Cutting back on games? (Rant)

[The Manimal]

It's been since..oooh, October 2006 *yikes* since I've last visited here, and I'm not remembering whether or not these types of threads are frowned upon here, but thought I'd post my recent (as in past few months) thoughts for feedback. Apologies for an incoherent mess that will follow.

Do any of you ever feel the need to cut back on gaming purchases altogether? My reasons to follow. I own around 20 or 30+ (not counting variations of the same console) systems dating back as far as my first gaming experience with the VCS/2600. I admittedly do not game as much as I did in my teens, but I won't go as far as to say I've lost interest in gaming altogether. Not even close. I play games a few hours a week (though it's a very small fraction of the time spent on the internet with forums and things like Youtube). On the newer games themselves, I do not feel that they're unoriginal. So I have no gripe about that. I do think the Wii is highly original though not really my 'thing' (getting actively involved like a modern day version of the Power Pad or Power Glove)..I admit I'm a bit stubborn and prefer to stay seated, using plain ol' controllers/joypads. Here's where I think the source of my waning interest lies - and I'm not sure if these accusations are unfair or not. Complexity of games, learning curve, and minimum time required to devote to in order to enjoy. With limited time devoted to games, I tend to buy games, play them for a little bit and then put them away. Many games have a lot of dialogue resembling that of RPGs, which takes up a lot of time, and end up having to hunt down things which seems to take forever if you don't know what to look for or don't have some form of strategy guide - even for what were in previous generations, straightforward games. And with complex control schemes (holding down one button, aiming target with joystick, and firing with another - learning curve for Goldeneye was tough for me), I get frustrated much moreso than I ever did with games with bad controls like jumping in early Castlevania games or getting knocked off cliffs repeatedly (which resulted in frustration, swearing, and other anger issues. :) ).

As far as ownership goes, I have boxes of PS2, Gamecube, XBOX, and some PS1 games which remain unopened, despite owning for a however many years now. I recently held a garage sale, coming across these and questioning whether I should have even purchased them. I have less interest than when I bought them initially (and still haven't opened). When I do have the free time to game, I keep going back to my Genesis, SNES, NES, SMS, even Game Boy and 7800. Occasionally I'll turn on the Dreamcast or the PS1, but those have probably been a year since I've even touched. It's almost as if the lack of time seems to benefit these older games more, as you can pick up a quick game at the press of a button, punching thugs in Streets of Rage or a playing a quick game of Activision Tennis or Tecmo Super Bowl. Entertainment from the very start - and when you're done - power off and move on with whatever else you have to do. I think this is pretty much what it boils down to. I have probably around 1000 games or so in my guesstimation so I would never consider myself a casual game player. I own around 400 or so NES, 200 or so SNES, 100 or so each of Genesis, Game Boy, and PS1, 50 or so of VCS/7800, Dreamcast, PS2, Gamecube, etc. I'm to the point where I feel I'm more than content with what I already have, and that it's probably a waste having many of these games that sit for years on end not being played (starting with PS1 but I do love some games like Strider 2 ). And on the contrast, repeatedly going back to the same 'old' games from the 8/16-bit era over and over again, that still make up probably 95% of my gaming despite newer additions. Graphics and realism is MUCH better now - I remember thinking years back how the referee in Blades of Steel looked 'real' and that it could not look any more real in a game, and can laugh at myself for thinking that way. However, I can throw on one of the 16-bit EA NHL games and NHL 2K2 (admittedly a better game) and as far as enjoyment factor goes while playing, it's completely equal to me with no more fun gained by one over the other.

So in the end, I'm to the point of questioning whether to call it a day for the most part, limited to very few new games, with those new pickups simply being the occasional big name franchise like Mario, Zelda, Contra, Castlevania, and the like and dropping the will to check out lesser known gems in what would ultimately result in a large library of games once again. Additionally, the thought to sell off most of the games I've purchased in the past decade, since they make up a small fraction of my game playing time. It actually feels kind of pathetic and depressing that I'm actually thinking and posting about this, but I needed to get my thoughts out.

Maybe I'm getting burned out or just getting old. :(

[ssjlance]

I'm 16, and I've been collecting seriously since I was 10, and a bit since 4/6. And you know what? I have been considering selling off a lot of extra crap myself. Oh, having a large amount of stuff is cool. But why bother? I have no intention of playing much of it.

[otaku]

I only keep what I play or collect for one system till its complete/nice size then I sell I blame this on a number of factors among which are my short attention span and lack of money and space

[The Manimal]

I'll also say that many of the sealed/unplayed games aren't really 'crap' ones either. Many are highly regarded like Beyond Good & Evil and quite a few Saga and Lunar games. I question whether I'll ever get around to them..

