How many of you are "at peace" with this hobby? [Archive]

Steven

05-12-2008, 01:07 PM

Just thinking about Viraneth's thread of which system to buy, it got me thinking. How many of us are actually "pretty much" done buying systems and games? How many of us have stopped searching on eBay or craigslist? How many of us have stopped hitting the flea markets and thrift shops?

How many of us are truly "at peace" with this hobby?

I've found out firsthand in recent times that it's all about being "at peace" with this hobby. (big relevation, huh?) When you are, you don't find yourself either overwhelmed or susceptible to burning out. You can instead focus on enjoying the games you have. I'm done buying (have been for a while) and it's a great feeling to know I'm set for life as far as this hobby goes. These days I just kick back, enjoy the games I have and browse the boards. Great stuff. I don't miss hawking eBay auctions day and night or calling strangers to meet up at the local Albertson's.

I remember several years ago I was just constantly buying, buying and buying. That's pretty much how I burned out with the Saturn. I was buying too many games I didn't have a true interest in playing, but rather to expand the ole collection. Do I really need Alpha when I have Street Fighter 2 Alpha? Nope.

So if you're reading this, and you feel you've got a long way to go before you're done buying games or whatever, just remember to pace yourself and try to enjoy the games that are coming in.

Frankie_Says_Relax

05-12-2008, 01:50 PM

I don't buy "multi-game lots" as aggressively as I did 10 years ago, but I still enjoy a weekly browse at all the local brick/mortar shops for contemporary bargains, a weekly stop in the Digital Press store to see if there's anything "retro" that tickles my fancy, and I haven't missed a NAVA meeting since I started going in September 07 for a good barter or three.

While I wouldn't say "at peace" in terms of completed my entire collection, I have in recent years hit most of the milestone collecting beats (MAME cabinet, Famicom Disk System, replacement Vectrex w/Sean Kelly Multicart, etc.) that I had been looking for in years gone by.

I know I'll always be an "active" collector, especially in a market where new clone systems and novelties like the FC Mobile keep coming down the pike.

JunkTheMagicDragon

05-12-2008, 02:10 PM

i'm not nearly at the 'at peace' stage, but lurking around here and reading some of the comments has made me more wary of what i spend my money on.

someone (might have been poofta) made the comment that you should collect what interests you, not just grab everything you can. i can definitely see where that could lead to burnout.

my interest lies in systems, accessories, specific franchises, and classic multiplatform games. i've been focusing more on making my collection my own rather than just filling my house full of stuff i don't care about.

blissfulnoise

05-12-2008, 02:10 PM

I'm pretty much done. I still hit eBay for some games every now and then but I don't even realistically have a way to store any more games than I have now unless I do another major construction effort (I refuse to be one of those guys who ships their stuff to offsite storage).

I'm really only interested in finding some of the really bizarre games that are out there and that's a search that keeps going as I get exposed to new stuff.

But, that said, I still stay up with current games pretty well buying about 4-10 games a month for current gen systems not counting indie PC/download services.

nestlekwik

05-12-2008, 02:40 PM

I've really cooled off the past five years or so due to money, but I'm perfectly fine with it. Like others have said, it's given me some time to actually play and enjoy the games. I still look around at what's available but have found it incredibly easier to resist impulse buys unless they are less than $5 (which given my collection doesn't leave too many more games I'm looking for compared to what's available). Also, it doesn't help that the majority of my region is completely void of places to pick up anything prior to the Playstation 2. I will most likely start back up on purchasing more games and actively searching in the future, but, for now it's been fun playing what I have.

Pantechnicon

05-12-2008, 02:50 PM

I'm close to peace, I guess, although the relative dearth of pre-NES finds in the last couple of years makes it something of an enforced peace.

Instead of thinking "more more more" I find my mind gravitating towards "less less less". I was quite comfortable with liquidating a number of system collections which I owned, but for which I held no personal affinity (Saturn, TG16, NES, SNES). I'm starting to consider offing all my Genesis/SMS stuff as well (there's a lot of it) and contenting myself with emulation on that front.

