Should I Clear Out My Entire Collection?

[tholly]

So, I realized recently that I have hardly played anything that wasn't X360, PS3, or Wii in the past 2 years or so. Most of my collection sits unplayed, collecting dust. I have amassed a sizeable collection and feel that, as my fiancee and I are getting ready to move to a new apartment, and my parents don't want all this stuff at their house anymore, I need to let stuff go. Before I did anything drastic, I wanted to get a handle on how everyone feels.

Please answer the poll and explain your reasoning in the topic....

If such a sale were to commence, it would start in 12 days (2 Friday from now....going to be at my parents house where my collection stays...) So, I have 12 days to decide if I want to clear everything out....

[boatofcar]

If you're looking to have a sale at your house, somebody tried that a couple years back here, and if memory serves, had less than spectacular results.

If I were you, I'd keep the stuff that has sentimental value and sell the rest. You can always buy it back later.

[tholly]

It wouldn't be at my house. I would be doing everything via DP and RFGen using PayPal and shipping USPS Priority. I would just wait until a specific time and devote an entire weekend to posting lists, pictures, packing stuff up, etc....

my collection list can be seen at:

http://home.ptd.net/~tholly/Collection.xls

Most everything would be for sale except the very new stuff and a few of the sentimental things (like my original NES, etc.) Most would have to go though.

[smork]

Personally, I don't see the point unless you are short on money and/or space. But then again, if you're on the fence about it the best person to consult for your opinion is your fiancee. She's the one that has to live with it, what does she feel?

[jcalder8]

If I were you, I'd keep the stuff that has sentimental value and sell the rest. You can always buy it back later.
This is my advise too. I've sold off chunks of my collection before but always held onto the sentimental stuff and I've never had any regrets.

[youruglyclone]

This is my advise too. I've sold off chunks of my collection before but always held onto the sentimental stuff and I've never had any regrets.

I 3rd this

by the way saw the list, you've got a very nice spreadsheet set up.

also if you do decide to sell I definitely see plenty of stuff I'd like to buy.

[suppafly]

So, I realized recently that I have hardly played anything that wasn't X360, PS3, or Wii in the past 2 years or so. Most of my collection sits unplayed, collecting dust. I have amassed a sizeable collection and feel that, as my fiancee and I are getting ready to move to a new apartment, and my parents don't want all this stuff at their house anymore, I need to let stuff go. Before I did anything drastic, I wanted to get a handle on how everyone feels.

Please answer the poll and explain your reasoning in the topic....

If such a sale were to commence, it would start in 12 days (2 Friday from now....going to be at my parents house where my collection stays...) So, I have 12 days to decide if I want to clear everything out....


Keep your top 5 favorite systems and at least your top 20 games for each one of them. (the ones youd play the most)

Then sell the rest, you wont miss it

[Sudo]

I always regret selling things, so I'd vote no unless you really need the money.

[aaron7]

I always regret selling things, so I'd vote no unless you really need the money.

2nded

[Garry Silljo]

Of course most of it sits unplayed, after a collection gets to a certain size it's pretty much impossible to play everything. Some games are bound to be neglected. The only way to know you are going to play the entire thing is to not let your collection get over 50 or so, and even that may be high.

If you really need the money, then sell. If your only reason is that you don't play with everything, I'd keep it, because once it's gone, at a later date you may get in the mood, and not have the option to satisfy the craving.

[guitargary75]

2nded

3rded

[wfnjstallion]

Don't sell your stuff unless there is a $ issue. A few years back I was strapped financially having recently graduated from college and facing a mountain of student loans to pay back. I thought about selling my entire collection off (NES-Cube), but decided not to. It was the smartest thing I ever did. 2 years ago my g/f and I moved in together and I was stuck with the small closet in the LR, but my games still made it here and you simply never know when you are going to have an urge to play retro video games. Hopefully your girl is like mine and finds it relaxing to watch you play video games, when you are winning of course.

[AB Positive]

I 3rd this

by the way saw the list, you've got a very nice spreadsheet set up.

also if you do decide to sell I definitely see plenty of stuff I'd like to buy.