[Steven]

We see these kind of posts every 3 months or so it seems. My stance hasn't changed. Sell whatever games you no longer have an interest in whatsoever, and keep those that do. Even if you sell 25 titles away, it's amazing what a little firesale can do to your peace of mind as well as shelf space. Now imagine selling 100 games you no longer care about!

It can be easy to burn out in this hobby, especially if you feel overwhelmed by either how much you got, or how much you have left to get. Slow down, make sure the games you DO have you actually care about, and of course, balance is everything.

[maxlords]

Yeah...I've found that my max is about 750 games tops. Once I get that many, I start to decide that I have too much stuff and the need to purge gets stronger. I've decided to cut approx. 20% from each system's games that I own over the next year or two to combat this. I'll probably never play em, so I'm gonna try them and if they don't win me over, away they go.

[evil_genius]

I felt the same way. I went through a large portion of stuff. Basically if I couldn't bring myself to sell it then I kept it and if not I sold it.

[dreamcaster]

My collection has sort of flat lined at 500-550 games at any one point. I've been getting rid of a LOT games, accessories and consoles and I find that this is the number it seems to remain at. Hoping to get enough trade value at my usual shop to get a PS3 (god knows I don't ACTUALLY want to pay real money for one :P).

[megasdkirby]

I felt that way MANY times.

Then I had a discussion with friends and family and I decided to concentrate on certain ones I want most.

I now concentrate on obtaining full sets for certain consoles. And just buy for the heck of it.

[josekortez]

I'm with the OP on the "hundreds of unopened or unplayed games" thing. Lately, since I got a pay cut at work (a long story I won't get into here) and still have to pay for my own gas to do the job, I don't have as much money to burn as I did previously, so I've been trying to focus on beating games I already own and enjoy as much as possible instead of buying new ones, although I have been able to squeeze a few new games here and there between the cheap last-gen stuff at Gamestop and clearance sales.

However, I maintain a storage unit just to keep about 70-80% of the stuff I've acquired over the past 8-10 years, and I'm sure I could save more money if I sold most of that excess and kept the money I spend on the storage unit each month, not to mention that I usually get classic games from thrifts, clean them and put them away and they never see the light of day. And for what? Just so I can tell people I own 17 or so game systems? Well, yeah, that's part of it, but I'm not even sure if it's 17 or not.

I've been meaning to take a trip to California for years because I've never been there and would like to go. I'm sure if I stopped buying games entirely and sold a good chunk of the collection off, I could probably take that trip.

[Malon_Forever]

This question pop's up when people get carried away with trying to collect games. Don't go over board. Just have a healthy dose. There can be different "doses" for people depending on your situation.

[izarate]

Well I also fall in the "too much games to realistically play them all" category. I also spend most of my gaming time going back to the SNES and Gamecube. Once in a while I'll sit down from morning to night and finish 5 or so games in a row, just to keep the backlog in check, but it isn't enough.

About the money, what I'm doing is spending more time at flea markets and garage sales. I've got amazing deals, like getting a working Saturn for $2, a TurboGrafx for $1 and some high demand games dirt cheap. Yesterday I got Chrono Trigger and Mega Man X2 for $3, just to give you a glance.

Daily I come across about 2 or 3 consoles and 10+ games worth buying. I sell the ones that I have already and from such sales the games have been paying themselves and more. Of course, this requires time that some people might not have.

I think that you've got to be more selective from now on.

[jcalder8]

For me it came down to having too many games for some systems and knowing that I'll never play them. I would rather have a few games for a bunch of different systems than a bunch of games on a handful of systems. It's all about your own collecting style.

[swlovinist]

It happens to alot of us. We collect and time goes on. We get older and situations in our life change. Things in my collection have came and went. I have went through crazy buying sessions, and then retracted for 6 months or so. I currently have a newborn son so my money has been tight.


It happens, so I would just enjoy what you have, play some fun games, and take a rest. We all get burned out and need to take a break, and there is nothing wrong with that.


This hobby drew me in for the laid back and fun approach of playing what I collect. In the end, it has to be fun doing or it is not worth it.


Take care, and enjoy some of your games. If you never buy another game but enjoy what you have then that is perfectly fine.

[Haoie]

I have cut back in recent months, as a matter of fact.

And welcome back, I think I remember you.

[boatofcar]

At first, I thought this was The Sizz back for another round.

