Question: Fire destroys your collection...are you crushed or relieved?

[heybtbm]

This is something I've been wondering after looking at some of the huge collections here on DP. I have a relatively small collection (~800 games) but not because I'm a collector. It's because I usually don't sell or get rid of my games. I know (from experience) that I'll probably want to play it again at some point in the future so I hang on to them. After almost 30 years of playing video games, they just kind of add up.

Anyway, if there was a fire that destroyed your collection...would you feel devastated (years of work/fun turned to ash)...or would you feel somewhat relieved (sweet, cleansing fire)? I'm genuinely curious.

Personally, I'd be crushed...but in the end, I'd probably just keep the insurance money. I'd replace a few new consoles(360 and PS3), but I don't think I'd replace any of my classic stuff (2600, NES, SNES, Genesis, etc.).

[walrusmonger]

There was a fire in my house 4 years ago, so I just had the PS2/Xbox/Gamecube and a bunch of classic systems.

After everyone was found to be ok, my games were ok too.

I would have been crushed if they were destroyed, because I didn't have receipts for 95% of them, so I would have been out a ton of games. The insurance also already gave us about the max we could get from the stuff destroyed in the other rooms, so if I got $200 for my 300 +/- games at the time, I would have been even more miserable than I was for living in a hotel room for half a year.

[alxbly]

I'd be crushed, but I think I'd quite enjoy rebuilding my collection. The joy of finding something you've been after for a while is a pretty good feeling...

[Sparkster]

Definitely crushed. I love that I have these games more than the desire to play a majority of them.

But if it were between some of my favourite games and my guitars that I could save, I still pick my guitars.

[Borman]

Id probably be crushed, since I dont have a huge expansive collection, rather a few items with some importance behind them.

[diskoboy]

I'd be bordering suicidal.

As I've stated before, I'm not really a collector, I'm just someone who has really loved games for 25 years, and most of my 'collection' is games I had from when I was a kid. If I lost it all, it would be as if someone just set my whole life on fire.

[GetImOliver]

I think I'd be relieved, I could use the insurance money and resolve to collect later on when I had a more fire resistant residence. Wouldn't know until it actually happened, though

[PentiumMMX]

I'd be crushed because of the destruction of my N64, but in total horror of my Dreamcast VMUs being destroyed, taking 55+ hours of Phantasy Star Online V2 with it.

I'd rebuild my collection, though (Starting with an N64 and Diddy Kong Racing)

[Sanriostar]

I'd say Regret. I'd re-buy some, but not at the size it is/was.

[ninjabearhug]

I would be absolutely gutted. I've spent the best part of my life building up my collection, i still have all the original games from when i was a kid and although i've had the opportunity to replace the tatty ones with better condition ones i've always resisted as i see these games as the backbone of my collection. If i lost my games i don't think i'd have the heart to start from scratch again.

[walrusmonger]

I'd be crushed because of the destruction of my N64, but in total horror of my Dreamcast VMUs being destroyed, taking 55+ hours of Phantasy Star Online V2 with it.

I'd rebuild my collection, though (Starting with an N64 and Diddy Kong Racing)


Back when PSO was hot and new, some people would end up having their dreamcasts die on them during PSO sessions.

I losd my first PSO character (level 99 with 200 hours put into him) because my first DC died. That blew!

[kaedesdisciple]

Like many here, I would be devastated. Many of the classic games aren't just games to me, they represent pieces of my childhood. Games I played with my brothers and my father plus the 2600 and ColecoVision games that I inherited, even if I replace them, wouldn't be the same.

[qbertandernie]

my insurance company wont insure my stuff without a written appraisal, and noone around here will appraise it. thus, id be pretty crushed. thats actually a part of the reason im thinking of dumping most of it. not only do i find few new items in the field(you guys call it the 'wild'), if my house catches fire or something im out a ton of cash. that, and it will burn in my basement for 3 weeks because of all of the plastic that would end up there :)

[PsychedelicShaman]

Very relieved

[LifeGame]

I would be crushed, thats like 3 years of everyday work erased and 25000$ lost. I would be in really bad shape but im trying to insure it for what its worth now so it wont be so bad.

[Push Upstairs]

Crushed.

