I have a problem.

[Cloud121]

Basically, I don't play any of the games I already have, and I keep buying more.

I blame my ADD and the internet. I am absolutely addicted to the internet, and am always on it for hours during my free time when I'm not working. It's been this way for years now. There will be countless times that I plan on playing a game one night, then I decide to do a couple things on the computer, next thing I know, five or six hours have gone by then it's off to bed.

Take my internet away, and I'll play my games, simple as that. But I can only go so long before the urge kicks back in and I need a computer (Usually only about two or three days tops).

At the same time, I also have urges to keep adding to my collection. Now, I don't collect. I just buy the games I like and want to play. Over the summer, I bought close to 30 NES games or so. I've barely played any of the ones I bought. For this, I blame the human instinct to want what you don't have. Keep buying games to add to my collection, but then I don't end up playing them. I just look for the next game I like to add, and so on, and so on.

At last count, I own about 665 games. Another problem with me is I'll sit down to play a game, sometimes, not even fifteen minutes in, I want to play different game I see on my shelf. And don't even get me started on the times I am able to drag myself away from the computer, only to be unable to decide what to play, since I have so many shelves full. That happens way too often.

What do you guys think? Any thoughts?

[Dragon Warrior Jasen]

I think you are the typical collector. I have plenty of games that I havent played yet... mainly because I dont have the attention span to sit down for hours and play games. Add the fact that I am in the Navy and work nearly 12 hours a day during the week, I am just drained when I get home.

[dylan0228]

That is a pretty common problem. I have hundreds of games I haven`t tried yet. I`ll get into a game & then a new one distracts me from finishing that one. I think if you really set a goal of finishing a game, you could probably do it.

[Cloud121]

That is a pretty common problem. I have hundreds of games I haven`t tried yet. I`ll get into a game & then a new one distracts me from finishing that one. I think if you really set a goal of finishing a game, you could probably do it.
I'm sure I can do that, but even then it's kinda tough. Hell, I've played through Resident Evil 2 probably at least ten times this year alone (And I'll probably do it again next year), but my other games that I should be playing, nope. Then again, blame my hardcore RE fanboyism for that one.

Oh and Dylan, you share the same name as me in real life. What does the 228 symbolize? Birthday?

[Poofta!]

i have your exact same problem. verbatim. we should form a focus group lol.

[G-Boobie]

I think MOST of us collectors and hardcore gamers have this problem to one degree or another.

I have well over 500 games, and I've played less than half of them. I work full time, I go to school, I have a side business, and I have a non-gamer girlfriend. Not much time for gaming left. On the other hand, after a long stressful day, a couple hours of low impact internet surfing sounds like a good idea. I've also noticed that the more unplayed games I have, the less likely I am to play them.

Another thing is the time most games take to play. If every DVD on my shelf took ten hours or more to watch, I wouldn't have seen more than half of them either. Would I have still bought them? Yup. Same with my game collection.

When the backlog gets too ridiculous, do what I do; set up a day where you play through and beat a game you haven't played before. My latest two were Godhand and Strider 2; you wouldn't believe how much better you'll feel.

[HYB]

I think many collectors suffer from this one.

Hell, I don't even have more games than around a hundred but it still irks me that about 30-40 of them are unfinished/unplayed.

[Sothy]

buy one more game and then WORSHIP SATAN

[phreak97]

yep, same stuff here. i find the best way to play video games more is to have a pc next to you while you play, then you can look at your pc during loading times or if you feel like it you can pause and use your pc. i generally just use my pc for email and chat, so this works well for me. my room is set up so i just turn my swivel chair to another wall and all of a sudden its video game mode.

[Iron Draggon]

I don't think it's a problem... I get just as much enjoyment out of scouring the net for more new games to add to my collection as I do playing any of my games... I get the same enjoyment just talking about games here too... it's like a game in itself... scavenger hunters scouring the globe for relics from the past, as well as searching for artifacts from the future... it's like time travel... so why not enjoy it? and why worry if that's my favorite game?

LIVE IT, BREATHE IT, SPEAK IT, SEARCH FOR IT, FIND IT, BUY IT, COLLECT IT, PLAY IT, ARCHIVE IT, LOVE IT, BUT NEVER SELL IT, AND NEVER FORGET IT OR REGRET IT, AND YOU ARE A HARDCORE GAMER/COLLECTOR FOR LIFE!

:rocker: \\^_^/ :rocker:

[Graham Mitchell]

I've just learned to embrace this issue. There's always SOMETHING to play in the house, and it's nifty to have a big library that provides a history of one of the world's newest artforms. As long as it's not putting you in the poorhouse or threatening your relationships with others, I wouldn't worry about it. Just enjoy your collection. If it is having some tangible drawbacks, maybe it's time to reassess things, but it just sounds like you're concerned about some wasted money. If buying games is what you enjoy, go right ahead. imho.