Anyway, I sold 98% of my games last year, and I don't regret it at all. If you have something else you'd rather be doing or spending your money on, ebay is always there to buy stuff back when the urge strikes. From my old collection, I only have about 20 NES and 10 SNES games now, all of which have a lot of nostalgic value, which is why I didn't sell them.

[Peonpiate]

Beta's, 'great classic' games and extremely rare games are worth keeping..but the majority of stuff is definately easy to part with [Im looking at the Mario's and the SF2 common type games here]. Games such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III's, ie- The somewhat Rare but absolute Gems in the gameplay department, I dont think I can ever sell. They outdo thier modern counterparts to this day.

[RJ]

The Manimal said: "you can pick up a quick game at the press of a button, punching thugs in Streets of Rage or a playing a quick game of Activision Tennis or Tecmo Super Bowl. Entertainment from the very start - and when you're done - power off and move on with whatever else you have to do. I think this is pretty much what it boils down to."


Well said, & my current gaming philosophy!
-----------------------------------------

I think Im seeing a lot of people here & AA (the only other gaming forum I visit freq.) downsizing & even selling entire collections.

Personally I'll keep systems (I plan to give them to my boys when they turn 5, then one per birthday) but I also have been cutting down on games for time/space considerations. There's another topic on here somewhere asking how many games per system we have, I'm glad to say I keep that at around 25 & under.

I also dont go "hunting" for games so much anymore, again b/c of time constraints & other responsibilities, but I also talk myself out of unnecessary trips since I have enough games already.

I enjoy the Wii Virtual Console. Classic games for (mostly) reasonable $$$ that dont take up physical space. I've still been buying NES games though but I justify that by getting rid more games than I buy.

[Raedon]

There for 2 1/2 years I didn't buy any classic carts.

It wasn't only the lack of room issues with my collection. I just had the desire to play the games I already had and spend more time out on the weekends.

[The Manimal]

Thanks for all the replies thus far. It's appreciated. At this moment I am thinking of three things:

1. cut loose at end of 16-bit era - this pretty much means I have most of what I want already
2. cut loose after PS1/Saturn/N64 era - still some games I want to pick up, but not too much
3. cut loose after Dreamcast/Gamecube/XBOX/PS2 era - don't really have all that much for this gen, and this is the era I became disenchanted with. I don't know if this is because this era was the first that started while I was already an adult.


I'm thinking #2 at this point. Too many games I really like from that period, though I will rid of some. With this decision, I'll probably clear out a lot of stuff from the #3 era and just keep classic franchise games and a few new good ones like Sly and Ratchet.

[Steven]

Thanks for all the replies thus far. It's appreciated. At this moment I am thinking of three things:

1. cut loose at end of 16-bit era - this pretty much means I have most of what I want already
2. cut loose after PS1/Saturn/N64 era - still some games I want to pick up, but not too much
3. cut loose after Dreamcast/Gamecube/XBOX/PS2 era - don't really have all that much for this gen, and this is the era I became disenchanted with. I don't know if this is because this era was the first that started while I was already an adult.


I'm thinking #2 at this point. Too many games I really like from that period, though I will rid of some. With this decision, I'll probably clear out a lot of stuff from the #3 era and just keep classic franchise games and a few new good ones like Sly and Ratchet.


There you go. I agree, it's either 1 or 2.... 2 is probably what's right for you. Screw #3, since you became uninterested with that period of games.

Manageable goals are key in preventing a feeling of burn-out.

[BydoEmpire]

I've definitely cut back lately. First, I don't have enough time for the games I already have. Second, with a baby on the way, and the price of everything shooting up I need money for other things. I did sell a couple systems a few years ago that I never played and didn't want to collect for anymore. I also used the money for a very specific project, so I still feel good about that decision.

By the way, I remember watching Manimal on the black-and-white TV I had growing up. For some reason I had it in my bedroom... it was an old living room "console" TV where the beam would shrink to a dot in the center of the screen when you turned it off. So cool. I think I played a lot of 2600 Vanguard on that TV...

[Ed Oscuro]

This question pop's up when people get carried away with trying to collect games. Don't go over board. Just have a healthy dose. There can be different "doses" for people depending on your situation.
Of course, some people don't take the time to consider what is "healthy" for them until they've built up some debt or thrown a bunch of money at garbage they can't resell.

Like me! ;)

[vintagegamecrazy]

I'm feeling that stress of collecting too, I'm in the boat of wanting to restructure my collection. I love collecting consoles and having a few games for each one and now I have 55+ consoles. I love collecting for 16 bit and under consoles compulsively but still can help but buy games for newer consoles. I may sell off the newer consoles and keep the old ones and complete several game collections for each one, it would make the collection grow in quality instead of quantity and not cost anything from my wallet.

