The Unthinkable....Your collection goes up in smoke!!

[thekeepr]

Well...I know we don't want to ever have this happen or even think about it happening,and all the hard work and money you put into building up your collection of games and systems,the room or designated area you outfited especially for your videogaming collection,but here's the scenerio....

Your at work,your neighbor calls your cellphone,he's frantic and says your house is on fire, heavy smoke & flames can be seen coming out from the roof,and windows.He says he can hear sirens in the distance,and you better get home...fast.You know that there is no one at home,no loss of life (animal or human).You frantically make your way home,to find the fire dept. battling the fire,your home looks like a warzone.Time passes,neighbors comfort you,but it looks pretty bad.

Besides your home,your other worldly possessions...how would you feel about losing your videogaming collection? Everything else considered...would you feel like starting the collection over again? Would it be worth it?? Do you feel you could bring it back to it's original glory,your collection that is.Was your collection covered by an insurance plan of any type...would that even matter,now that its ALL gone?


Just thought I'd throw out this scenerio of life and see how you would respond. Rob

[JSoup]

Eh, probably would be for the better. I'd have more free space and less motivation to fill it.

[skaar]

I'd kill you for lighting my house on fire to provide a topic for discussion.

Then likely rot in jail.

GAME OVER.

[Snapple]

I would be distraught. I wouldn't try to buy everything again, or even most of it, but I would buy new games as I get in the mood to play them. Life goes on.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

i'd probably hang myself from the ceiling fan at the holiday inn with my belt.

[buzz_n64]

I'd yell as load as possible, and go to my knees, lowering my head in extreme sadness. I'd be in depression for many months. I'd still play games, but my collecting days would be over. If there is someone involved, and I find out, that person better leave the country, that's all I'm saying.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

I'd be relieved that there was no loss of life. I'd be more upset about losing possessions that can't be replaced, such as pictures and gifts. The games mean nothing in comparison and the collection can be restored.

I've had my stuff damaged in a flood before, so I know how it is. I didn't lose a huge chunk of stuff, but it's all replacable in comparison to other items.

[otoko]

I'd try to get back what I loved the most, i.e. most played systems games old favorites... but I'd doubt I'd get back all I had. A lot of what I accumulated was on accident anyway.

[jcalder8]

I would just start collecting again. It would suck having to start from zero but it's not the end of the world or anything.

[VG_Maniac]

I have other things that I would be more upset about loosing than my video game collection. Things that can't be replaced such as photo albums, things I've held onto from my childhood that have great sentimental value to me, etc.

[Jorpho]

I would be relieved of the lingering obligation to finally play the darn things someday.

Except for the stuff on Steam.

[j_factor]

I'd pocket the insurance money and find a new hobby. I wouldn't stop gaming completely, but I wouldn't try to rebuild my collection.

[pepharytheworm]

I have insurance so money wise I am covered. It would hurt pretty bad but life goes on. I wouldn't stop collecting but I might be more careful in the future. I wouldn't get ever thing I bought again, it would probably be mostly a whole new collection except certain classics i would get again.

[Flippy8490]

It would royally suck and I would be angry/upset, but life does go on.

I definitely would not stop collecting, I enjoy it too much to just give it up, but I would probably be wicked paranoid, most likely resulting in buying all fireproof boxes to hold the games in XD

But definitely wouldn't stop.

[Leo_A]

I'd just stop I think and would just spend my gaming time with iRacing's subscription service since I love racing simulations.

[zemmix]

I used to worry about stuff like this. But then I sold everything last year. Now I don't have much left to worry about. I'd be sad if my computer died but I can always build another.

[tubeway]

Is it wrong that I came into this thread expecting to hear a horror story about a roasted video game collection, and now feel disappointed?

[Raedon]

I'd just be glad if no one was killed.

I don't have any amazingly rare NWC-like carts in my collection. With $20,000 I could replace almost all of it in a couple of years. I probably wouldn't buy all the crap games again though. Buying Barbie carts at Good Will just because they are there and 25 cents is just something you do. I wouldn't pay $2 for the crap I have in my NES collection.

[heybtbm]

Buying Barbie carts at Good Will just because they are there and 25 cents is just something you do.


:hmm:

If you say so.

[SpaceHarrier]

I'd definitely be feeling low, but not so much about the loss of all my collection, but the loss of games I've had since I was a child... even though I could get an identical replacement of most (if not all) of them, it is still not the one I had as a child.

Perhaps that denotes I have a little too much of a connection with certain things though??

I would start my collection over, but would probably only replace maybe my top 5 games across all the consoles I used to have. I call this the "desert island" collection.

[-hellvin-]

I really don't think I would do anything. It would be such a gigantic loss that I'd be dumbfounded. Life would move on and I would consider the fire a natural sign to end my collecting hobby.

