No one collects as kids just play videogames

[Buyatari]

After reading this article you have to wonder how the author couldn't have come to the conclusion that perhaps videogames were a growing collectable. No you have to STOP playing videogames in order to collect what you enjoy as a kid...........hmm.


http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0112/p17s01-lifp.html

[zektor]

I wonder how long it will take before collecting video games is considered a "traditional" hobby. I mean, hell, they have been around for over three decades! Morons...

[Fuyukaze]

From what I could tell, the article didnt miss much. Most kids these days either cant afford to collect or have little motivation to. Sure, it didnt mention games as being a collectable but beyond a passing refrence, it didnt mention it at all. Didnt mention anime either but that's still considered something one could collect as well.

[Xander]

People collect for three reasons – nostalgia, decorative purposes, and investment, says Gary Sohmers of Framingham, Mass., who appraises collectibles for the Antiques Roadshow on PBS.

And nobody collect games to play them.

[Daria]

Kid's now just collect Pokemon cards. :P

Seriously though I see kids at school with collections all the time. Things like sports cards, garbage pail kids stickers, bakugons (SP?), and CTGs are all very popular. Stamps just doesn't have the flashy marketing appeal of these other items. But as far as I'm concerned the collecting bug can be satisfied with any object, kids aren't different today because stamps aren't popular. Kids are the same because they still have the urge to collect something.

[Arcade Antics]

Most kids today don't collect stamps and baseball cards as their parents once did. Does it matter?
No. In what universe could it possibly matter?

Seriously, was this article written 20 years ago and just edited recently so that "the internet" is included as the evil that killed stamp and coin collecting? I guess the internet also killed off copying historic book pages with an inkwell and a quill by candlelight.

[titanzguard]

I myself have quite a big collection of baseball(Well Sports) cards and starting lineups. When I was younger it was cool to collect cards and trade with friends. In the day we live in now, everyone wants something to be of value "Now" and willing to sell it as soon as it has some sort of value. I have met a few other collectors like myself who collect because they like to bring back part of their childhood and like to see where the games we play today come from. Trust me, I have heard it a hundred times that collecting old game systems and games that no one wants is a waste of space and money. But I enjoy it and thats all that matters. I guess the real point I was trying to make is kids today just dont seem as interested in collecting things. They would rather hang out on myspace or text on their blackberry phones.

[TheRealist50]

video games are the root of all evil...the internet is the devil that ruins everything...yeah yeah we heard it all before, get in line.

[TonyTheTiger]

Nobody is going to collect something that they don't like for reasons beyond just the collecting itself. People collect cereal boxes. That's not exactly considered "traditional" even though cereal has been around since the end of the Civil War. So I don't think the age of something factors into whether or not it's considered a traditional collectible. The reason why coins and baseball cards are thought of as "traditional" is because of both the sheer number of collectors out there and the publicity surrounding the "value" of some of these items. Relatively few people know or care about some uber rare yet random NES game but who wouldn't shit himself if he saw an autographed Mickey Mantle rookie card? Same goes for comics. Everybody knows who Superman is so Action Comics #1 is going to be a big deal to anybody. And coins can have impressive historical significance which is something many other collectibles lack.

[MrSparkle]

problem with stamps.... no one uses regular mail anymore. you can thank electronic communications in their many forms for that. Problem with coins... there is none kids still collect coins in whatever capacity they can. Problem with baseball cards... once again none this is definitely still alive and kicking. The only real loser here is stamps because well theyre used a hell of alot less than they used to be. As mentioned above collectible card games are a big ticket item for the kids these days with pokemon being one of the more popular, but lets not forget magic the gathering (a game that is actually fun to play!). Comic books are definitely a big collectible as well. Honestly i just disagree with that article as a whole kids love to collect things.

[Buyatari]

Collectables are things we don't need but we still amass because we enjoy them.

Not seeing the forest for the trees, this article is saying that a younger generation won't collect because in general children don't like the same things that their parents enjoy. The children of today couldn't possibly grow up and collect the things that they play with because those aren't consider collectables by their parents. So these children won't collect anything. Then the article goes on to imply that this is a bad thing somehow if a generation of children aren't fixated on amassing items of little practicle value and that the internet and videogames have caused this damage.

While coin collecting may in fact be the first collectable, collecting comics has only recently become an "accepted" hobby. Go look back and see how much the first copy of Superman would have set your family back had they bought one the year you were born. Then go kick them in nuts for not having the forsight to buy into a then non-established hobby.

[Aussie2B]

I was obsessed with collecting things as a little kid. Pencils, pens, stickers, keychains, trading cards, you name it. I'd venture to say that kids probably get more excited about collecting random things than adults.