[SegaAges]

Do what I started doing, only buy games that are super rare or something you really want. You buy the rare ones to help you realize what it is you are buying.

Let's see, this is all I have bought within about the last month:
Trick 'N Snowboard (PS1) - bought it cuz it is the sequel to Steep Slope Sliders
Jack Bros (VB) - Rare game
Titan AE Demo Disc (PS1) - Rare game
Taz-Mania (GEN) - had a buttload of fun playing it when I was a kid

There are some DC games I got from Bisco a little over a month ago, but that was 3 games and a web browser, and this thread is about you, and not what I have bought. I just put it in to express a point.

I make a really good chunk of money every month, and could go all ape shit and buy more than 4-7 games a month, but I only buy what I want now, not what is on sale or some random find.

Also, one thing that will help you, do mini collections. I started the Sega X-Box 360 mini collection, but realized that some of the games cost too much right now, so I am switching it up to the From Software X-Box 360 mini collection. Why? There are only, I think, 4 or 5 games released on 360 right now from From Software and I already have 2 of them.

Small Mini-collections for current gen games does make collecting fun again. You are not trying to just get everything you can, you are getting extremely specific, and normally most mini collections are small, so you learn alot about a small number of games. You should try that. Just find a company you like games for (you might not want to do a ea or ubisoft mini collection, that would suck) and then proceed to collect games for it.

I bet a Team Ninja mini collection would be stellar. I am not a huge Team Ninja fan, but many people are. That is just an example. I have learned a buttload about availability and pricing for Sega games on 360 since I started that mini collection.

Really, try it, you will find that you are spending much less money, but having a really fun time collecting. Also, nobody said it had to be all current gen. Maybe get every megaman for NES or something. The possibilities are endless, but mini collections are awesome.

[Trebuken]

Gaming is either an Obsession, a Hobby, a Past-time or a diversion. pick one and arrange your collection to match.

A good collection can also be an investment, so don't rush to sell it.

Is there a hobby or interest that is more important to you than gaming? are you working too much and can't spend time gaming? Is your family requiring all of your time? Are you ultimately just wasting time surfing the web and posting messages when you should be gaming?

Playing games is more important then stock-piling.

[GreatBazunka]

I myself have thought of this predicament but always disregarded it. There was a time that I was buying everi Wii game I thought looked cool and then I wouldn't play them becuase I got too many. But video games are awesome, and to me they are life. I collect Nintendo and have a few other systems, but I am deffinitly a Nintendo fanboy. I have every system from Nintendo and an extensive game collection for NES which I am currently working on. I have been making a lot of video game purchases lately and i don't regret any of them. I have to do my spending now while i can because i have the money and no bills (im 21 i live at home). But this is not all for nothing. I want the most extensive Nintendo collection that I can have and I am also trying to beat everything i can, starting with NES, so they arent just sitting around in some cluttered storage space. Space is not an issue for me eigther, I will continue to collect games and will always find room. Again, I love video games and not only is it a hobby, but it is a life style. Check out my site at www.theranthive.com (http://www.theranthive.com) to see my collection and progress on beating all the games. As me and my associate beat the games, we record the endings and post them on the site. Remember, stay true to your gaming nature and never give it up.\\^_^/

P.S. mine is an obsession

[GreatBazunka]

Playing games is more important then stock-piling.

SO TRUE!8-)

[rupert]

I only 'collect' for one system and it has got to the stage where I only make 1 or 2 purchases for it per month. It's at a managable size that fits in one small room.

For other consoles i just get games I want to play or the odd few bargains for re-sale or trade reasons. I do need to scale this bit down, actually doing a car boot sale (yard sale in 'american') on Sunday so hope to shift 50%.

If I ever got bored of collecting and couldnt see myself getting re-interested i'd just sell up totally. But I think I love it too much and it doesnt get in the way of REAL life :)

[jdc]

I think that it's good to "dump and reshuffle" every once in a while. I have a PS3 that I've made a concious effort not to go on buying binges for. I've held it at a very good library (no filler junk) of between 25 and 30 games for it. I WILL buy more regularly for my original Xbox and PSX though, since you can get all of the great games (once again, no filler junk) for those systems for a very few dollars. I seldom see any great Dreamcast or N64 stuff any more, so that solves that problem. My PSP is rarely treated to new software.