It's not an issue of collecting, anyone can blow wads of cash to get new sealed games. It's more of an issue that some of those games are ones I've owned for 15 years. They are *mine* not something I bought on Ebay or some game store...there are memories attached to some of the games.

[Chuplayer]

Um... crushed? I would be fucking crushed. My games, my anime, my manga, and my GI JOEs.

[Cryomancer]

I'd probably have burned too, since my bed is also in this room.

[Nostalgicblight]

Definitely crushed. I love that I have these games more than the desire to play a majority of them.

But if it were between some of my favourite games and my guitars that I could save, I still pick my guitars.

I would hate to be torn between my music and my gaming. I've got a lot of games that are 30+ years old, and I've got a 23 year old guitar. Games would be easier to replace, but I would hate to lose any of it, because with every system, there is also a memory. My guitars would be rather sad to lose as well, because one (pos, I admit) acoustic was given to me by my mother, that is almost 40 years old. Even though my Fenders are Squires, they were bought with my own money, with my first paychecks. My Ibanez was in limited production (roughly 2500 units), and I would hate to see any of it go.

[zektor]

Upset, yes. Crushed? No...not really.

I have lost, gained, and lost again due to multiple tragedies in my lifetime. I think I have come somewhat accustomed to it in a sad sense. But, nonetheless, these things that happen always make you stronger in the long term....providing of course you can learn to survive the short term.

Back to the beginning. I would be upset, but I would rebuild. Who knows, I may move to a different hobby (or collecting a different aspect of this one) that I would not have done had the devastation not occur. This would be, essentially, a breath of fresh air.

[coinheaven]

can you get insurance for games?

[Omni]

If insurance can cover collectible models (If i'm not mistaken), why not games?

Anyway, i'd be pretty upset. I've had many memories attached to my video games, and to see them go up in flames would be pretty terrible. (Games that I have had since I was 3 or 4 would be an emotional loss indeed.) On top of that, I have a drum set that i'll learn most of my playing skills on that I don't want destroyed!

[Jumpman Jr.]

Crushed: Mainly because I would realize how much time and effort I put into it. Even if I did get the insurance money for what it was worth. Some of that stuff is just impossible to find.

[Vinnysdad]

Defenitely crushed. I would also have hands coated in melted plastic from trying to save everything.

[Moo Cow]

What kind of a question is this? A lot of people have spent a lot of money on video games. If they caught on fire, I doubt anyone would be relieved. Honestly, did you seriously think anybody would be relieved?

[Iron Draggon]

I'd be devastated, but I'd use the money to buy a car... no way I'd ever try to get everything back... no way I'd ever be able to replace it all... so might as well use the insurance money for something alot more practical... I should be able to buy a really nice car with all that money, if they paid me what my entire collection is truly worth... and I'd sure as hell fight for every penny!

HMM... huge collection of games or Dodge Viper... decisions, decisions...

well I guess I'd have to go with a car that's alot more economical on gas than a Dodge Viper would be, even though I should be able to afford one... so I'd prolly buy the new Mustang GT 500 of my dreams and be happy with it!

actually it would be really cool to finally drive one of my dream cars for real, and actually own it, instead of just driving them in my games all the time...

sweet cleansing fire... but I don't really want to lose my entire collection...

I think I'd better check to see what my insurance policy actually covers!

[Pantechnicon]

I'd be somewhere between very annoyed and somewhat relieved.

On the very annoyed side: I've had some similar experience recently when my house was broken into last September and all of my modern consoles and classic handhelds - along with their libraries - were lifted. I've got good homeowner's insurance and excellent documentation of my collection, so it was less about the monetary value than it was about the investment in time; ten years worth of collecting efforts undone in less than an hour by some meth-head who found his way into the house. I managed to get back about 85% of what I lost in two month's time and I can tell you that seeing large amounts of games delivered to the house in a short amount of time is nowhere near as gratifying as getting these things on the slow route.

Somewhat relieved - Sudden losses like this do give one the chance to do some winnowing and streamlining. You get to ask yourself if you really needed this or played with that and do you really care if you got another one? It can be somewhat liberating to trim things down a bit. It makes you appreciate what you have even more still.