Three-fitty a gallon for gas makes weekly thrift store hunting or a weekend chasing garage sales seem like a fruitless and wasteful induglence. The local shops that do cater to the pre-NES collector all know who I am and call me any time a sizable lot comes in, so there's little need to visit them unless they confirm something good. I've never been much for Ebay, and I'm just starting to get into Craigslist which - as far as I can tell - is more or less dominated by the people who must have beat me to the good finds at the thrifts and are looking to turn a quick buck (local example) (http://albuquerque.craigslist.org/tag/644691365.html) :shameful:.

I have 300 Atari 2600 carts - enough to make most people drop their jaws at the sheer magnitude of old-school goodness. Additionally, I've got a "yet to be played" pile of games for every console between Dreamcast and Xbox that would potentially keep me busy playing for the next 2 years, i.e. - until I'm 40, without ever having to worry about touching a single current gen console, and at which point I'll have to seriously ask myself whether all this effort at the collecting/accumulating side of things will still have the same luster as it did when I started in earnest at the age of 25, and signs are pointing to no.

So as I said, I may not wholly be at peace, but I feel like I'm getting close.

Zora Mystery

05-12-2008, 02:57 PM

I only started a couple of weeks ago, and I only have 4 games because I'm actually playing them as I get them. I'm in no rush, and I only get what I'm interested in.

I only hate how collectors keep 1000's of games that they will never play, and only trade to other collector's for a high price so they can't leave it in their closet, when I really want to play it.

MrSparkle

05-12-2008, 03:32 PM

I have games in my collection from when i was a kid. But i didnt really consider myself a collector until maybe a year ago so im still pretty hot into it. I can see no evidence that im going to want to slow down my efforts anytime soon. 99% of the stuff i buy i buy to play there is always that 1% thats for pure coolness factor ( power glove ;) ). im actually preparing to build a few more shelves to hold the next few months worth of aquisitions as 3 bookshelves are pretty much full up at this point. I can see a point in the future where i could have satisfied that urge to get new stuff though. Only time will tell.

blue lander

05-12-2008, 03:41 PM

I don't buy "multi-game lots" as aggressively as I did 10 years ago, but I still enjoy a weekly browse at all the local brick/mortar shops for contemporary bargains, a weekly stop in the Digital Press store to see if there's anything "retro" that tickles my fancy, and I haven't missed a NAVA meeting since I started going in September 07 for a good barter or three.

Same here. I don't buy games by the dozen just to bulk up my collection as I once did, so I guess in that sense I am at "peace". I just go after games that look interesting, I don't even really bother with thrift stores anymore since I just don't have the time.

cityside75

05-12-2008, 04:00 PM

I think I've always been pretty much "at peace." My reason is that I've never been an aggressive buyer, I've bought almost nothing on ebay. Instead I have a handful of local locations that I enjoy checking every now and then, along with neighborhood garage sales and the like. Over the years, I've managed to compile a pretty nice collection without much help from ebay. Sure, it takes longer, but I generally end up getting much better deals, and the thrill of actually making a good find in the wild has always been half the fun for me anyway. If I have a couple of hours to burn, I look forward to hitting the local shops or going garage sale-ing to see what's new.

ssjlance

05-12-2008, 04:01 PM

There have been times where I will slow down on any and all gaming purchases, but I'm never really at peace with the hobby. I just bought a Virtual Boy w/ stand and hard case, Japanese Teleroboxer CIB, Light Crusader (I know, cheap game, but I've wanted it for some time), and a TON of PSX Final Fantasy games, Earthworm Jim, and the first Sonic off of eBay. So yeah, at the moment, I am building the old collection, and I'm nearing the 400 games mark (haha, kinda small compared to most others here).