I 4th this and have little interest in your collection buying wise so you know I'm not biased :D

[Streetball 21]

I always regret selling things, so I'd vote no unless you really need the money.


I agree. I have traded in some many things, and I do regret it. Most of then were N64 games, but some of the games were my favorites.

[Roufuss]

As someone who has been EXACTLY in your shoes, I will chime in with my 2 cents -

My fiancee wanted to move back to NY to be near her family, so we were going to leave FL to go up there and start a new life together. I had over 1,000 games, spread across all the "main" systems, including about 40 completely in box SNES games like every Square game, Earthbound, Pocky and Rocky series... lots of good stuff. About 90 CIB NES games, tons of Saturn imports, tons of CIB N64 games, a sealed MGS 3 LE, almost every PS1 / PS2 RPG, you name it, I had it.

So, we sold it all to finance the move, and because I couldn't bring this stuff with me, and let me tell you something - biggest mistake of my life.

I didn't play most of the shit while I had it, but to mimic what another poster said, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't want to play some old game I used to own. What's worse is that, due to my monetary situation now, buying back most of this stuff is nigh impossible since Ebay is really the only avenue I have - pawns and the like won't touch older games anymore, around here.

The fiancee and I eventually moved back from NY, because it was horrible, and then broke up, so another point is don't sell your games because someone else is telling you too, because all you will do is resent that person for the rest of your life. Then, to top it all off, she took my real nice HDTV =/

I was JUST like you, only playing 360 / Wii / PS3, but like the song goes "You don't know what you got, til it's gone". It may hit you after a month, it may hit you after a year, but eventually, you'll realize you made a stupid decision, and most people will never be able to buy back everything they own - I know I sure can't, I won't ever see half those games again probably.

I mean, no offense, but selling it to fund a wedding, you better be 100% sure that NOTHING will ever change and that you two don't break up, because then you're out your games, and all the money. I was certain me and my fiancee would never break up, but here I am, two years later, single, barely any games, no tv, no money, and screwed. Just don't sell the collection and spend it on something so trivial, because you probably will regret it.

So that's my two cents, from someone who was in the same exact boat, and for the first few months it was awesome, having all that money for games I didn't play, but believe me, the day will come when you'll want to play something and it just will no longer be there.

[Alfador]

Dibs! No but really I'd keep it, even though I want it all

[Trebuken]

Are you going to be a retrogamer the rest of your life, or are you content to be just a gamer? Your asking if you retire from the retro...tough call for this is essentially a life changing event for you (as it would be for many of us). Maybe we should write to Dr. Phil because no one has ever really had 'the answer' for what you are considering.

Another thing should dwell on is if you can make that retro part of your collection that is going unused relevant. Maybe you should hold it; will you have children? Might you want them to experience it? Children don't need current gen right away if you are lucky...

Maybe you can commit to playing one retro game through for every current gen game you complete, or buy...it can be tough, I've had to do it, but you never regret the time you have to force yourself into playing the older games...

Keep it unless the money will make you more comfortable for quite some time...once it's gone will your fiancee ever let you get it back?

[porkchop_pt]

Yes, do it! Your future and marraige is much more important than a bunch of games! Sell them to people who will probably make more use of them then you will now with a new life.

[retro junkie]

A while back I too had thoughts of selling a lot of my old stuff. My Wife, who is not a gamer and knowing how much I like gaming, told me that I really need to think long and hard about that. She told me that If I sold it and then wanted it at a later date, it would probably cost me more to restore it and that I would probably not get it back in the mint condition that I have everything in now. Hmmm.... she is right. I did not sell and I am today more into the old retro stuff than anything else. I really have no desire for the present generation systems, PS3, 360, Wii and feel that I am not missing a thing. And I am having the time of my life.

For me it was the question of not having any room for more systems and games, if I was to enter this generation of gaming. I have been purchasing games for the old retro systems since then and enjoying the blast of the past.
:band:

edit: I had to really think through "what kind of gamer" I was and "what is it that I enjoy the most" as a gamer. I had to sit down and figure out what I had the most fun playing. I came to the conclusion that I am a retro gamer at heart.

