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

[82-T/A]

I suppose this post is "after the fact," but I was posting in response to something else on a car message board, and the guy was saying he had so many car parts, etc, etc, that he felt overwhelmed. In any case, it reminded me of a post that I read somewhere on here about some guy who had almost a "hoarder" complex. I don't remember who it was, but the guy apparently had thousands and thousands of video games, and had hoped / planned to one day open a store, but never did.

 

I went through something similar, although no where near to that extent. Basically, ~3 years ago... I had TONS and TONS of stuff. My two biggest vices were video games and cars. I had 9 cars, and a golf cart. In addition to that, I also had three engines on engine stands in the garage and a shed way out in the back yard filled with Porsche and Pontiac Fiero parts. Aside from that, I had basically every single video game known to man kind from the first Atari Pong units, all the way through to about 2001. That's not a claim I make lightly on a video game enthusiast board. I had literally 5 Atari pong units... maybe ~20 pong units in all (random ones... three different kind of Magnavox ones, Coleco TelStar, blah blah... ) I had every Sega system, and all three versions of the Sega Master System, and even duplicates there of, a Saturn, two Genesis machines (1st and 2nd gen), a Dreamcast. I had many many different 2600s, and then a plethora of generics from Coleco, Sears, etc. I had multiple 5200s in the box, a couple of 7800s... one of them brand new. A bunch of Jaguars in the box... I have every single Jaguar game, including all the ones from Songbird Productions (don't have Battlesphere though... heh, or Gorf unfortunately). NEC TG16, Nintendo everything... 3DO, Playstation, etc, etc, etc...

 

It wasn't hoarder status, my house is always very clean, and my wife vacuums often. But the office closet was PACKED... the closet in the guest bedroom was also packed, and my garage was so packed with car stuff I couldn't navigate.

 

 

All the while... I am working full time, going to school full time, and then my wife gets pregnant. This was a wonderful thing, and entirely planned, but it really hit me like a ton of bricks right then and there. It WAS awesome going outside in the morning and thinking to myself... "which car should I drive today???" but that quickly turned to stress. I would go outside, and I'd see all these cars. Three on the side of the house, three in the driveway, one in the cul-de-sac, and two in the garage... and then a golf cart too. I realized that all those cars, I had to maintain, take care of... they cost money.

 

I made the decision right then and there that I needed to focus on priorities. I sold my 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. I sold my 1984 Porsche 944 (which I loved...). I sold my 1974 Volkswagen 412 Estate Wagon, and I sold my 1981 Pontiac Trans Am. I sold one of the engines, and basically gave away tons and tons of parts for free to anyone who wanted to get them. Anything that was of any substantial value, I turned around and sold on eBay. Then I sold my wife's 2004 VW Beetle Convertible and traded it in on a 1 year old Jeep Patriot Limited, paid for. I also traded in my 2006 Pontiac Solstice on a 32k mile 2002 Ford Explorer Sport, also paid for.

 

Then I went after my game collection... I sold everything that I didn't really care about. That meant ALL the Pong units (no love, I know...). I sold all the weird stuff, like the Coleco Visions, Intellivisions, 3DO, Game Boy, hand-helds, etc... etc... etc...

 

The only thing I've kept thus far is my 2600 collection (only 1 or 2 systems, with all my games). I have a 7800 system with a few carts, my Jaguar collection, although I sold all the extra crap, like the spare drive, etc. I kept my Sega Saturn, and my Dreamcast (although I might sell that too). I also sold a bunch of NIB Nintendo systems... although I still have one Action Set with some games. I still have an NEC TG16 that I want to unload, but the CD drive stopped working...

 

 

Anyway, to make a long story longer... I'm just curious if anyone else has ever felt this way... and I'm wondering what ever happend to that hoarder on here?

 

I've got to tell you, in addition to the fact that I have absolutely NO debt now except my mortgage, it also feels amazing knowing that I don't have all that "crap" everywhere. Selling all that stuff already paid for the first 6 months of my daughter's college education in her 529 Educuation Investment Fund that I have for her.

 

To top it off, I can focus on what I REALLY want to do... that is finishing my degree (I'm done in March!!!), spending time with my family, and when I DO find time to work on my cars, I've still got my 1987 Pontiac Fiero, and a 1973 Volkswagen Bus in addition to our two daily drivers.