And yeah, I've owned a Genesis for years and I just now bought the first Sonic. I just never cared for it, and decided to opt for 2/3/Knuckles.

udisi

05-12-2008, 04:30 PM

I'm pretty at much peace. I haven't really made thrifting runs and such in years, as most of the stuff I used to buy has dried up. I do still lurk ebay, but I never was the obsessive, watch ebay 24 hours a day types. I'm pretty satisfied with what I have, but really I think I cooled off because most of the things I want just aren't available most of the time.

Viraneth

05-12-2008, 04:47 PM

It'll be a few years before I reach that point.

neist

05-12-2008, 04:58 PM

I'm close.

I probably only have maybe a couple thousand left before I'm satisfied with all games I want. I don't have a huge collection, but I'm limiting it down to the bare minimum of my favorite titles.

I still have.. maybe 50 games left?

InsaneDavid

05-12-2008, 05:05 PM

While I wouldn't say "at peace" in terms of completed my entire collection, I have in recent years hit most of the milestone collecting beats (MAME cabinet, Famicom Disk System, replacement Vectrex w/Sean Kelly Multicart, etc.) that I had been looking for in years gone by.

I feel almost exactly the same way as the Twin Famicom this year was the last of the systems I've always really wanted that I had yet to obtain. I haven't stopped buying games however and I still pick up the large lots when they're cheap. Of course with me that has always been the case, minimal money for maximum additions. I still hit the flea market every week, buy $1.00 games (yes, sometimes even ultra commons) from yard sales, and continue to buy things (even if I don't really need them, as long as they are cheap) from vendors I have good history from - I enjoy giving them business.

There are still games out there I'd like to own (currently Sonic Wings Special for the Saturn comes to mind) but I'm in no rush right now, that's how it's always been, and that's how it'll continue to be. I do buy from eBay now and then and from time to time I do end up paying a decent price for that stuff. However my $50.00 VirtualOn TwinStick and all those special controllers (Densha de Go!, pachinko, etc.) for low prices show that bargains can be had.

As for rarity, I don't think I'll ever top the HeartBeat Personal Trainer I got last month (already sold, I have no interest in keeping it), even considering the lone NES proto I still have. I'll continue to collect for my rarest system though, the good old Tomy Tutor. There are a lot of great games on common platforms I currently don't have (Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, Super Mario RPG) but have had in the past, got them cheap (and complete), played them to death and sold them when I needed the cash. If I found them cheap once I can find them again - none are especially rare anyway.

I guess it comes down to endless buying frenzies are stupid. I've paced myself - always paced myself. Yeah, I get a backlog now and then but that's just because I found a good deal. Then of course there's the whole thing that once I have the space and the money I plan on buying a bunch of cabinets. LOL

Phosphor Dot Fossils

05-12-2008, 05:29 PM

I'm completely au fait with my game collecting days being a thing of the past. Mind you, I wouldn't kick anyone out of bed for dropping a cheap working Astrocade, Wii or Studio II in my lap, but two things really cover the rest of my collecting activity:

1. I have a child now, and while I like my toys, he is now the chief spending priority of this household. I'm cool with that - it's as it should be.

2. I'd like to start turning the stuff I have collected toward projects like my web site and my video projects.

3. I enjoy getting together with my pals and playing/trading/showing stuff more than sitting in a room by myself being an eBay sniper.

4. I obviously can't count.

I have a very unique collection with some very interesting items in it (interesting to me at any rate), I'm very fortunate to have accumulated that stuff, and I'm pretty happy with it. Even if I don't get that Astrocade, Wii or Studio II, I'm cool with it. There is so much more to my life than game collecting, and while I still enjoy writing reviews and retrospectives and working on video projects about video games, if someone said to me tomorrow "You're never going to get another video game system or cartridge as long as you live," I'd just shrug it off and go back to reading my kid a storybook.

RadiantSvgun

05-12-2008, 05:29 PM

I won't be "at peace" until I get a 6 button Jamma cabinet. But as far as some systems go, I'm already at peace. Like my NES collection, I only have a few games I really want, and they are cheap- Double Dragon III, Renegade, Milon's Secret Castle, Gradius, Ice Climbers, and a few more.