[Fuyukaze]

Talk to your future wife about it. It's your stuff and your the person she'll be sleeping with. Easy to tell you to keep it or sell it when we have nothing to loose and everything to gain from it (buying your stuff is a posible gain for some of us) but what ever you do, dont second guess yourself. You'll only regret it if you do. Also, always keep it your choice. Otherwise when you do regret it (and you will) you'll probly blame her for it. Your stuff is your responsibility, not hers. If you make her pick what you should do, it's still your choice.

That said, good luck with what ever you decide. Sometimes change isnt always bad. Sometimes it's actualy good.

[thetoxicone]

With my move coming up I've been selling a lot of stuff and I'm actually surprised at how good it feels to sell the stuff, but for a lot of the items it was either get some money out of it now or leave it 3000 miles away from me in storage and who knows when I'll reclaim it (p.s. go to my sale list in my signature and buy stuff). There is still a lot of stuff I'd most likely never sell though.

[Roufuss]

Yes, do it! Your future and marraige is much more important than a bunch of games! Sell them to people who will probably make more use of them then you will now with a new life.

Maybe it's just because I'm really fucking jaded, but when that future and marriage don't work out, AND you're out a collection you spent a lifetime building... well, that really sucks.

If he were to sell it, he needs to sell it for HIMSELF, nobody else, it needs to be his decision 100% influenced by himself.

Because if his future wife tells him to sell it, and he regrets it, who do you think he is going to resent?

Right now, that "bunch of games" I sold would have brought me a lot more happiness then what happened since I thought I made the "right decision". Maybe it would have been better if I sold them for dire reasons, but selling them on a whim for something... you'll regret it. *Espicially* if things don't work out.. I'm not trying to say the OP's marriage won't last, or whatever, but relationships can end for any number of stupid reasons and sometimes aren't even your fault.

This subject is actually a very strong one for me, because probably unlike most of the people here replying, I went through the same exact thing the OP is going through now... same reasonings for selling (in fact, exact same ones), same justifications (I only played new stuff), and I regret the decision ten fold... because I didn't just collect, I collected CIB stuff, stuff I had from when I was 5 and 6, and I'll never get it back, and certaintly not in the same condition. I did make the decision to sell it, and two years later (even before we broke up) I regretted it.

Luckily I kept all my old systems, and 4 games - Duck Hunt and Mario 1 - 3 for NES, CIB, since those were some of my first and favorite childhood games.

But you just have to realize, once you sell it, that's it, there is a really slim chance you'll be able to simply rebuy everything, when you consider other things that need to be paid for at this time in your life... for me, most of these games were bought when I didn't have bills, so bills coupled with things like gas and food, I'll be lucky if I could ever rebuy a fraction of what I had. This was also a time when EB / GS / Pawns / whoever also sold older games... now the only thing I can find is PS2 / GC / Xbox on up.

And to the poster above me, yea, I felt pretty awesome too once I was selling the stuff, and getting the money for things I wasn't using, and yea, people did tell me "you will regret it" and I, too, thought they were dumb, or just didn't understand... but they were fully right, and 95% of the time I've noticed most people who do sell things come to regret it. I regretted it when games on the Virtual Console just didn't feel "right", and some of my favorites will NEVER show up on it, defeating the purpose of it for me - if only I kept all my games, I could be playing Super Punch Out or Earthbound right now.

I just hope the OP makes the choice he wants to make, and not the choice he feels like he has to, if that makes sense.

Like I said earlier, I'm just jaded, because I sold my shit to fund a move and a wedding and the wedding will never happen, the money was spent on the move and on other things that she managed to get from me (long story there, basacially she got most of the money), so yea... never again will I sell what I own to fund something that is trivial (imo) as a wedding, because that's one day, they don't last forever, but hey, my games will last a long time and sure as hell won't leave for the dumbest of reasons.

[tholly]

Thank you for all of the stories, recommendations, etc. I will muse over all of this for the next couple weeks and then make my decision.