 

I actually have time now to restore my 87 Pontiac Fiero V6 (my very first car which I still have after 15 years).

 

Here's a picture of the entire front-end re-done, without the hood (engine is in the back for those who don't know about the Fiero).

 

 

Todd

Edited January 18, 2011 by 82-T/A

[GKC]

I wouldn't say that I am overwhelmed by my collection. I will say though that I am overwhelmed by all the games/consoles out there that could be bought and collected for. So with being overwhelmed by everything out there I set a limit. I only collect for consoles between, and including, the NES up to the PS1/N64 eras. That's the era that I grew up with and have the consoles/games I most want to play. Even limiting myself to these generations is still a bit overwhelming but I think my head would explode if I tried to collect for every generation.

Edited January 18, 2011 by GKC

[82-T/A]

I wouldn't say that I am overwhelmed by my collection. I will say though that I am overwhelmed by all the games/consoles out there that could be bought and collected for. So with being overwhelmed by everything out there I set a limit. I only collect for consoles between, and including, the NES up to the PS1/N64 eras. That's the era that I grew up with and have the consoles/games I most want to play. Even limiting myself to these generations is still a bit overwhelming but I think my head would explode if I tried to collect for every generation.

 

Well, this won't help.

 

There are literally 30 different versions of the Nintendo Game-Boy... they came in all different colors, sizes, some folded, and then there's the Virtual-Boy, and then there's the Game Boy Color, and then the Game Boy Advanced... who also came in a variety of colors and "editions."

 

Sorry... hope your head doesn't explode!!!

[GKC]

I wouldn't say that I am overwhelmed by my collection. I will say though that I am overwhelmed by all the games/consoles out there that could be bought and collected for. So with being overwhelmed by everything out there I set a limit. I only collect for consoles between, and including, the NES up to the PS1/N64 eras. That's the era that I grew up with and have the consoles/games I most want to play. Even limiting myself to these generations is still a bit overwhelming but I think my head would explode if I tried to collect for every generation.

 

Well, this won't help.

 

There are literally 30 different versions of the Nintendo Game-Boy... they came in all different colors, sizes, some folded, and then there's the Virtual-Boy, and then there's the Game Boy Color, and then the Game Boy Advanced... who also came in a variety of colors and "editions."

 

Sorry... hope your head doesn't explode!!!

 

Sorry my bad I should have been more clear. I said I collect for, and play, consoles which I wasn't including handhelds and computers in that. Even despite that, there is still a large amount of hardware and software out there for the years that I collect for that it is still overwhelming to think about

Edited January 18, 2011 by GKC

[+save2600]

Oh yeah. Having owned nearly every classic or vintage system, pretty easy to become overwhelmed collecting. One of the main reasons I switched to only collecting games or systems I actually care to play. Have really paired down the arcade and pinball collection too for similar reasons and am much happier in doing so. Great example where less is more!

 

Can't relate to the car restoration thing as I've never been too keen on working on 'em, but admire those with the patience to see it through. Seems like a very gratifying endeavor for those inclined.

[The_Laird]

I wouldn't say I am becoming overwhelmed by my collection (which is massive) but I did find myself thinking about where the hell I was gonna put any new games I got the other day. I only recently bought some new shelving too

 

Up until recently all my collection was in my living room but recently some of it has moved into my bedroom and I did think about buying a big shelving unit to put in there! Maybe I should get a bigger place or just stop collecting . . . .

 

Better start looking for that new flat

[Tursi]

My collection isn't huge, but it overwhelms me at times. I go through repeated cycles of binge and purge, so to speak, where I acquire for a while, everything that interests me, then suddenly I get frustrated by how much I have and start getting rid of it. Starting to reach the state where I'm getting antsy about my collection again.

[VectorGamer]

Yes and No...

 

I have around 600 games in my collection spanning 15 consoles. So, the answer would be "no" in regard to the current volume of my collection. I have adequate shelving/storage at this time for it that doesn't take up much wall space. But, in the years to come, I can see that there is not much room for growth.

 

"Yes" because I have to strive to be a more disciplined collector. My goal for the year is to concentrate on collecting ColecoVision only. I'll still pounce on any bargains for other systems that are out there but the price has to be dirt cheap.