I hit many milestones in my collection in the past couple of months. I got my long wanted DUO, that I had been wanting well over 10 years, got it modded, got a box for it, and have a decent sized collection of games, many boxed. With the hits like US release Cotton, Neutopia II (thanks to Joe), Exile, Sapphire, Kaze Kiri, and Dragon Slayer, I'm no longer in a frenzy to grab up every Turbo game I missed out as a kid.

I doubt I will be at peace for a long time honestly. I haven't been at this as long as most of you, and I still have some catching up to do. Out of all my hobbies, running, weightlifting, watching movies, there is nothing more relaxing than playing a game, and nothing more exciting than the thrill of the hunt.

James8BitStar

05-12-2008, 05:30 PM

Basically I tend to not buy anything unless I happen to see something I've been really looking for.

Trevelyan

05-12-2008, 05:51 PM

I'm very much at peace really, I just have two gripes...

1. I don't have the $$$ to buy all that I want!
2. The collecting scene here in the UK is dwarfed by the one in the US. I wrote a long paragraph about this, but my browser went awol! To cut a long story short, I look at the pics of Joes shop & see all your conventions & I'd love more of this over here (in the UK).

I love collecting things & adore video games (especially 8-32 bit). Let us all game on & Peace out.

SpyHunter

05-12-2008, 06:18 PM

I have almost every game that I want to play.

I still enjoy the hunt and I still hit all my usual places regularly looking for the $2 holy grails. That part is still fun for me even though I probably won't find any games on my "want to play list" since its so small.

otaku

05-12-2008, 06:31 PM

Part of the hobby for me is searching for and buying the games (and selling them can even be kinda fun) I actually get kinda overwhelmed having tons of stuff around and never finish anything etc I'd miss the hunts! I do get burnt out sometimes but always come back

Poofta!

05-12-2008, 06:46 PM

im not at peace, but ive definitely very close. there are maybe a handful of games for each console i wish to aquire. around 10 for ps1, ditto for snes and gba. im done w/ genesis. less than 10 games done w/ PC. while there are NES games i want, i doubt i will be going for a NES collection.

done w/ ps2/xbox/GC.

actively collecting for psp (trying not to pay more than 15 a game) and deciding if i want to or care to collect for the DS.
also i always buy cheap GB/GBC games i come across which i do not have.

DigitalSpace

05-12-2008, 07:01 PM

I'll keep this short: I'm not at peace, but I think I'm finally ready to start slowing down.

Sudo

05-12-2008, 09:30 PM

No, and I doubt I ever will be. I'm always going to be buying games for whatever the current-gen systems happen to be, and there are lots of games I sold off in my youth that I still need to re-buy when my finances allow for it.

05-12-2008, 09:30 PM

I've slowed down recently (it's taken a few months) but it's now easier for me to justify passing on certain games/items I see for sale. Newborns & greatly reduced free time affects that, so it wasnt that difficult.

Not to say Im done though- I got a Guncon & games today as part of a trade, & my wife got 2 DDR pads & DDR SuperNova at garage sales last wkend. & Im still looking for PS2 SNK Classics.

Ive been picking up retro compilations like Taito Legends 1 & 2, MATs, NAMCO 50th, Capcom Classics, etc & liking those, since most of the stuff on there will be easy enough for my boys to understand/play while I'll still like them for their retro-ness.

Muscelli

05-12-2008, 09:41 PM

I am satisfied with what I have. Now that I am at peace, I have lost interest in it and have slowly been getting rid of my stuff. I suppose I enjoyed hunting for the games moreso then actually using/keeping them.

shawnbo42

05-12-2008, 10:32 PM

Yes and no. As earlier stated, I also have children, and the house spending goes towards the kids, which is not a problem, although it does leave less money for games (oh, well). I have most definitely slowed down in the last several years as to buying (even before the kids). I still do buy games, but not just to have it anymore necessarily. I think I've finally realized that there are many games I just don't care to own. For example, Genesis. I have a bunch of systems, and a pile of games, but I really have little interest in playing it. Who knows, maybe I'll dump it all someday.