[RJ]

25-30 PS3 games w/ no "filler junk"? I didn't know there were that many good PS3 games. Though I don't pay much attention to the current-gen systems, except for the Wii.

I commend you, my good man.

[PixelSmasher]

I don't bother collecting games anymore. I'm clearing everything out except for the stuff with sentimental value, and the games that are both good and don't take up that much space for a few core systems. Some of the stuff has sat in my frontroom for three or four years, collecting a layer of dust, not having been touched. I don't see the point anymore of hording games; I have too many real things happening in my life that are both more fulfilling and more deserving of my attention.

[SpaceHarrier]

I refuse to get rid of any part of my collection. Still, I've slowed way down since my 2005-2007 binge. Not that my "binge" can compare to the hardcore collectors here, but for me it was a lot back then. Now I'm back to the 'meh' state of 2003-2004. Looking forward to finding a Wii in the wild for a non-bend-you-over package price, though. I mostly plan on buying VC games, however.

I still pick up a PS2 or NES game here and there. My PSP is hungry for some games too. It will likely be starved for some time, I think..

[PsychedelicShaman]

I'm currently trying to come up with a good budget and figure out why I've been spending so much money. I know I spend way too much on games, but when I look through my paypal log and remember all the stuff I bought, I just think about how awesome my purchases are. Part of me will always want to keep my collection, and part of me will always want to sell it off. I'm just glad that the part of me that wants to sell is also very lazy:)

[The Manimal]

Update: I gathered up most of my PS1 and Dreamcast games last night. It's surprising how many of the PS1 games I own are RPGs. Probably about half - with the other half being stuff like Ridge Racers, puzzle games, and some platformers and shooters. I am actually getting the urge to purge earlier than before...perhaps to the 16-bit system point. Many of these are really good games (the RPGs) - but there's just so many RPGs and RPGs require so many hours to devote to them. I honestly don't know if I have enough time in my life to get around to playing through them all. I'll be 30 in about 2 years but I still don't know if I'll get to playing some of these by the time I'm 50 - there's just so many of them. :( I do want them, but it's kind of a shame to have games (Brave Fencer Mushashi or Parasite Eve, for example) that I may never get around to actually playing, that'll just sit there for years on end.


I'll be posting a list here in the next few days of what I have from PS1 to present...curious about valuation on some of these - particularly for sealed titles. If there's a huge premium for certain games being sealed (to where they also have little value used), it might be cost efficient to sell the sealed copies and make some money since I never got around to opening some of them, and probably be able to pick the same titles up used and still have plenty left. I even have a sealed PSone with LCD screen! This needs to go - not sure if I'd get back what I paid for it. Funny that I have a copy of Suikoden II here. I don't recall ever playing this, and I dont' remember if I bought it new or not. Probably should've left it sealed if so!

[megasdkirby]

Gaming is either an Obsession, a Hobby, a Past-time or a diversion. pick one and arrange your collection to match.

A good collection can also be an investment, so don't rush to sell it.

Is there a hobby or interest that is more important to you than gaming? are you working too much and can't spend time gaming? Is your family requiring all of your time? Are you ultimately just wasting time surfing the web and posting messages when you should be gaming?

Playing games is more important then stock-piling.

Excellent post.

I find it completely odd that people simply buy to collect and not enjoy their games. I know many who purchased just to have them yet they never even touch them. Then what for? So it can look good?

I buy my games to play and to make sure I get my money's worth. I will admit that I am guilty of getting rare games "just because" and barely playing with them. But at least I do play them every now and then. Now if it's a great, rare game, heck yeah I will play as much of it as possible.

Kinda off topic, but this reminds me of collectors that find rare prototypes and refuse to dump them because they fear it will get "lower it's value". Yet they never play it. The game was meant to be enjoyed, not gather dust in a basement or in a crummy box. Besides, the game won't last forever, specially if it's an EEPROM, so why not "dump it"? That way, everyone can enjoy the game and it will not detract in value...the original is still the originally, no matter how many copies are made. I just hope that one day, the folks who have games like Pink Panther for 2600 and Charlie Brown for 2600 realize this...before it's too late and the game gets lost forever... :(

Anyway, going back to topic, I only collect for certain consoles at this time. Once I finish that, or if I only need a certain amount of titles, I will try for another console. But I only try for consoles I can reach, realistically. I don't try for a complete 2600 because I know I can't. But that does not mean I won't enjoy it.

Play games to have fun...isn't that the entire purpose?

[Berserker]

I find it completely odd that people simply buy to collect and not enjoy their games.