Just to clarify, I really don't need the cash, but I don't need the games either. We almost have enough for our wedding now (if I put less than $200 a paycheck in the bank, along with her $200 a paycheck, we are set....and she alone was putting $400 a paycheck away, so we will have the money with plenty of lead time.)

As for the games, most I can't see ever missing. If there were a fire, there would be very few things I would be sad to see go. Most I have never even taken out of the case, let alone played. So, most of my stuff I have no sentimental attachment to. The things I do, I will keep (like my complete O^2 set, or my original NES games purchased new back in the day, all my Zelda stuff, most of the arcade cabs.)

As for my fiancee's part in this. She asked if I considered it, but won't care if I don't sell (although we just won't have the space for it....it would just collect dust.) So, if at the end of this I sell it or keep it, she's fine either way.

[rick weis]

It wouldn't be at my house. I would be doing everything via DP and RFGen using PayPal and shipping USPS Priority. I would just wait until a specific time and devote an entire weekend to posting lists, pictures, packing stuff up, etc....

my collection list can be seen at:

http://home.ptd.net/~tholly/Collection.xls

Most everything would be for sale except the very new stuff and a few of the sentimental things (like my original NES, etc.) Most would have to go though.


Holey Crap Batman! that is a TON OF STUFF!!!! i think you need a new house NOT a new apartment!

hate to see people sell their stuff, i think you will regret it later!

wish you the best of luck with your new future. Take Care,

Rick

PS i want your SMB pinball machine! LOL :)

[outsider]

As someone who has been EXACTLY in your shoes, I will chime in with my 2 cents -

My fiancee wanted to move back to NY to be near her family, so we were going to leave FL to go up there and start a new life together. I had over 1,000 games, spread across all the "main" systems, including about 40 completely in box SNES games like every Square game, Earthbound, Pocky and Rocky series... lots of good stuff. About 90 CIB NES games, tons of Saturn imports, tons of CIB N64 games, a sealed MGS 3 LE, almost every PS1 / PS2 RPG, you name it, I had it.

So, we sold it all to finance the move, and because I couldn't bring this stuff with me, and let me tell you something - biggest mistake of my life.

I didn't play most of the shit while I had it, but to mimic what another poster said, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't want to play some old game I used to own. What's worse is that, due to my monetary situation now, buying back most of this stuff is nigh impossible since Ebay is really the only avenue I have - pawns and the like won't touch older games anymore, around here.

The fiancee and I eventually moved back from NY, because it was horrible, and then broke up, so another point is don't sell your games because someone else is telling you too, because all you will do is resent that person for the rest of your life. Then, to top it all off, she took my real nice HDTV =/

I was JUST like you, only playing 360 / Wii / PS3, but like the song goes "You don't know what you got, til it's gone". It may hit you after a month, it may hit you after a year, but eventually, you'll realize you made a stupid decision, and most people will never be able to buy back everything they own - I know I sure can't, I won't ever see half those games again probably.

I mean, no offense, but selling it to fund a wedding, you better be 100% sure that NOTHING will ever change and that you two don't break up, because then you're out your games, and all the money. I was certain me and my fiancee would never break up, but here I am, two years later, single, barely any games, no tv, no money, and screwed. Just don't sell the collection and spend it on something so trivial, because you probably will regret it.

So that's my two cents, from someone who was in the same exact boat, and for the first few months it was awesome, having all that money for games I didn't play, but believe me, the day will come when you'll want to play something and it just will no longer be there.

This is a scenario that many have likely regretted. Interestingly enough, I recently broke up with my fiancee, who's family happens to live in NY. Luckily things never got to the point where she wanted me to sell my collection. I can imagine emotions taking over in a such a situation, making it hard to decide what to do.

The bottom line - don't sell all your stuff unless you have no other choice.

[Icarus Moonsight]

If your thinking about selling it all it's probably time to sell at least part of it. I say go for it.

[Roufuss]

This is a scenario that many have likely regretted. Interestingly enough, I recently broke up with my fiancee, who's family happens to live in NY. Luckily things never got to the point where she wanted me to sell my collection. I can imagine emotions taking over in a such a situation, making it hard to decide what to do.

