I go through phases: I was in a SNES phase for a little while, then 2600, then Vectrex now N64.. My "phases" last a few days to a week, lol. The shelves keep me happy, so I can "see" my collection, and the gf happy, as she doesn't "see" a mess. Win Win!

[Chuck D. Head]

Interesting. I have kept this issue in my mind since I really got into "collecting" this stuff a couple years back. I have a few things working in my favor so far:

 

- I am a cheap bastard - I try to look for bargains and buy enough stuff to sell at a profit to pay for what I collect

 

- My wife is supportive; mainly because I tend not to buy or do things for myself, I guess. She also plays and enjoy many of the games. Truth be told, the collection of eight different multicolored N64's is really hers :-)

 

- We plan to move soon, but our house is really small, so I have to keep things put away or it will become a hellhole fast. We have a few systems setup in the front room that everyone plays (Wii, N64, Xbox and Cube), other than that I bring out a different system every few weeks and cycle through them. (although the second small tv in the living room next to my chair is a little unorthodox).

 

I too am more driven by the hardware than the software, so emulation is usually not my first choice. I also love to tinker, clean and fix dead systems. I have fixed up quite a few just to sell for no profit, give to friends or donate to my wife's food bank to sell at auction.

 

I guess my biggest concern now is what will happen after I move into a much bigger space. We have made an offer on a 2,400 sf house (plus 500 sf of garage) as compared to the 900sf we have now. I know I have definitely earmarked some space for a few arcade machines and pinballs!!

[ilovethevectrex]

i like to keep my collection small (small meaning 10-15 consoles) i dont like to have to much, i value each of my consoles instead of just buying everything and then just ignoring it. i actually PLAY ON MY CONSOLES, i dont just leave them on my shelf for show

 

Oh, as do I.. I only buy things I know I'll use (I don't need 25 different NES controllers, for example). Just, how feasible is to play every console every day? Personally, I go through phases: I was in a SNES phase for a little while, then 2600, then Vectrex now N64.. My "phases" last a few days to a week, lol. The shelves keep me happy, so I can "see" my collection, and the gf happy, as she doesn't "see" a mess. Win Win!

I COMPLETELY AGREE. exept the only difference between you and me is that i play vectrex about every day since it is in my room, and all i have to do is turn it on, and my other consoles i just play them randomly when i feel like it i dont really play on my nes because it dosnt really work that well though my favorite by FAR is the vectrex. i play it at least 4-5 times a week

[AtariLeaf]

I'll actually be purging some more soon when I get some time. I'll be getting rid of my admittedly small PS1 and N64 collections. I'm just not a big fan of either console outside of a couple of games and certainly not enough to keep them around. A few select Genesis, SNES, TG-16, and 2600 games will probably be going too.

 

I find that I actually feel better when I shrink the collection as opposed to adding to it so for those of you who watch my youtube channel, I don't think I'll be doing any "pick up" videos for a while

[so_tough!]

I'll actually be purging some more soon when I get some time. I'll be getting rid of my admittedly small PS1 and N64 collections. I'm just not a big fan of either console outside of a couple of games and certainly not enough to keep them around. A few select Genesis, SNES, TG-16, and 2600 games will probably be going too.

 

I find that I actually feel better when I shrink the collection as opposed to adding to it so for those of you who watch my youtube channel, I don't think I'll be doing any "pick up" videos for a while

 

I know what you mean, the problem is we're all grown up now and have pots of money compared to when we were kids (we relied on our parents), but we have less time to play and sometimes less inclination aswell. I don't see the point in massive collections where it's impossible to play every game you have. I think there are a lot of hoarders in the retro scene.

[AtariLeaf]

I'll actually be purging some more soon when I get some time. I'll be getting rid of my admittedly small PS1 and N64 collections. I'm just not a big fan of either console outside of a couple of games and certainly not enough to keep them around. A few select Genesis, SNES, TG-16, and 2600 games will probably be going too.

 

I find that I actually feel better when I shrink the collection as opposed to adding to it so for those of you who watch my youtube channel, I don't think I'll be doing any "pick up" videos for a while

 

I know what you mean, the problem is we're all grown up now and have pots of money compared to when we were kids (we relied on our parents), but we have less time to play and sometimes less inclination aswell. I don't see the point in massive collections where it's impossible to play every game you have. I think there are a lot of hoarders in the retro scene.

 

I think you make a good point. A lot of those with the really massive collections are younger and many are single and unattached. There are exceptions of course but I do find that those who are cutting back or getting out of the game altogether work a lot outside the home and have families and other obligations that don't allow for game hunting and collecting. I know that when I went full time with work, I've had almost no time for anything game related and certainly not much time to go thrifting or yard saling.

 

And yes, there are definetely hoarders out there, some self-diagnosed and admittedly so even on these boards

Edited December 23, 2011 by AtariLeaf

[psquare75]

That's what a multicart is for.

[SeberHusky]

I have not felt overwelmed by my collection yet...it's just a matter of "WTF am I going to put all this?!!?" lol. I did have a cell phone collection at one point....but that got expensive and overwelming at the same time. That was an impulse collection for the most part, and not a true-to-heart thing that I wanted to collect. (see here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnnIgJlt-Z4)

 

I did have a pretty good collection at one point (see here: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/169509-seberhuskys-collection/ ) but then I had a phase in my mind where I saw the inches of dust sitting on the systems, from not being played but once every 3 months, and I sold them all except the PS2 and PS3. Now, it's 2011, almost 2012, and I'm repairing my brain, and "celling" the cell phones, and getting my damn collection back. lol The only trouble is, the games are more expensive now than when I bought the ones I had (which came from thrifty stores and yard sales), but it's just a matter of money.

 

I truly wish I had a bigger room to enjoy the games. Because I feel if the games are just sitting in a box shoved in the attic or basment, and not out on display/ready to play, then I feel that there is no point in me owning them if they never get played. But I don't think that way anymore, because all the games and systems I sold, I miss playing them now. :-(

[cbroddy]

I am beginning to feel overwhelmed with my collection. Many years have passed since I have played the games. I might sell some of them off in the future.

[Keatah]

My emulation collection is overwhelming, and it becoming time to divide it into two parts. The shit I play with every week, and stuff I'll never open.

[akator]

My emulation collection is overwhelming, and it becoming time to divide it into two parts. The shit I play with every week, and stuff I'll never open.

 

Yeah, but since a 4TB hard drive is under $200, you can divide it into as many parts as you want and still not run out of space

[Ross PK]

Not at the moment. But I do want to make sure that day never comes.