 

Consoles like the 5200, 7800 and Vectrex I'm content with not completing the entire collection of games available. As a matter of fact, the 7800 has only a handful of games that I want that aren't in my collection.

 

I have an Intellivision, Odyssey 2, NES and SNES that I'm not actively collecting for. The N64, Genesis, PS1 and PS2 my son plays and I'll buy him a bunch of games for Xmas and his birthday or when we are at gaming expos and the price is right.

 

Collecting for the 2600 is fun and probably the console I'm most patient with because of the volume of games out there.

[82-T/A]

Just to add to this... what I've been able to figure out about the "collecting" part is what exactly about it is what makes it fun.

 

I used to think it was cool to have all this stuff so any time I ever wanted to play it, it would be there for me... but I figured out that really what was so much fun about the "collecting" was actually the act of doing it, and playing / experiencing a system for the first time.

 

 

8-10 years ago when the local thrift stores and flea markets were litered with vintage video games (and I wasn't married), I used to really like buying some neglected system, take it home, take it apart, clean it, and then hook it all up and play it for the first time. It was really cool to experience and learn everything about the system that I could. But above and beyond that, it wasn't very often that I would actually replay any of them... especially the really old stuff that I didn't necessarily grow up with. Growing up, I had an Atari 2600. So unless it was a game that I particularly liked playing as a child back then, the games were really quite lame...

[fiddlepaddle]

If it wasn't so much work to sell the extra stuff and so easy to accumulate, I'd have a lot less. I tend to bring something home, play with it for awhile, then stuff it away somewhere. Someday, I'll probably just donate a bunch of it (or my wife will when I die).

[Lendorien]

I'll admit that I don't feel overwhelmed, but I am realizing that I don't really need some of this stuff. I think like some, I've decided to limit my collecting to stuff that I actually care about. It's a reason I haven't tried collecting much for my 3DO or TG16 and have gotten games for the other systems that are more along things I might play.

[Rev. Rob]

I am merely whelmed by it. When something else comes up, video games get put on hold. This past year, for example, I've made just a few purchases and have hardly picked up a controller. I even have a number of sealed Xbox 360 games just sitting.

[Nikdog]

I sold my 1984 Porsche 944 (which I loved...). I sold my 1981 Pontiac Trans Am.

I don't think I could part from a working Porsche or Trans Am. (Unless of course they were automatic, then I would drop them in a heartbeat.)

[82-T/A]

I sold my 1984 Porsche 944 (which I loved...). I sold my 1981 Pontiac Trans Am.

I don't think I could part from a working Porsche or Trans Am. (Unless of course they were automatic, then I would drop them in a heartbeat.)

 

Yeah, the Porsche was awesome. It was a 5-speed manual, with a sunroof. Black outside, and black inside with black "Porsche script" bucket seats.

 

Man, I loved that car...

[jferio]

I've made an effort to have merely a 'playing' collection here, myself. I have two wide media shelves, and some old CD/Tape racks, and that's my effective limit for my collection in terms of 'places to put it'.

 

I do occasionally feel like I have too many Atari 2600 games (91), and that I should go through them again soon. I do go thrifting, but I've tended to leave the games unless it's something I recognize as valuable for a dirt cheap price, like say 10% of what it goes for on the open market. I only have two more consoles I want to actually get (Colecovision and Wii), and past that, there's not a lot of desire to look at others unless, again, they come in that 10% of market at a thrift.

 

I don't even have any 'backup' consoles. I got rid of the front loading NES last year in favor of the Toploader, gave the Genesis Model 2 to a friend, and only tolerate the 2600 and the 7800 sharing because I have two games that don't work on the 7800, both boxed.

[98PaceCar]

The only 2 times I've felt overwhelmed were when I had to move it to my new house and when I bought shelving to house it. For some reason, it seemed so much bigger when it was packed up than what it does now that it's spread out through a room.

[Emehr]

I feel overwhelmed when I look at my shelves of games and can't make up my mind which one to play. Sometimes less is more.

 

 

Coming soon: Emehr's For Sale Thread!

