Does Game Condition Affect You?

[allyourbase]

If you are out and about and see games for sale, does the condition of the game matter to you? Let me specify: If you collect NES games and you see a pile of them, do you just pick out carts that you don't have and head for the cashier, regardless of the condition? This question gets even harder when rarity/want-lists get involved. If you see Bubble Bobble 2 in the wild for a usual price (nothing like $2-5. market price) but the label is completely gone and the cart is gunked, do you purchase it?
Personally, no matter what the game- the cart/label condition has to be "good-great" for me to purchase it, no matter the rarity (with very, very few exceptions). I usually walk if the label is ripped or their is too much magic marker, etc. on the game.

Just wanted to know how many gamers use this as a strict criteria for their collections.

[shawnbo42]

Yup, I'm right there with you. I will rarely buy CD games for this reason. I am elitist about that. I actually bought some PSX games the other day that were like-new. My exception is, of course, rare games. I will buy rare titles with light (repeat, LIGHT) damage. If I were to find Bubble Bobble 2 in the wild for $5, I'd buy it regardless of condition, but it wouldn't go into the collection. At least, not on display. Fortunately, I already have that particular title, so I wouldn't need to worry about it, but I know what you mean.

I just like everything to be "display-worthy", which is why I constantly buy 2600 carts (when I can find them). I am always looking to upgrade from the ripped/missing label/damaged carts.

[Draven]

I'll buy anything, as long as it plays. I'm a gamer first. Obviously, if there are two items there and one is in better condition I'll pick up whatever looks better cosmetically. I wouldn't pass a good deal on a game just because the label's torn or it's been wrote on (I'm actually guilty of writing on games myself...the majority of my NES carts have passwords or cheat codes on the back so I don't have to constantly look them up). I don't display anything or ever plan on selling it so cosmetics don't matter.

[shivers]

i just wanna play. but sometimes i do like to have a good condition with manual and box just to remember when i used to have that special game. but yeah most of the time i just get it as long as it plays. as far as CD games i rather have a good condition even if i have to pay more.

[aaron7]

If I don't have it, I'll buy it regardless of condition... I simply mark it down on my lists with yellow highlighter instead of green till I find a better copy.

This, of course, depends on the price. If I find a copy of a game with a beat up label and they want full price I'll walk away.

[TheRealist50]

I am very condition sensitive. I want them to look good on the shelf, missing labels and stickers is a big no no.

I bought revenge of Shinobi from Value Village. It was a former rental and it was horrible. The manual was covered with packing tape (each pack, back and front) and there was a sticker on the front of the case inside the plastic cover ON the insert page...that pissed me off. Plus stickers on the label of the game and on the back of it. It took a long time but I got EVERYTHING out, including the packing tape off the manual. You wouldn't be able to tell it was a rental.

[Drifter 2000]

I usually like the label to be intact and no totally covered by stickers. I don't mind a small rental sticker, or a little tiny of a tear off the label but I'd rather have one that's in perfect shape. Writing on the cartridge itself is no big deal but I HATE seeing writing on the label itself.

If it's a really tough to find game and I'm getting a great deal I'll likely buy it and keep it until I can find something in better condition.

[Iron Draggon]

BIGTIME... otherwise, I wouldn't spend so much money buying sealed games, just to open them up and play them... I'm hyper-anal about mint condition

[Ro-J]

I've never done this, so I don't know....but how easy is it to download a label, print it, and replace a badly torn label? Is there a site that offers old labels? And with a decent printer can you tell the difference between a reprint and an original label?

[Sabz5150]

and there was a sticker on the front of the case inside the plastic cover ON the insert page...that pissed me off.

Oh god, nothing pisses me off more than that. I make sure to voice my disapproval when I see that habit being done at any game store.

PRICE TAGS DO NOT BELONG ON INSERTS OR ON THE CARTRIDGE LABEL. EVER.

Nothing will steam you more than going to pull a price tag off of a game and taking half the original cart label with it.

[scooterb23]

I refuse to buy any game that has been touched by human hands. Fingerprints on the plastic dramatically reduces their grade when I have them graded and slabbed...

[swlovinist]

If I dont have it and the price is cheap, I will buy it as long at it looks playable. Obviously in the wild games are a big hit and miss, and for me I do not know when I will see that game again in person. The only two systems that I mostly care about condition are the Sega Genesis and N64 due to having every released game boxed for those, I am now going for condition upgrades.


On a side note Aaron7, it good to see a binder/highlighter person such as myself

[PapaStu]

Condition is prime concern. I won't be happy with it loose or beaten up, so I just skip it until I find one in a condition I'm happy with. I'd just end up rebuying it and thats a waste of money.