Ah, but what's not to say that collecting is simply another way for people to enjoy their games? Not to mention that playing and collecting are by no means mutually exclusive.

[megasdkirby]

Ah, but what's not to say that collecting is simply another way for people to enjoy their games? Not to mention that playing and collecting are by no means mutually exclusive.

I see your point, but I dunno, I see it that if a person is a game collector, they should like games and play them. A rock/stamp/etc collector gets them and maintain them.

But yeah, you are right. Not everyone buys to play them. I still find this odd, but heck, "to everyone their own" (is that the correct quote?)

[Steven]

But yeah, you are right. Not everyone buys to play them. I still find this odd, but heck, "to everyone their own" (is that the correct quote?)


Close, mate. It's "to each his own."

[Berserker]

But yeah, you are right. Not everyone buys to play them. I still find this odd, but heck, "to everyone their own" (is that the correct quote?)

More precisely, what I meant was "Not everyone buys just to play them." In other words, one doesn't necessarily stop playing video games when they start collecting them. Here's a scenario that'll hopefully drive the point home:

Let's say you really love video games and play them every day. One day you pick up the last 2 games you were missing of a series just to complete that series. Maybe you'll play them soon, maybe later, or maybe much MUCH later, but the point is that buying them on that criteria enters you into the realm of collecting. Does it make you any less of a player; does it change the fact that you play video games every day? Of course not. The only thing that changes is that you're now a player, AND a collector.

Playing and Collecting are not mutually exclusive, which means that you don't have to lose one when you take up the other. So as well as playing the games, they also enjoy simply having them. I think that's where most video game collectors tend to fall.

[SpaceHarrier]

I can certainly understand that there are people here that enjoy collecting and find pleasure just in the having of a collection (for example, factory sealed sets).

But I was one of those "stockpilers" keeping everything for the rainy day when I "couldn't afford games". I found that aside from the slight high one gets when purchasing something they want, the collection aspect of it actually makes me nervous, as the items add up, take alot of space, and I always worry about them being stolen. By the way, that "rainy day" never comes. I always find a way to get ahold of a game I want.

[josekortez]

But I was one of those "stockpilers" keeping everything for the rainy day when I "couldn't afford games".

I was one of those stockpilers last year when I had a job where I made more money. Now, I'm enduring that rainy day you mentioned. Thankfully, I have plenty of games from that prosperous time that I can enjoy now that I have more free time.

[Felixthegamer]

Except for a few games such as Mario, Metroid, I have stopped buying new games. Most of them just don't do it for me. I stopped going to gamestop because I would always find something new that looked fun. I would get home, put it on, play an hour or two and that would be it.

I stepped back and started just focusing on the games and classic systems I know I will have fun with. Stick with what you know will be fun.

[NayusDante]

Here's my personal collecting strategy:

I VERY SELDOM buy games new. When I do, it's usually release day. Stuff like Katamari, Spore, Metal Gear, FFXI expansions, and that's about it. I plan to get Armored Core For Answer and Mega Man 9 when they come out, but that's all I'm looking forward to right now. Still debating Chrono Trigger DS, because I want to show my support for Chrono Break to go back into dev, but I don't want to spend $40.

As for used games, I have three thrifts I go to, a Play N Trade, and the flea market. At the thrifts, I don't spend more than $3 on any game, unless I'm LOOKING for that game. Anything I'm not specifically looking for, I'll only get it if I know it's worth more than that, or if it looks unique or interesting. I pass up any generic action games, sports, and cart/CD only unless it's REALLY cheap. I refuse to get anything CD that isn't CIB unless it's PC. I'm more lenient at the library bookstore, they don't have as much and they're generally cheaper. At Play N Trade, same rules, but a bit stricter. There's tons of NES games in a $5 bin, but I pass them up because I'm not LOOKING for any of them. I picked up a few that were $3 and $1 each, because that's cheap enough, and I only got the interesting looking ones. I paid $10 for The Immortal in the box because I'm LOOKING for boxed NES games. At the Flea Market, I try to keep an idea in mind of what I want to leave with. Today, I wanted to find something neat that was Sega related, so I focused on finding that.

Decide what you'll "pick up" and what you're 'looking for." I'll pick up anything under $5 that looks interesting, and I'll get whatever I'm looking for if it's a good rate. Avoid GameStop, unless you're looking for what they have. I made the mistake of stopping there on the way home from work the other day, and walked out with five interesting looking last-gen games, when I'm trying to focus on older stuff.


