Collecting: The great conflict

[so_tough!]

I never realised anyone bought games other than to play them until I came to this site. It still makes no sense to me.

[atari181]

I never realised anyone bought games other than to play them until I came to this site. It still makes no sense to me.

Who are you talking about?

[so_tough!]

I never realised anyone bought games other than to play them until I came to this site. It still makes no sense to me.

Who are you talking about?

 

anyone who buys games other than to play them.

[Turbogfx]

I'll share my take on this topic.

 

I'm a gamer in first, a "collector" second. And even then, I will gladly admit that I'm not a "real" collector. Here's why:

 

I do A LOT of research on classic home consoles, and based on this information I decided which consoles I would want to own. This is a fixed list, and the only 2 pieces of hardware which are still on my wishlist are a consolized Neo Geo MVS and PERHAPS a Turbo Duo.

 

Once I get "into" a certain console, I carefully research what the games are that I want to own for this console, disregarding entire the rarity of the game. I just try to figure out which games are classics, must-haves, and hidden gems for that console. Also, when I buy these games, I don't really care if they come boxed, with or without the manual, as long as they work properly, that's cool with me. If I can get a complete or mint version of a game at a good price, I won't hesitate, but for me, that's not really the most important thing.

 

The most important thing is the joy that I get out of playing these games. For me, it's also about discovering the history of the medium, the story behind these games.

 

If I would ever pass my "collection" over to my kids (should they be interested), I'd be happier to give them exclusively games that are actually great and fun to play, or that were regarded as "revolutionary" or "groundbraking" at the time, rather than swamping them with a boatload of games that are crap.

 

At least, that's my view on it. I'm not building a "complete" collection of anything. I'm rather building my own favorite selection of home systems and games, and I'm being very realistic about the means I have at my disposal to build it.

[SEgamer]

I never realised anyone bought games other than to play them until I came to this site. It still makes no sense to me.

Well, it's not really any different than action figures or comics or anything else that was made to be played with (or read for comics) and then condition becomes a factor. I guess these items represent a childhood memory that they want to cherish. It shows too because items that were popular in certain decades will peak at certain times. Comics and baseball cards were higih in the 90s, now it seems that games are taking over. I can empathize with them somewhat with the fact that I'll never sell my SNES or N64, but at the same time I won't lock them in a case for display only. Other cases may be bragging rights. There's also impulse buys and losing interest before having a chance to play the game, which happens to me a lot. Edited March 15, 2012 by SEgamer

[jferio]

I have a few things I do in efforts to keep my collection in check.

 

First, no online auctions. This is helped by my distaste for PayPal, and hence, I can't consider eBay to ever be a viable option for me. I also tend to not use online stores.

 

Secondly, I don't walk into the game stores all that much. Part of it being that I well know how easy it can be to drop money. I also remind myself of my gaming backlog when I do walk in.

 

Third, I regularly review my collection and cull things out. This includes a few categories (like Atari 2600) where I try to run a one-in-one-out policy. I'm due to do another review of the games, and I already have a fresh pile of controllers to shove out the door.

 

The fourth thing is not adding any more systems to the mix. I have only a couple of systems on my list (Colecovision being the prime one) that I'd like to get, but I'm willing to wait for a while on those. Especially as budget is tight. And it's unlikely now that they'll turn up at thrift stores, since the oldest I've been seeing there of late is NES.

[the.golden.ax]

It is slightly amusing that none of the "full set" collectors have chimed in. I know you guys are out there. The only reason I think I have any conflicts on the subject are that I am a gamer, and was first. Somepoint along the way it became a collecting game. I've just got to get back to my roots, why I love games.

[atari181]

I buy games all the time to try to "collect them all" but primarily The 2600, My reply to So tough was in jest, as I know that it is a "Bug" as I call it and yeah not playing the games sometimes is silly. Lots of people collect things that they never use.

[DesertJets]

I am relatively new to this hobby having only gotten into last summer -- after a long time of thinking about it. After the first steps (and missteps) of getting my first systems and games that I really wanted to have I needed to set some ground rules for myself. I have a low monthly limit that I've set for myself, and have mostly kept to, for buying new stuff and have decided to not acquire any additional platforms for the time being. And all of this is hard. When things are slow it is so easy to watch retro-gaming videos on YouTube and decide that you really want something else. And eBay is a wonderful time waster. You just have to tell yourself that as nice as that game lot on eBay is, you don't really need a 4th copy of Missile Command for the 2600.

 

I myself look for and buy what I want (or think I want) to play. I do admire the folks out there with huge expansive collections (and the knowledge surrounding it) but that isn't me. As for the OP I think it is important to regularly look at what you are doing with your collection and what your goals are. And if things change adjust accordingly.