The bottom line - don't sell all your stuff unless you have no other choice.

Ha, we must be soul brothers ;)

To clarify, she didn't WANT me to sell it, it never got to the point of "Hey, sell it, I hate it", but it was more like "Hey, let's move to NY, start a new life together, we can't take everything with us so maybe the money would help" but years later we would learn she really just didn't like games, and figured if she had convinced me to sell everything that I'd just "grow out of gaming"...

To her and her family, gaming was a wrong and a childish thing, yet her family were horrible drunks, and somehow, THAT was ok.

I know one guy who just recently got married (this was told to me second hand), and after they got married, his wife is in the stages of convincing him to cut out gaming as well. I don't ask the women I date to cut out shitty romance novels, or shopping, or expensive dinners that really have no lasting value because I can't fucking remember what we ate at Olive Garden a year ago, but somehow, gaming has got to go.

Funny thing was, I was upfront at the very beginning about my hobby the first time she came over, because she saw it all in my closet and I said "Yea, I game, I enjoy collecting, that's just who I am". I guess she saw dollar signs.

Wow, sorry to rant... this is just something eating away at me for a long time, and I'm glad I can talk around people who understand what it's like to sell games... because it just wasn't games, it was childhood memories, every game to me had a story whether it was that time my friends and I played SFA 3 for hours, or my first runthrough of Earthbound, or the first time someone ever did a fatality in Mortal Kombat, or the feeling of finally getting that hard to find game for dirt cheap at a pawn shop.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't change who you are or compromise yourself for anyone - as long as the guy is selling his stuff for the right reason, go for it, some people just naturally get disinterested in the hobby or collecting, and that's ok, it happened to a friend of mine, but just make you're absolutely sure this is the right decision because you can't undo what you've done.

It really just sucks that the ONLY way to rebuild my collection now is Ebay... hell, I'm lucky if I find even N64 games at pawn shops these days, and that they aren't overcharging me up the ass. Rarely I can find good deals on CL, but like I said, that's rare too.

I guess, if you were to sell it, start with the things that don't mean that much to you, things you might have just bought recently for the sake of collecting, and see how you feel about that before you move on to the sentimental stuff. My Earthbound CIB was the very last thing I ever sold, it was the hardest, and I'll never forget the heart wrenching, soul crushing feeling of boxing it up because I had a ton of awesome memories about that game as a kid.

[Chuplayer]

I say trim down for trimming down's sake. I sold a bunch of stuff to GS/EB to fund my 360, and the only games I want back are Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 and 3, Crazy Taxi 3, and Super Mario Sunshine. I don't regret selling the first two Dragon Ball Z Budokais and the first Zelda bonus disc because there's not much point to playing Budokai 1 after you complete it, I didn't like Budokai 2 that much, and I really hated the Master Quest. I completed MQ just to complete it.

If you need to sell your stuff off to fund a wedding, just spend less money on the wedding. If you need to sell your stuff off because you can't move it all, them's the breaks.

[Icarus Moonsight]

If you need to sell your stuff off to fund a wedding, just spend less money on the wedding.

:above me:

Unfortunately that power is usually outside the bailiwick of the groom-to-be. It could be a great "out" though. LOL

Better way to go would be the traditional route of wedding expense control... Tapping her parents for some cash. ;)

[EX-Soldier]

As someone who has been EXACTLY in your shoes, I will chime in with my 2 cents -

My fiancee wanted to move back to NY to be near her family, so we were going to leave FL to go up there and start a new life together. I had over 1,000 games, spread across all the "main" systems, including about 40 completely in box SNES games like every Square game, Earthbound, Pocky and Rocky series... lots of good stuff. About 90 CIB NES games, tons of Saturn imports, tons of CIB N64 games, a sealed MGS 3 LE, almost every PS1 / PS2 RPG, you name it, I had it.

So, we sold it all to finance the move, and because I couldn't bring this stuff with me, and let me tell you something - biggest mistake of my life.