[Buyatari]

Nobody is going to collect something that they don't like for reasons beyond just the collecting itself. People collect cereal boxes. That's not exactly considered "traditional" even though cereal has been around since the end of the Civil War. So I don't think the age of something factors into whether or not it's considered a traditional collectible. The reason why coins and baseball cards are thought of as "traditional" is because of both the sheer number of collectors out there and the publicity surrounding the "value" of some of these items. Relatively few people know or care about some uber rare yet random NES game but who wouldn't shit himself if he saw an autographed Mickey Mantle rookie card? Same goes for comics. Everybody knows who Superman is so Action Comics #1 is going to be a big deal to anybody. And coins can have impressive historical significance which is something many other collectibles lack.

Collecting coins is the oldest hobby.

It started back when they 1st minted coins. A single coin now has value and your "collection" back then was your net worth. Everyone saved them because you needed the coins to pay for goods. If you were one of the few who had a few more coins then you needed to live what did you do, give those ones away? I imagine many would count them, stack them and with fakes out there they would look each one over pretty good. If you came across a new coin it wouldn't be the first one you spent. You would start to spend just your doubles and keep all unique coins that passed over your hands. Then perhaps compare your coins with those of others in your position and trade.

I don't think the coin collecting hobby will ever go away. From the history of nations to the real value of gold they have also proven to be a hedge some investors use in portfolios. Even if every nation switches to an all electronic money system those old gold and silver coins will be collectable.

[Aussie2B]

Plus they were useful for paying for the oldest profession. :P

[The 1 2 P]

The christian science monitor? Are we suppose to take them seriously?

[Jorpho]

As Watson explains, "Getting kids interested in 'traditional' hobbies can be very difficult because we are competing with video games, skateboards, and TV."Yah, let's go ride skateboards.


When Mr. Heffner was 10, he bought a box of baseball cards and stored it, unopened, under his bed until he turned 18. "I knew the cards would be worth more if the box remained unopened," he says. "I paid about $6 for that box of cards and sold it eight years later for $500. I don't know if kids today have that same discipline."Can someone else figure out exactly what this is supposed to mean? It eludes me.

[Arcade Antics]

When Mr. Heffner was 10, he bought a box of baseball cards and stored it, unopened, under his bed until he turned 18. "I knew the cards would be worth more if the box remained unopened," he says. "I paid about $6 for that box of cards and sold it eight years later for $500. I don't know if kids today have that same discipline."


Can someone else figure out exactly what this is supposed to mean? It eludes me.

It means a couple of things:

1) kids today do not have the discipline to earn $6

2) "Mr. Heffner" (if he even exists) is a liar and never sold his box of baseball cards for $500

[Gameguy]

As Watson explains, "Getting kids interested in 'traditional' hobbies can be very difficult because we are competing with video games, skateboards, and TV."
What's traditional? Comic books were originally disliked by parents and many were destroyed(stories were about violence and murder). That's why a lot are rare and valuable today, not a lot were kept.

I collected rocks and four leaf clovers as a kid, and comic books. :)

Why would people collect sports cards these days? What atheletes are real role models now? I do sense a lot of anti-internet motives behind the article, people aren't collecting stamps anymore because you can actually find information about it easily online and learn about it, OMG!!.


In addition, today's instant-gratification culture does not allow for the gradual appreciation of collected items. When Mr. Heffner was 10, he bought a box of baseball cards and stored it, unopened, under his bed until he turned 18. "I knew the cards would be worth more if the box remained unopened," he says. "I paid about $6 for that box of cards and sold it eight years later for $500. I don't know if kids today have that same discipline."
I'm not sure what that discipline is, to own something and not enjoy it so you can profit on it later? Are kids not as greedy/anal-retentive these days?

This article really felt like Seinfeld, pointless and about nothing. Was it complaining that kids aren't buying enough stupid shit like in the past? Wouldn't parents have to give the kid money to buy those baseball cards or whatever else?


Can someone else figure out exactly what this is supposed to mean? It eludes me.
Adults always think kids suck. It's a long standing tradition.



"You kids today with those Comic Books, they're full of evil!!"

"You kids today with your crazy Swing music!!"

"You kids today with your Rock and Roll devil music!!"

"You kids today, all lazy hippies like those crazy Beatles!! Get a job!!"

"You kids today with Disco and Star Wars!!"

"You kids today with your crazy new computers, what's all that shit for? Read a book!!"

"You kids today with your Saturntendostations and Pokemon!!"

"You kids today with your iPods and Youtube!!"

[Kid Fenris]

How DARE this article not acknowledge the minor pop culture cul-de-sac of my chosen collecting venue!

[Nirvana]

Kids have more time to just play games >_>

[klausien]

Kids play; adults collect. That's the general vibe, though kids also collect (I did). The article is tangential. In general, we get no respect because it's considered childish to collect video games (which is understandable). Play is PLAY; which is what children do. Regardless, we are a niche group. Fuck 'em.

[k8track]

Plus they were useful for paying for the oldest profession. :P

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?


"You kids today with those Comic Books, they're full of evil!!"

"You kids today with your crazy Swing music!!"

"You kids today with your Rock and Roll devil music!!"

"You kids today, all lazy hippies like those crazy Beatles!! Get a job!!"