[SlowCoder]

Yeah, the Porsche was awesome. It was a 5-speed manual, with a sunroof. Black outside, and black inside with black "Porsche script" bucket seats.

 

Man, I loved that car...

Dummy. Seriously, though, if it was the right move for you, then do it.

 

I'm not overwhelmed yet. I have a few consoles (listed in my sig), and a few games for each. Mostly, I find that I have to decide how I want to spread my collection money to build up a little. As I'm mostly a gamer, I look for games I'll enjoy, and not buy games just for collecting.

 

I am enjoying getting into the "what's in the box" surprises, though. I've got a pending buy from a good guy here for IntV games. I have no idea what he's putting in the box, but I think it'll be fun.

[Christophero Sly]

I can understand dumping a videogame collection, but an '81 Trans Am?

 

About 2 years ago, I significantly trimmed my collection as well. I decided the only thing I would actually "collect" would be 2600 stuff. There's a huge level of nostalgia for me with the 2600, so just having that stuff around means as much to me as playing it, but I realized that everything else that I didn't enjoy playing on other systems had to go. This meant getting rid of whole collections like the NES and N64, and gutting every remaining system down to just those games that I really enjoy. But as someone already mentioned, it's a massive undertaking that requires a great deal of time and energy. It's still an ongoing process for me, and it's been slow going since I started evaluating my "modern" games collection. My gaming backlog is well over 100 games, so it's piecemeal work at this point playing through stacks and stacks of PS2, XBOX, GC, and 360 games.

[82-T/A]

I can understand dumping a videogame collection, but an '81 Trans Am?

 

 

Yeah, I saved the engine that was in it. I sold it to a guy who already had an engine, and a new interior. I had just pulled out a Chevy 350 that I put in it to replace the Pontiac 301 (was still fun). I had totally reworked the body, replaced a lot of sheet metal (the underside was rust-free), new suspension, brakes, rear disc conversion, 3.08:1 limited slip, etc...

 

I bought this Olds 455 big block from a 69 full size, rebuilt it, and was going to drop it in and then sold it.

 

I STILL have the motor though, sitting on a stand for one day when I have more time.

 

I still might sell that motor though, who knows...

 

(it LOOKS Chevy orange, but that is actually Oldsmobile 68/69 big block RED)

 

 

[Mirage]

I don't feel overwhelmed by having so much stuff due to lack of space, but sometimes mentally, it's draining. Simplicity is good. I'm finding that more lately. I would sell more stuff, but it seems like usually I end up paying a premium, then when I go to sell, no one wants to pay jack.

 

I collect bikes, car parts (and car(s)) and the gaming/computer stuff. The games/computers are by far the cheapest and smallest things of those, so the least of my problems!

[Austin]

My collection isn't huge, but it overwhelms me at times. I go through repeated cycles of binge and purge, so to speak, where I acquire for a while, everything that interests me, then suddenly I get frustrated by how much I have and start getting rid of it. Starting to reach the state where I'm getting antsy about my collection again.

 

This basically sums up my habits as well. I'm actually in one of those purge periods right now.. Hopefully it stays that way for a while though.

[Video]

I wouldn't say I've ever really been overwhelmed by any of my stuff, but then, I do keep the space I use well organized (even if it doesn't look like it to other people that come in ) Most of my stuff is stored in out of the way places, and a lot of it is literally in storage buildings for the day when we get a game store (or I open my own )

 

If I had it all in one spot, oh hell yeah it would be overwhelming,but I guess I never really considered myself to have that much stuff, as most of it even I don't see.

Edited January 21, 2011 by Video

[psquare75]

6 cars (8 if you count parts cars). An oversize 2 stall garage, one under the house, three sheds - all full of parts. Yes, I feel your pain. I'm downsizing SLOWLY. As for gaming, it's the main reason I'm switching to flash carts and keeping only my 2600/7800 carts. Everything else is going to be flash based (unless a game isn't available for flash.. I.E. Mario Kart/Star Fox, etc).

[the.golden.ax]

In a word, yes. With over 4,000 CIB games, 100's of boxed accessories, over a dozen kiosks, and moving it all over for the past year, house to POD, POD to Storage, Storage to new house basement, new house basement to upstairs, back to basement, and still needing to build shelves and put it away. YES. OVERWHELMED.

 

AX