I didn't play most of the shit while I had it, but to mimic what another poster said, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't want to play some old game I used to own. What's worse is that, due to my monetary situation now, buying back most of this stuff is nigh impossible since Ebay is really the only avenue I have - pawns and the like won't touch older games anymore, around here.

The fiancee and I eventually moved back from NY, because it was horrible, and then broke up, so another point is don't sell your games because someone else is telling you too, because all you will do is resent that person for the rest of your life. Then, to top it all off, she took my real nice HDTV =/

I was JUST like you, only playing 360 / Wii / PS3, but like the song goes "You don't know what you got, til it's gone". It may hit you after a month, it may hit you after a year, but eventually, you'll realize you made a stupid decision, and most people will never be able to buy back everything they own - I know I sure can't, I won't ever see half those games again probably.

I mean, no offense, but selling it to fund a wedding, you better be 100% sure that NOTHING will ever change and that you two don't break up, because then you're out your games, and all the money. I was certain me and my fiancee would never break up, but here I am, two years later, single, barely any games, no tv, no money, and screwed. Just don't sell the collection and spend it on something so trivial, because you probably will regret it.

So that's my two cents, from someone who was in the same exact boat, and for the first few months it was awesome, having all that money for games I didn't play, but believe me, the day will come when you'll want to play something and it just will no longer be there.




.....goddamn....ouch

[briskbc]

I have sold items out of necessity. Some pretty cool shit too, but it turns out I really only miss about 10% of it. It sounds like you're leaning towards selling. I would put the money into a separate account until you've really made up your mind about how you feel about the games being gone. If it turns out you have no regrets then use the cash for a big purchase. If you miss the games you will at least have the money to start over with. I find it more fun to build a collection than to stare at it.

[Mianrtcv]

Do a hit or miss list. Whatever you KNOW FOR CERTAIN there is no chance you'll play, sell it. Keep the remaining.

[tholly]

Yea...I really don't need to sell it to finance anything...it would just be nice.

At this point, I have moved into collecting DVDs....and the Criterion Collection heavily (I would love to use about 1/3 of the gaming money to work on getting all ~436 Criterions.

I have almost 800 movies now and probably close to 2,000 video gaming items (games, accessories, memorabilia, etc.). I really feel like I'm drowning in stuff (and most of it I only see a few days outta the year because it is stored at my parents.)


And yea, the SMB Pinball Machine is going nowhere!

Here would be the breakdown of how the money would be distributed if I sold:

1/3 -> The Criterion Collection & other DVDs and maybe 7.1 surround sound
1/3 -> Wedding fund, keeping any extra to put towards a house and a new or extra car
1/3 -> Savings account for a rainy day....basically this third would sit in the bank and get interest until I needed it

[Chuplayer]

:above me:

Unfortunately that power is usually outside the bailiwick of the groom-to-be. It could be a great "out" though. LOL

Better way to go would be the traditional route of wedding expense control... Tapping her parents for some cash. ;)

Seriously. If your significant other needs to have a ridiculously expensive wedding, he or she doesn't need you. Unfortunately, that rules out 95% of the people in the world.

The other 5% are smart people who say "hey, let's use this wad of cash for the down payment on our house so we don't end up so badly in debt that we're at each others' throats until we get a divorce."

Marriage is a very mental thing. If you think you're going to get by on touchy-feeliness, you're sadly mistaken.

[MeTmKnice]

Wise man say, forgiveness is devine, but never pay full price for late pizza.
I have read the initial post and some of the others.
It's not worth it to just give all your stuff up for a broad.. it's YOUR stuff! If you decide to sell any of it, do it because YOU want to. And, if you are strapped for cash, and you decide then thats up to you. Do not let someone else control what you do. I've sold/given up things for Ex's and its not worth it. For example about 7 years ago, I had a nice motorcycle, and my gf at the time, had given me the ultimatum of selling to bike or staying with her (not saying that this is your case, but just telling a story). And, of course, being the idiot I was.. sold the bike. Shortly after we ended up splitting anyways, so I didnt have her or the bike. So.. the choice is yours, you can take or leave what anyone else says but YOU and only you can make the decision. Good Luck

[classicb]

i sold most of my stuff about two years ago and haven't regretted it. I had a big move and couldn't take it with me. Parents let me store one medium size box at their house that i put a few of my old favorites in (mostly NES games). I now only have Wii, 360 and DS with only a few games for each. Having fewer games has been great because i finish most of them now.