As for storage, you don't have to display everything. Click the link in my signature and check the photo of my shelves on my RFG profile. I have EVERYTHING on those two shelves, aside from a few recent PC games and the PC games I don't have cases for, which all fit in a binder that I could just stick on top. I crammed everything in by stacking without labels facing out. I need to rearrange some stuff, but almost all of my collection fits, and I'm up to 500-something.

[The Manimal]

Update: I finally posted a list of what I have...

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122604

[josekortez]

I'm glad I finally took my own advice and spent time playing games that I already own. Tonight, I played a bunch of NES games I had picked up at thrifts over the past three years and never tried other than testing them after cleaning them. Over the weekend, I played several fighting games and shoot-em-ups on the PS1. In both cases, I had as much fun as I used to have spending time and money to hunt!

Now that I've moved into a better apartment, I'll have more time to devote to the ones I'd already bought and I've decided to spend more time doing so. Finally, I have enough space to play DDR at home the way it was intended. Otherwise, it's like what's the point of spending all this money on all these games that I don't plan to use?

On the other hand, I bought a few more clearance games today that I didn't think I'd see for that price again, so I suppose I didn't really maintain the whole "no buying" thing...

[NayusDante]

I've been having a lot of moments where I find myself saying "hey, I forgot that PLAYING games was FUN! THIS is FUN!" Granted, I don't really get the feeling from newer games, since those just give me a feeling of "this is cool, what they're doing now. I feel entertained for what I paid." I can only get pumped over the old stuff, but I suppose that's better.

[Zing]

I have managed to keep myself with just a PS1/PS2 collection. I have about 50 games total with only a handful "completed". Like you, almost all of the PS1 games are RPGs. I bought a Wii early this year, but the game selection is so terrible that it is easy to keep that down to a handful.

However, I recently bought a couple of the Japanese white Gamecube controllers, so I had a burst of Gamecube game purchases on Ebay. I also discovered GBA games thanks to a DS which I purchased a few months ago, so I rapidly built up about 15 GBA games. However, I made an internal decision to only buy first party Nintendo games and only the AAA titles. These two restrictions have reduced the stress immensely.

At one point I did have a large NES collection, but when I would sit down to play it, it made me realize that I was sitting on a large amount of money for the amount of enjoyment I got. The collection was mainly sentimental. I still had all of the NES games I purchased in my youth, complete in boxes. After one particular Ebay buying spree (which actually happened while I was on my month honeymoon in Hawaii, thanks to a web-based sniping site) I realized how truly ridiculous it was to have games worth $40 that I played for only 5 minutes at a time. I sold it all.

I honestly have no idea when/if I will ever get around to playing any of the PS1 games. Even the PS2 games have taken a back seat to the DS/GBA. I figure I am set for games for life now.

[NayusDante]

Limiting youself to first-party "AAA" titles isn't really a good idea. There's SO much other stuff out there, and you're really missing out on all the more varied stuff.

[cyberfluxor]

You know, spending all the time and money finding games then asking "what should I play and sell?" is quite lazy and a bit lame. I don't understand why you'd want a community of various gamers to decide what you should just part with, potentially at losses too. The best true advice in my opinion, just play them. Give each game about 2 hours and decide whether it's a keeper. It may take a long time to do this, but at least you're getting use out of your collection. Maybe instead try asking what games you should try first or decide to beat some regardless of how painful it is. Make it more amusing since you've dedicated something to obtain these titles. Embrace what effort the developement teams put into that package for gamers around the world, or at least North America.

Good luck and God speed.

[Steven]

You know, spending all the time and money finding games then asking "what should I play and sell?" is quite lazy and a bit lame. I don't understand why you'd want a community of various gamers to decide what you should just part with, potentially at losses too. The best true advice in my opinion, just play them. Give each game about 2 hours and decide whether it's a keeper. It may take a long time to do this, but at least you're getting use out of your collection.


Exactly. I never understood topics along the lines of "Which games should I sell?" or the dreadful "Rate my collection please!" or even "What games am I missing?"

Who cares what someone else thinks about your collection, and the games you're "missing" are the ones that interest you but you have yet to buy. Because I might hate Game X, but you end up loving it, and vice versa. Same with which games to sell. Play it and YOU decide. Just a minor pet peeve, s'all

[Zing]

Limiting youself to first-party "AAA" titles isn't really a good idea. There's SO much other stuff out there, and you're really missing out on all the more varied stuff.

I don't know about you, but I barely have enough time to play the 6 Wii games, 8 Gamecube games, 20 DS games, 18 GBA games, and 40 PS1/PS2 games I own.

I don't have the free time to play games that are just "good" or "unique".