[Lerxstnj]

Same here. I have plenty of games to keep me busy for a long time, and still no next-gen. I'm always a generation behind even tho the 360 games are tempting me. Was playing some DC when Xbox was out. I got Xbox & PS2 just last year. I still have lots of DC, Xbox, GC & PS2 games I've never touched and feel the urge to get more. If I bought a 360, trying to go back and play DC would be harder, but I would still collect. Face this fact: Few of us will ever play every game we own. So my answer is... force yourself to play what you have b4 buying new systems... But keep collecting!

Reminds me of the Dark People in Dreamfall:The Longest Journey. They have a strong need to collect books (every book ever written!), but I doubt they read much of them...

[DeputyMoniker]

EDIT: I realize this is a little off topic...but...[/EDIT]

I've gone through that a few times. If you're having problems doing productive things with your time, you need to eliminate anything that distracts you from doing so. Not forever, of course, but for some time. Have your internet and cable put on hold for a month. Move your game systems, not the games themselves though, into storage or someone else's house. TV's are heavy but if you have some way to move it, or keep yourself from watching it, then that's just as important as getting rid of the internet. You may not watch much TV now but you'll be tempted to do so when your net & games are gone. Keep the radio. You'll suffer for the first week but wait until week #2. Your productivity will skyrocket. I'm considering doing this for myself again. I don't start school until the middle of next month so I don't need the internet right now. Give it a try and you'll see. Oh, the wonderful things you find to fill your time.

[jdc]

I work at a bike shop as well as play games. I have to make sure that I get enough riding in during the season as well as play my stacks of games. I found that the best way to achieve both was to pare myself back to two "active" consoles. My retro consoles are there for the occassional session if I want a change of pace. My 6 yr old has taken an interest in them as well, and he's happy with the retro library that we have.

I think that the WORST thing is to have a huge library of games....and have nothing that you want to play at that moment.

[digitalpress]

Don't worry about it. It's not a problem, you've got the collecting bug. Most Digital Press regulars have or had this as well and they're doing just fine.

My advice: do what you're doing, don't worry if you can't decide what to play. Keep collecting as long as it's within your means.

My prediction: you will eventually get bored (if it is a phase), overwhelmed (if you find you're falling behind on finances), or saturated (if you've hit enough goals). In all of these cases you will then find time to play or you'll just sell it off. Either way, you won't have this problem of yours. It's a cycle I've seen many many times.

Just go with the flow. You're in good company.

[Maxx]

i have your exact same problem. verbatim. we should form a focus group lol.

Hi... My name is Maxx... And I'm a collector of video games......

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I typically find that, with any of my collecting-oriented hobbies, I'd go through phases of acquisition and then phases of appreciation, simple as that. I'd spend a month or so going batshit crazy on eBay or trading with folks in our own B&S forum here, and in that month I'd wind up with enough stuff to keep me busy for months on end. Bliss! My personal recommendation is to do it like that - a 11-to-1 ratio of playing to collecting - but I know I have a slow collecting "metabolism" compared to some folks on here, so everyone else's mileage may vary.

As long as you're not overextending yourself or piling up debt or interest, you're doing good.

[Cloud121]

Thanks guys. Appreciate everything. Just bought a whole ton of MegaDrive games, and now my total is up to 691.

I'm not going into debt, and I'm paying my bills fine. I'm hoping to move to a new house either this Spring or Fall, so that's gonna be an interesting test to see if I can keep my money saved, and not indulge too much.

[Zing]

MegaDrive? Maybe that is the problem. You are buying hundreds of dusty ass old games. I remember going on this huge sentimental NES buying spree (completed during my honeymoon in Hawaii, no less). After receiving everything and actually sitting down to play, I realized that these games were purely a sentimental and collector thing. Long gone were the days of old, where you could grab a semi-random game from the rental store shelf and have fun with it for 3 days. These games are maybe 5 minutes of entertainment now. I sold it all.

Now I stick to my very tight and finely honed 40-50 game PS1/PS2 collection, yet I still have the exact same problem as you. Probably 40 of these games are untouched. I am home alone, kid and wife at her parents, I have all day to play... next thing I know, 6 hours wasted on the internet. And it isn't like I don't get to be on the internet for 6 hours a day on a normal day anyway.

[Steven]

My case is unique, because not everyone here owns their own site, or has the time to create one. But I'm into creating SNES reviews, to which, of course, requires me to play these games. I also keep a gaming journal, and I stick to one game until I beat it, or until I get as far into it as possible. I have really become a gamer these past 2 years as opposed to what I used to do: play a game for 15 minutes and move on.