But, at the same time, I am more or less up to speed with current-gen systems, and I do and will continue to buy games for said systems when I find something that I, the wife, or the kids would like.

As far as the retro stuff, I'll hit a yard sale now and then (my local flea market and goodwill are overpriced usually i.e. $8 for 2600 Pac-Man?!), and if I find something that catches my eye, I'll snag it. So am I at peace? Somewhat. Not totally, but a lot more than, say, 5 years ago.

YoshiM

05-12-2008, 10:38 PM

For the games and systems I think I'm at peace. Like others it's sort of forced because it's been pretty bare for classic games in my area but lately when I do find stuff it's more "catch and release".

The one thing I'm not quite at peace yet is my gaming magazine collection. I've acquired a bit over a few short years but I haven't hit my goals. I've still got a lot of early Game Player's mags I want to get plus the remaining first year of VG&CE and Electronic Gaming Monthly.

josekortez

05-12-2008, 10:46 PM

I'm not quite there. Everyday, I think I've got enough games and then I either (a) find something I don't have that's on clearance or in a thrift store somewhere or (b) I'll read about a system or import games that I don't have yet that rekindles my interest. My problem is that I have an addictive personality, something that I really never paid much attention to before I started buying games and now I can't stop purchasing.

Collecting is another matter altogether since I don't consider myself a hardcore collector in the sense of having to own the entire library for certain systems. I don't really purchase sports games or kids' games just to own them, so I have to say that I'm content with the size of my collection. It's just that there are just new games coming out all the time, and I want them all!

kai123

05-12-2008, 11:37 PM

yea mine has pretty much died. I have been selling off big chunks of the games I know I will never play.

FrakAttack

05-13-2008, 01:45 AM

I only buy games that I'm interested in playing, and I trade in the ones that I don't enjoy, so that goes a long way toward inner peace.

DefaultGen

05-13-2008, 07:19 AM

.....

swlovinist

05-13-2008, 10:45 AM

I have slowed down due to running out of space and money being tight as of late. I still sell and buy on a very minor scale, just enough to fund the hobby. I have about $50 to $70 to play with a month, enough to buy a couple of games on sale or a decent flea mart run/used game store run. Completing game collections has been fun for me, but I have been enjoying taking a step back and reflecting on the accomplishments. I now want to mod most of my systems so that I get the best visuals out of them.

Cobra Commander

05-13-2008, 11:06 AM

I'll be mellow when I'm dead.
Seriously, everytime I think about slowing down, I look at the game rooms here on the site, and look at the care with which so many people have with their collections, and I feel reinvigorated.

RASTAN

05-13-2008, 01:06 PM

Ahh STEVE, a good thread as usual.

I'd say I'm at the same point with you. I have what I have for the few systems I didn't sell off, namely PS2, Mega Drive, AV Famicom, Atari 7800 PS and that's all. Shoot once I can be rid of my 2-Slot Neo:Geo big red cab... it'll then be over. Even with as good looking as MGS 4 is for the PS3, I just cannot get myself pumped up to buy any of the new stuff, and thus I guess I'll never know how the story ends. And by now I would've figured someone would've made a DVD movie of all of the in game cut scenes from all previous games in the order shown. Unless someone (or Konami themselves) does this, I fear I'll never know how MGS turns out.

Funny thing is... I don't really care. I love gaming, but gaming isn't what it was (at least for me), and if the game cannot be beaten in a 45 minute session... I simply lack the time, energy and/or patience. I too would scour the Electronic Earth for game systems and games and more games. Only to wake up one day and realize none of it mattered. I figure on buying a few PS2 games here or there, but how much more life will this system even have? I'm, reading books again like I did @ 13, (action series etc,) and have fatherly responsibilities, thus even if I wanted to... The Gaming Bug just isn't there. Whatever thrills or WTF? moments I get now come from being on the job in the Security Enforcement sector, and while few and far between on the serious side of things... it's enough.