I recently went back to my parents house for a visit and breaking out the box i put away and playing some Tecmo Super Bowl was great. I don't miss any of the games I got rid of though.

[Captain Wrong]

Yes.

Why?


Most of my collection sits unplayed, collecting dust.

[Chuplayer]

Yes.

Why?

*insert dust collecting quote*

That's what I mean, and that's why I am considering trimming the fat on my collection. I've got games I haven't played since before the turn of the millennium. I can't even remember them all. Out of all the systems I've got, I'd only consider retaining all of my DC, Saturn, and PS3 games, and PS3's only on that list because I only have three PS3 games right now. N64 almost made that list, but it gains the distinction of being the least potentially trimmed down of collections I've got. I can turn these piles of games I don't play into newer games, money for new hobbies, or money for savings. They're not doing anything for me just sitting there.

[MachineGex]

The best advice I heard on this subject was:
Wait 6 months, if you still feel the same way, then consider selling.
Not sure who posted the above advice, but it was in a topic just like this one.
So my advice: Wait a year, if you still feel the same way, you must be getting more sex than most married men.

[SpaceHarrier]

Girls come and go, but games are forever.

If you feel overwhelmed, go ahead and trim the fat CAREFULLY. I sold about 25 Dreamcast games and my entire N64 collection. I don't really regret it, except for Starfox 64 and Mario 64 which I could get on VC. If you know you will likely never get entertainment value out of a game, go ahead and ditch it. But I'd suggest not dumping a whole lot of stuff in the heat of the moment, instead weigh each game carefully. And though games are your 'storage problem' du jour, your DVD's might end up your hassle in the future. Too much stuff does feel overwhelming sometimes. I use my parents house as my "Public Storage" for games and other stuff that doesn't fit in my apartment. It's kind of a burden.. My decision is simply to buy less things in the future instead of dumping what I've got now.

[otaku]

If yo need the $ for the wedding then yes. No point in keeping stuff you don't use I say. It can always be acquired later.

[tholly]

Thing is, some games I have never played...hell, all my PS1 games (~200) have never seen a system, save for maybe 5 or 6 that I threw in just to try....and took out very quickly.

I have done huge sales of old collections in the past....sold my entire Transformers collection for about $600 and sold my entire Ghostbusters collection for about $300 (and the only time I missed them was the Transformers stuff when the movie came out recently, but only because I could have sold them for more money during the movie's popularity.)

[Roufuss]

Thing is, some games I have never played...hell, all my PS1 games (~200) have never seen a system, save for maybe 5 or 6 that I threw in just to try....and took out very quickly.

I have done huge sales of old collections in the past....sold my entire Transformers collection for about $600 and sold my entire Ghostbusters collection for about $300 (and the only time I missed them was the Transformers stuff when the movie came out recently, but only because I could have sold them for more money during the movie's popularity.)

Then if I was you, put that money into something smart like a car, or a house, or something tangible you're going to use for a long time... because it sounds like in a few years, you'll just want to sell the criterion collection for the next big fad.

Not trying to rag or anything, but taking that 1/3 you're going to spend on DVD's, and putting that into savings along with that other 1/3 already going in there is probably a better idea.

[grolt]

Just sell the Criterions. To me. :D

Honestly though, I'd get rid of movies before games because there will always be another format that will offer the same movie in a better quality, whereas with games no emulators or virtual consoles could ever improve upon the experience of firing the games up on their proper consoles.

[drewbrim]

As for my fiancee's part in this. She asked if I considered it,

You know that's code for "get rid of this crap" right?

In all seriousness if you don't think you'd miss the stuff then sell. But make sure you use the money on something better than a wedding. I say better in the sense the sense of something more tangible. If you spend the proceeds from the sale on an event (wedding, vacation, etc...) you'll regret it. Cause once it's over you won't have anything to show for your collection. I know memories, good times, blah blah blah. You'll have plenty of those anyways and you'll be able to add more each day with your wife.