I find keeping a simple journal motivates me to stick with a game, and of course, my love for creating reviews help, too. But everyone has to find their own way. It also helps that all I play these days is the SNES. I still have 100s and 100s of titles to play (through), but at least I can focus on one system which kind of helps my concentration. It's a question of SNES game I want to play next, not which game next, and for which system as well. If you're a multi-format gamer and damn proud of it, hey, more power to ya, but an individual should do whatever works for them. For me, squeezing the most out of one system I find to be incredibly satisfying, and it's been the most fun I had with games in a long, LONG time :)

[Kevincal]

Cloud, I'm in the exact same boat as you. Total internet addict while my game collection just sits...hardly played. I find myself more fascinated with conversing with gamers on the internet about games, than actually playing them. For the most part...

[Rob2600]

This thread is similar to another one we've been posting in:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110955

Is January usually the month where video game collectors reflect on their collections and lives? :)

[Slate]

This thread is similar to another one we've been posting in:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110955

Is January usually the month where video game collectors reflect on their collections and lives? :)

It is because of the new year. :)

[blue lander]

Sometimes the point of having 500+ games isn't actually playing through and enjoying them, sometimes it's just so you can look at a bookshelf filled with video games and say "wow!"

[ssjlance]

I don't play all of the games I own. I have a little over 350, and I've serious played maybe a seventh of them. Currently in FFVII at the moment, and after I beat that, it will be Dirge of Cerberus. Then I'll move on to something else. Before that it was Gunstar Heroes. Before that it was Twilight Princess. The only way I can enjoy playing and collecting is by not using eBay and just hunting local game stores and thrifts/flea markets. In between serious games I play, I'll dig through and play games at random. Usually less than 15 or 20 minutes piece, but that's usually all I sit down for.

[youruglyclone]

wanted to see if anyone has this mentality

This deals with after you beat a game

sure some folks sell it back at a slight loss, but no not me.

I thinking I might want to replay it and I rather have it on hand than track it down again.

Thing is...am I really going to replay britney's dance beat?

man I'd sign up for this support group in a heartbeat.

[Steven]

Is January usually the month where video game collectors reflect on their collections and lives? :)

Slate said it's because of the new year, and I think that's very valid. Winter is a funny time. You're either moving onto something new, or thinking about doing so, or at the very least, you think about the past year, where you've been and where you might be heading in the new year. You just think... perhaps a lot.

For me, January has been the opposite -- I've always been strong into games in January. Jan. 2001 I became a Saturn diehard. Jan. 2006 I repurchased an SNES. Jan. 2007 I opened my own game website. Jan. 2008, I'm still into games very much so. I blame it on the long winter break. They do things to a man :p

[Jorpho]

Have your internet and cable put on hold for a month. Move your game systems, not the games themselves though, into storage or someone else's house. TV's are heavy but if you have some way to move it, or keep yourself from watching it, then that's just as important as getting rid of the internet. You may not watch much TV now but you'll be tempted to do so when your net & games are gone. Keep the radio. You'll suffer for the first week but wait until week #2. Your productivity will skyrocket.

Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. However, what do you do if Internet use is a small but vital part of what you need to be productive?


Over the summer, I bought close to 30 NES games or so.

There's a lot of crap for the NES. Are any of these games actually any good? As in, hailed by many as quality examples of gaming that have stood the test of time?

[Graham Mitchell]

I don't play all of the games I own. I have a little over 350, and I've serious played maybe a seventh of them. Currently in FFVII at the moment, and after I beat that, it will be Dirge of Cerberus. Then I'll move on to something else. Before that it was Gunstar Heroes. Before that it was Twilight Princess. The only way I can enjoy playing and collecting is by not using eBay and just hunting local game stores and thrifts/flea markets. In between serious games I play, I'll dig through and play games at random. Usually less than 15 or 20 minutes piece, but that's usually all I sit down for.

This is exactly how I operate. I'm on Bioshock right now, and when I finish my friend got me Super Mario Galaxy that I can move onto. In between, when I feel like lighter games, I hit the NES or X-box live or Virtual Console or whatever.

Oh, and all you guys who are spending inordinate amounts of time on the internet...it's the porn isn't it? ;)

[Dreamcast]

Basically, I don't play any of the games I already have, and I keep buying more.

I am absolutely addicted to the internet, and am always on it for hours during my free time when I'm not working. It's been this way for years now. There will be countless times that I plan on playing a game one night, then I decide to do a couple things on the computer, next thing I know, five or six hours have gone by then it's off to bed.

Although I DONT have ADD, Thats the same for me

[ssjlance]

Yeah, Galaxy is up somewhere for me, got it for Christmas. I never usually finish Mario games, last one I seriously played was World, and I loved it. But the 3D Marios haven't doen it for me, short of Luigi's Mansion (although it was far too short and easy).