[josekortez]

You know, spending all the time and money finding games then asking "what should I play and sell?" is quite lazy and a bit lame. I don't understand why you'd want a community of various gamers to decide what you should just part with, potentially at losses too. The best true advice in my opinion, just play them. Give each game about 2 hours and decide whether it's a keeper. It may take a long time to do this, but at least you're getting use out of your collection. Maybe instead try asking what games you should try first or decide to beat some regardless of how painful it is. Make it more amusing since you've dedicated something to obtain these titles. Embrace what effort the developement teams put into that package for gamers around the world, or at least North America.

Good luck and God speed.

I agree with cyberfluxor on several points, but I don't necessarily agree with the statement about it being "lazy" to ask more knowledgable people about what to collect. After owning the hundreds of games in my collection, I have learned that a lot of the development teams are truly the lazy ones.

Sometimes, I will find a gem like Burnout Revenge, Dragon Quest VIII, Yakuza or Persona 3 that I don't mind putting dozens of hours into or even a good short diversion like a Puzzle Star Sweep or Pipe Dreams 3D, just to name a few. Yet, many of the games I own aren't worth getting through the title screen since it's obvious that a lot of games are retreads or were done hastily to meet a release date.

The problem is that some of us collector-player types can't help buying more games when we know that we really don't need them and probably won't ever get around to them. I know for a fact that I couldn't possibly finish, much less play, every game I own, but somehow I know I feel better just knowing that I own certain games.

On top of that, since most people have a limited budget to spend on games every month, they probably feel that it's necessary to ask other people what they should buy or focus on since they are confident that there are other DP members who are more knowledgable about a system's library than they might be.

That's one reason why I like this site and have been coming back for so many years. I probably know more about games than most of my friends and co-workers and I even write about games professionally for a weekly magazine, but I know that I can always learn more about the history of games by frequenting this site. Sometimes, learning about a system's library, capabilities and storied history is more exciting to me than actually playing the games themselves.

What was the point of my response? I'm not really sure, but I know that I probably wouldn't have made it my mission to pick up an Atari Jaguar this past weekend if I hadn't read about the system on DP and discovered that Raiden got released on that particular system.

[cyberfluxor]

josekortez:
I see your perspective on this. I'm confident many of the games in his collection have been discussed before. Of those not on the DP forums more than likely can be found in the review sections or on other Websites if it came down to it. Regardless though, experiences are different among us and straight gameplay is the best source you can have. If game selection is being cut back then the best bet is to figure it out on your own. If all you want are quickie jolts of entertainment then keep the older Atari stuff, or long adventures then hold onto the epical RPGs. That's just my take on it though.

[The Manimal]

You know, spending all the time and money finding games then asking "what should I play and sell?" is quite lazy and a bit lame. I don't understand why you'd want a community of various gamers to decide what you should just part with, potentially at losses too. The best true advice in my opinion, just play them. Give each game about 2 hours and decide whether it's a keeper. It may take a long time to do this, but at least you're getting use out of your collection. Maybe instead try asking what games you should try first or decide to beat some regardless of how painful it is. Make it more amusing since you've dedicated something to obtain these titles. Embrace what effort the developement teams put into that package for gamers around the world, or at least North America.

Good luck and God speed.

I bought many of these games 4-5 years ago, and haven't gotten around to playing them. I did buy them at the time with intentions to play them, but I've realized that with age comes less to time to play. I haven't gotten around to it now, and I'm not so sure I'll ever get around to it I don't want to sit around on what now feels more like clutter than anything else. So I'm looking for input on what games are really THAT good - good enough to justify space taken up - and get rid of everything else. I'm very selective now, but wasn't then. Since I haven't opened many of these, I figure resale would be at least slightly better if they were still sealed than if they were actually sucky games which I'd end up selling quickly after at a greater loss.

[NayusDante]

The games that are THAT good are the ones that you personally feel were THAT good. Hype is just a measure of money that advertisers spend. There's also rare and sought-after games that aren't really worth playing. Just play and collect a variety, and keep what you find more interesting. If something feels generic, ordinary, or you just don't enjoy it, THOSE are the kind of games that you should get rid of.

[Overbite]

My "collecting" (which was pretty much just buying games I intended to play and not buying it just to have it sitting around) has slowed quite a bit. I don't buy old games anymore because my only tv is an HDTV and they look horrible on it. Also I used to be able to go into a game store and walk out with 1-2 ps2 games but now I rarely buy games. I have all the ones I want.

Sometimes I'll buy a new game but it's rare. I have plenty of games to play anyway.