My wife spent less on our wedding than many/most do, and I still think it was a waste of money. It was great and all but it's only one night, and after it's over you kinda get this "is that it" feeling. It's kinda like Christmas after you've opened all the presents, or like when you get back home from vacation and half to go to work the next day.

I sold almost my whole collection a year and a half ago, and I used the money to buy a car and put a down payment on our first house. Even though I sometimes miss the mountains of games, I'm very happy that I was able to do something so useful with the money I netted.

Good luck with your marriage and whatever you decide.

[PixelSmasher]

Eh, deleting comment.

[Cryomancer]

Consider emulation.

[SpaceHarrier]

Thing is, some games I have never played...hell, all my PS1 games (~200) have never seen a system, save for maybe 5 or 6 that I threw in just to try....and took out very quickly.

I have done huge sales of old collections in the past....sold my entire Transformers collection for about $600 and sold my entire Ghostbusters collection for about $300 (and the only time I missed them was the Transformers stuff when the movie came out recently, but only because I could have sold them for more money during the movie's popularity.)

It seems like you have either answered your own question, or maybe, you are looking for someone to talk you out of it?

If the games have no sentimental value to you..
If you don't have an interest in playing them...
If you don't have an interest in maintaining them for completist's/collector's sake....
If you'd rather have a big pile of something else lying around.....

Go ahead and sell them. Seems like you are used to the big sell-offs. At least you know another collector will be enjoying them.

(I still voted no in the poll though. I'd be a terrible politician with all this flip-flopping.)

[Damaramu]

I've always said I would never sell any part of my collection....but I've been recently considering only selling what I would consider to be the "crap" games in my collection, IE crappy sports games I picked up cheap, etc.

This would only be done to make room for more games I'd actually play.

[rpepper9]

You are going to get so many different replies to the this one (not so simple question). If you do not need the money to do something specific, then I would say don't sell. See if your parents will hold your stuff at the house. Box it up nicely so it is not taking up your old space. Because what is the point of moving out, if you still leave all your stuff there. Your parents are loosing a occupant in the house, but not gaining any space. Ask if you can leave a few boxes in the attic, and package everything up securely, come back to it later.

Maybe if you get serious with whomever you are moving out with and you do get hitched it would be a good sale for a down payment on a house. But don't throw everything away on something that is not a sure thing, not that marriage is a sure thing. Saving it an packing it away is the best way to have "no regrets".

[NYLatenite]

I've always thought about what I would do if it came down to having to part with my collection, and basically decided the following...

1.) The arcade cabinet I built from scratch isn't going to go anywhere. Ever. It's something I busted my ass to build, is something I can always look at and say "everyone said it was a crazy idea, but I still pulled it off" and just holds a lot of sentimental value to me.

2.) All my systems and games... I look at it like this - the stuff that I don't play, could replace without a huge hassle and wouldn't cost far more now than they did when I picked them up could go - if it had to - but I would hold onto the rare/valuable items I own as long as possible. Sure they'd bring the most cash in, but they'd also be the items that when I started to rebuild my collection, would be hard to find or insanely expensive.

[gum_drops]

I say trim the fat for now and keep some of the tougher to find games and the classics. Not if you dont get even a little excitement looking at any of the stuff and its been like that for several years, maybe it is time to unload it all.

[zemmix]

I was going to vote yes until I saw the part about funding a wedding then it became a strong NO. I say yes if you realize its just clutter in your life and you haven't touched it in years but to sell something, anything for a wedding is just wrong. There will always be that 'I sold my collection to pay for OUR wedding' that will turn up at some point in an argument.

[Oobgarm]

Keep what you want, get rid of the rest if youre not going to be using it. While going through it all, if you have a second thought about certain titles, act on it and keep them.

That's what I did when I pared my collection down to pretty much what I enjoyed or had sentimental attachment to, and I'm happy with the result.

[Dreamcast]

I always regret selling things, so I'd vote no unless you really need the money.


2nded


3rded

4thed