In a sense, YEAH... I've passed on the torch to the next generation of gaming nuts, and it's better that way... don't make peace with it and face when your time has ended, then you ruin it for the new lions, and most of them couldn't give a rats ass about River Raid, Double Dragon, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and anything older than 8 years ago. To the peeps out there in my age bracket (30) or older who still obsess over the hobby... hey more power to them.

:drinking:

outsider

05-13-2008, 01:30 PM

I'm close to being done collecting previous-gen games. There are very few PS1 and earlier titles that I want and don't already have, maybe 10-15. The only reason the number is that high is because I recently started to enlarge my GB/GBC collection.

There have been a lot of really good games coming out towards the end of the PS2's life cycle, so I've been buying some of those as well. Otherwise, I'm pretty close to being "at peace" with game buying/collecting.

Coleman

05-13-2008, 03:00 PM

For me collecting is the hobby more so than gaming - but gaming is a lot of fun and a big part of why I chose to collect games rather than something else... And really I love the reaction I get when someone comes over and sees my collection for the first time!!! How often can you have 20 kids in one room and not have them fight over who gets to play with what???

Now that I have kids and stuff priorities have changed - I still collect just dont have as much disposable income! I look foward to the days where my kids will (hopefully) enjoy going with me to look for stuff in the wild.

Am I at peace - I think so. I still get excited as hell when something I have never seen B4 or something that I have wanted for a long time comes into my grasp but for the most part I am content to buy things that cost less to increase my variety but I am not spending hundreads of dollars every month any more

gum_drops

05-13-2008, 04:39 PM

I am pretty much content with my collection right now. I am on the lookout for some specific saturn imports but other then that I am good. I was working on complete collections for all the home console sega systems from the sms to the dreamcast. I hit 90% plus completion on each system and then my interest dwindled. I didnt loose interest in keeping my collection, I just lost that drive to complete it.

At one point I started collecting complete SNES and Atari Jaguar games to get that "rush" or receiving new items to the collection. Then at one point I had to ask myself what am I doing, am I collecting something I actually want? As it stands, I dont even have a working atari jaguar yet I have around 45 complete games. I really should start selling off the jaguar stuff but everytime I look at the games I just cant make myself do it.

Sph1nx

05-13-2008, 05:12 PM

1. I have a child now, and while I like my toys, he is now the chief spending priority of this household. I'm cool with that - it's as it should be.

Well put. One of my number one reasons for selling off all my crap that I haven't played, have no interest in playing and probably never will play.

Zing

05-13-2008, 11:32 PM

I am definitely at peace. Years ago, I sold off my NES collection. Then I sold my Xbox and bought a PS2. I went through a buying frenzy to gather all of the great PS1 games. Over the past year, I have had a trickle of PS2 games, culminating in my recent acquisition of Okami, which may very well be the last video game I purchase for a very long time (forever?).

smork

05-13-2008, 11:45 PM

I really only buy stuff I actually want these days. I have a huge backlog of games to play that I will probably never clear (especially these later-gen games that take ages to complete, older games are much easier to spend time with and feel like you've gotten alot of use out of them).

Right now I am mostly collecting for rare and obscure systems as I enjoy having odd and unusual systems and games. I could see myself not buying too much more in a year or two when I complete some of the interesting (and small) sets I am after.

Cobra Commander

05-13-2008, 11:59 PM

kai123

05-14-2008, 01:03 AM

I also forgot to add that emulation has kinda taken the thrill of collecting away from me.... Say what you will but having every nintendo game in the palm of your hand (PSP) is a very nice thing to kill any kick you might get from having the cart. IDK might just be me on that.

Volcanon

05-14-2008, 01:22 AM

I only keep the games I play and like. Bad games get sold on craigslist or traded in or whatever. My "collection" is really like 5 PS games, 10 PS2 games, 5 Famicom games, and about a dozen Mac/PC games.