"You kids today with Disco and Star Wars!!"

"You kids today with your crazy new computers, what's all that shit for? Read a book!!"

"You kids today with your Saturntendostations and Pokemon!!"

"You kids today with your iPods and Youtube!!"

"You kids today with your laser tomahawks and severed hobo clown heads!"

Will my projections be accurate? Now we play the waiting game.

[chrisbid]

i collected baseball cards in the 80's, and publishers saw gold, overproduced the cards, charged a price most kids could not afford, and bubble-inflated the trading value of the cards (like with real estate this decade). baseball cards from the late 80's are probably worth less now than they were worth when they were printed.

i wonder if cell phones and ipods will become collectable?

[Buyatari]

Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?


Well.......... when you add up all you spend to lure in and maintain a cow vs the price of a cup of milk.

[cyberfluxor]

I love this quote:

David Steinberger of New York, who collected comics when he was a boy, finds that comic book collectors today are generally viewed as an aging population. "Younger comic book readers generally don't view it as a collecting passion, but as a reading passion," he says. "Younger readers are more likely to buy collected editions or even download illegal copies online."
Yes, I buy comic books to read and enjoy, then I hang onto them so I can read and enjoy them again another day. And although I could download them I like physical reading material that I can take to a recliner under a lamp at a silent end of the house without the sound of electrical buzzing from monitors or computer fans. Sorry I am buying your comic books from the thrift stores before you or other "collectors."

[Haoie]

Oh boy, I still wouldn't mind being a kid again.

[Dobie]

People collect for many reasons, but I think most people collect things they enjoy. Kids today collect, but different things than I or the article's author may deem a "collectable." I used to collect Baseball cards as a kid... but as I recall, overproduction and the advent of grading services ruined it for me. I think its safe to say, adults tend to ruin kid's fun.

I collect games because I enjoy the hobby and the history, but also partially because many people still haven't attached the "collectable" tag to them. I can still go to a thrift store or yard sale and find old games without stickers proclaiming "OMG this is RARE!!" and inflated prices slapped on it. You can't do that with baseball cards or stamps.

[Game Freak]

I collect coins, Pokemon cards, Pokemon merchandise, SNES games, and basically everything pertaining to video games I can possibly find.

[Sinnbox]

As a kid I actualy collected games!! I always thoguht my friends were retarded to trade all their games in for other games, I kept most of my games untill I was in college and hard up for cash...traded them all for a Gamecube and some xbox games right before Babages went under....I found the recipt a year ago and saw that I had traded several games for $0.50-$2.00 that now go for over $100 on Ebay!!




Adults always think kids suck. It's a long standing tradition.



"You kids today with those Comic Books, they're full of evil!!"

"You kids today with your crazy Swing music!!"

"You kids today with your Rock and Roll devil music!!"

"You kids today, all lazy hippies like those crazy Beatles!! Get a job!!"

"You kids today with Disco and Star Wars!!"

"You kids today with your crazy new computers, what's all that shit for? Read a book!!"

"You kids today with your Saturntendostations and Pokemon!!"

"You kids today with your iPods and Youtube!!"


Not to be opffensive but I actualy heard this the other day!!
"You Kids...with your black presidents...."

[Astrocade]

The author bemoans the lack of collecting in kids today, but really he seems irked that no one is collecting what he collected as a child.

Stamp collecting? Ha! I'm too busy building my soap box derby racer.

[ProgrammingAce]

As for the $6 box of baseball cards...

When i was a kid, i collected football cards. I bought 2 sealed boxes of "Action Packed" football cards in 1992. I stored them away to sell when i got older. Each box was guaranteed to have a 24ct gold plated card! I spent $30 each.

I found the boxes again when i was cleaning out my closet in 2007, a full 15 years later. I looked up the price on ebay... $12 buy it now. Great.

[Haoie]

Even if the kids had money [and they don't], I doubt they'd collect much.

Having a long term focus isn't something children are known for.

[Gameguy]

Stamp collecting? Ha! I'm too busy building my soap box derby racer.
Who really gets letters or packages from far away lands these days? It's much cheaper and faster to email people from other regions than sending a physical letter and paying for postage. That has to affect kids collecting stamps, not getting any sent to them.


Just be thankful kids aren't into collecting different feces from different animals.

"This one is from a cat, and based on it's color and smell, it's diet consisted mostly of fish. This one over here is from a dog..."

[Jorpho]

And of course the real stamp collectors would scoff at the idea of collecting stamps that were actually used, insisting that only items in unused mint condition are of any value.

[thom_m]

The author bemoans the lack of collecting in kids today, but really he seems irked that no one is collecting what he collected as a child.

Stamp collecting? Ha! I'm too busy building my soap box derby racer.

Exactly. In fact, being a journalist myself (damn, that sounded cocky! But it's just to make my point, I swear!), I was surprised about how shortsighted the article was. It's a shame, because she had a cool subject on her hands...