When I could still walk into GameStops and buy PlayStation games i'd often pass up harder to get games (Intelligent Qube was the biggest offender I ran across) because it was loose, or missing manual ect.

[DeputyMoniker]

It depends on the game but in general, as long as the price reflects the condition, I will buy it. Say, for instance, I find a game I want at a pawn shop and it has marker all over it. Well, marker/engraving are two of my deal-breakers, so I probably wouldn't buy it unless it were an excellent deal. If the label were torn, then I would just want a good deal. If it were relatively cheap, I would buy it. It it were to be market, or higher, I would have to think about it. So, yes, condition is a concern but it doesn't have to be a deal breaker. As long as it is functional and marker/engraving-free, it's still a possible purchase. No markers. No engraving, No non-functional games or anything that is a condition that may damage my system. I pay to play.

[Aussie2B]

A good deal is a good deal no matter how you slice it. Obviously games with condition issues are worth less, but if it's still a good deal, I'll pick it up. I'll always try to restore games to the best of my ability and I like upgrading when I get dupes, but having a playable game is the most important thing. Of course, I always prefer a complete, mint game, but I don't sweat it if it's not. The only areas in which I'm particularly discriminating is I generally don't buy an import at all if it's not complete (since the vast majority of the ones for sale are complete), and since I'm trying to get a complete NGPC collection for my boyfriend, I'll only buy complete as it's extremely hard to find the pieces separately.

[Steven]

I used to not really care when I started out in 2006 buying SNES games. I'd buy a game (such as Shien's Revenge) with the label torn half off, because it was like $3 or something, and I also didn't particularly "care" about the game enough that its status didn't affect me.

However, a bit later I became a stickler on the cart label being fully intact without much defect. Sure, if the price was right, but usually I waited until both the label and price matched my interest.

So in a nutshell, yes, game condition affects me. The game is most important, but that doesn't mean you can't have it look nice, too.

[Xander]

It depends mostly on cartridge versus optical media for me.

Almost all my NES/SNES games are loose and I try to keep it that way. I'm a gamer first, sure I like boxes and manual but it doesn't really matter when it is time to actually play the game. Also, most cartridges when displayed end up looking fairly awesome even if they don't have their boxes. As for cart apparence, the important part of a cartridge is its PCB and since it's inside the shell, it's usually in good condition whatever the cart condition may be. I have a few games with markers and half teared labels and it doesn't bother me too much.

As for optical media.. like PS1, Saturn and PS2 that's where I get more picky on condition. A badly scratched CD/DVD might permanently destroy the game, so the condition become a concern. Plus, a loose optical game sucks, you have to use generic CD/DVD case to store it and it just looks awful. I don't buy loose for this type of game anymore, even for a very rare game at a very good price, most of the time it won't be worth it.

[cyberfluxor]

If it's dirt cheap, appears to work, and is a demanded/rare game that I don't already own then I'm likely to pick it up. If I ever find a cosmetically nicer copy then I may give the lesser to a friend or sell it locally if no one wants it. If it's a common game then I'm likely to pass on it as there are plenty of others out there. Overall I prefer quality of condition over quantity, though I do have a good number of games so maybe I've been lucky.

I've never done this, so I don't know....but how easy is it to download a label, print it, and replace a badly torn label? Is there a site that offers old labels? And with a decent printer can you tell the difference between a reprint and an original label?

There are some users on DP that do that and quite a good job at it too. Here's one thread discussing NES labels:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106898

If you dig around with the search function you'll find some postings of reprints, though some collectors would like to know if it has a replacement label.

[Arthur-Otaku]

Affect very much for me

Bad condition or loose games are just junk for me (FOR ME OK?), probably, because I am an serious collector

But I can buy some for re-sell purposes

[Hitman Tyler]

Not to mean but..
We did have this thread: (it's kinda collector's only,but similar)
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105366

My response was:
I think i kinda have OCD when buying games. I also try to get games with the original box,insert,disk. Also this meaning I Hate taking a disk that has the greatest hits disk when the insert shows the original. Also if this box had a little crack in it I ask for another box. Even when an Ebay auction says the game is MINT, i have a problem with that. I always ask what does he/she consider MINT. Due to i have my own view of being MINT. Like one time I bought a game of ebay he said it had no scratches,marks,stains,rips,etc. So I confirmed this again with him and he said what I am saying its MINT. I'm like great then when the game gets to me it has Scratches all over it all, i go mad.

Well A little back round Story about me for everyone.

let me know if you want me to get rid of the link, and just leave my response.

Thanks