Steven

05-14-2008, 01:47 AM

I must say, I'm a bit surprised here.
Obviously everyone can do whatever they like and I'll never knock you for it, because it isn't my place. However, I've seen a couple of threads similar to this over the years here and I have to say, I've never seen a gaming site where so many people talk about how they're done with collecting, or bored with video games.
I know much of it has to do with getting older. This board unlike most gaming boards seems to have more people over the age of 25. I'm 31 now, and my soon to be brother in law is 28. He's married and has a 1 year old daughter. He brings home about 40K, so he can handle the bills and the baby, and still buy just about whatever new game he wants. He's definitely what you'd call a "hardcore gamer". Me, I'm a hardcore collector with less funds to work with. I'm sure I spend waaay too much on gaming, but aside from my future wife, it's what I love the most. So that's what I'll be doing a long time from now. I hope.
Again, I'm not knocking anyone so don't feel like I'm bitching, it's just an observation.

No problem here at all with your take. After all, it is your take. Like you said (essentially), to each his own.

Me, I've become more of a gamer (it's how I started as, so in a hokey way I've gone back to my roots) than a collector in recent times. Sure I still have some collector tendencies, but I'm much more about playing the games these days than buying games JUST to round out the collection. To me, there's gotta be a point where I stop buying games so I may play from the 100s I own that are still waiting to be played.

Like you said, whatever makes you happy in this hobby you should do. Many seem to be past the days of game hunting and collecting. But the same could be said for those STILL in the hunt. I too have seen people's passion for this hobby dip or take a different turn (here on DP and other gaming boards). It's the way of life as people change. Sure, some still game strong forever. But not everyone is like that. So yeah. It is what it is.

VACRMH

05-14-2008, 02:53 AM

There's alot of systems that i've slowed down or almost completely stopped buying for (Especially Playstation, maybe 5 more games I need for that). Genesis, SNES, NES, I still want games but nothing I "must have right away".

Playstation 2 however is my vice, I'm still buying games constantly for that, with no end in sight. I can think of 10-20 games easily that I'd like to own.

But i'm definately getting there. There's no mad rush to buy a ton of games like I used to, which is quite nice. However, I hate buying games at flea markets and yard sales and realizing that everything I bought is for sale or trade, and not for me to keep :(

slackur

05-14-2008, 04:58 PM

I can agree with most every sentiment expressed thus far, from wondering why people are finishing collecting to now prioritizing for kids (my 20month old and 3month old sons FTW!) ;)

I think that as long as I can afford to, collecting more games is just fun for me. I get far more of a thrill buying a $1 CIB sports game, seeing my total of games go up, and seeing a wall-o-media than I would actually playing said game, yet I am still a gamer who plays Halo LANs regularly and has his Vectrex hooked up w/ multicart right near the couch for a quick fix.

I am at peace with my hobby (collecting and playing) because I am normally a careful spender that God has blessed with a little disposable income, I play with my friends and family (gamer wife score!!) ;) I love so many games and game types, I am careful with the amount of time I spend playing, I love the research and gamer culture, and most importantly, I don't take it too seriously; the point is to enjoy.

So, besides looking for a small skyscraper to store my media stuff, I'm at peace.

calthaer

05-14-2008, 09:23 PM

gameofyou

05-14-2008, 10:51 PM

I have a few classic systems, and basically have bought every game that interested me for each system. I'm in the sellback phase now, and when I'm done, I will be left with an excellent collection of games for each system.

Of course I will still always buy the occasional new game for my DS. But as far as the classic systems, I think I'm done buying.

gameofyou

05-14-2008, 10:58 PM

What is this "at peace" stuff? This is video games, not zen meditation. I don't even know how to process that phrase.

I give way more to church and missions and the poor than I spend on video games - fun as they are. So yeah, I'm at peace.

That's great. My wife & I contribute a lot to charities also. That's good karma. Sometimes it is worth remembering that there is a lot more to life than hobbies. Just make sure you do your research & know where your money is going (& what it's being used for).