[garagesaleking!!]

This has actually happened to people for real on dp, the most recent I remember was the member whos neighbors kid flooded his house. I feel like this topic is a little unnecesarry when the real thing actually happens.

[Raedon]

:hmm:

If you say so.

I do say so. :ass:

[carlcarlson]

Stuff is stuff, it wouldn't be a big deal for me. I love playing video games, and even collecting them to an extent, but I can think of about a thousand things that would hurt worse to lose.

[Emuaust]

My parents house burned down last september, when I found out the house was on fire I panicked a lot, at least half of my collection was still boxed in storage in the house, lucky for me I suppose the ONLY room left alone by the fire was my old bedroom with all my stuff in it.

The thing is though its only stuff and stuff can be replaced, I am just happy nobody was home and my dog got out of the house unscathed, it did wake me up to the fact there are far more important things then gaming stuff.

[Carey85]

I'd be far more upset about photos, mementos, and other items that actually amount to something. If nothing else, all of the plastic in my game collection would only fuel the fire. I've got enough insurance to where it would be very unlikely that I would come out at a loss, but as I said before, photos and mementos are far more important.

[N 2 Nintendo]

True, their are many more important things. However in respect to my collection of games, I would probably start over. Maybe even with a stronger sense of collecting, as their definitely are those extremely hard to replace items. And the want to replace them would be strong, but it could backfire making it simple to lett go at that point. But life would go on regardless even if I never got a chance to replace them again.

[Baloo]

What if? Situations like this is why men should not become attached to their possessions.

I'd be disappointed if my game collection burned sure, but I wouldn't do anything stupid like hang myself or break down in tears. I'd be more concerned with other things in the house at the time: Family, money, checks, cards, numbers, clothing, a place to live, that sort of thing. The real matters of life. God willing, hopefully my house will never catch fire. But shit happens, and you move on.

If I really had anything of exreme value in my collection a la NWC 1990, I would go and insure it. But 95% of my collection is worth less than $5-10 at the most and I have but a few games (20-25ish) that are worth more than $20. And I have no games that would truly be hard to get.

What would I do? I'd probably buy a couple of the games back that I truly wanted (as most of the games I have now I rarely play), and that'd be that. I've got 300 now, off the top of my head I can only think of 25 or so that I would be willing to buy back and play again, and only 3 systems out of the 15+ I own.

Nothing lasts forever.

[Ed Oscuro]

I'd kill you for lighting my house on fire to provide a topic for discussion.

Then likely rot in jail.

GAME OVER.
Get friends, nobody would feel bad about hiding the evidence / feeding the body to pigs, Snatch-style.

I would definitely be displeased if all my stuff exploded, but that's life and I'd survive.

[megasdkirby]

First is life. If no one got hurt, that is much more important than games.

Then select items dear to me.

Then games and other paraphernalia.

I would not, however, start my collection again. Too much money invested and not something I want to spend all over again. Hopefully, if I insured it, or at least certain titles, I can get money from the insurance claim.

But either way, I would not start my collection again. And I would move from the location.

[Bandicat]

I'd be greatful my cat got out alive (I live alone, so no other lives to worry about)

As others have said, I would be more concerned about things with sentimental value, especially things I have from a grandma who is no longer around. I'd shed tears over those items.

As for the collection, I would replace the PS3 and games I have for it. I also would get another boxed NES and get a bunch of the classics. As for collecting, I am not sure if I would start again. If I did, it would be more focused instead of the chaos I have going on now.

[Fuyukaze]

First off, the collection would be meaningless compared to the real loss. Being homeless. Saying it sucks doesnt even start.

On the other hand, I have seen atleast one former forum member smoke their collection away but that's a diffrent story all together.

[tmc]

This actually happened to me.

Our garage was set on fire maybe ten years ago or more when i was still living at home with mum and dad.

I was on nights at the time and came home in the morning surprised to find my mum still up.

She told me about her terrible night and how the fire service had came to put it out.. "oh, and i think some of your things were down there?".

Some if my things there were alright - whilst it wasn't a collection for any particular system or genre, it was literally every system and game i'd ever owned. I'd never been one to trade or sell and always kept my games in boxed and in such good condition.

It wasn't the biggest collection ever (maybe 100 or so games?) but it was the best collection ever, simply because it was an anthology of my personal gaming history up to that point.

It was a melted ball of plastic.

I said all the right things like 'don't worry - at least no-one is hurt', 'they can be replaced' etc, etc.,, but the funny thing is - and the point of this story, is that i meant it!

This incident is a really vivid memory of a 'coming of age' tale for me. It's the first time that i didn't act like a sulky kid, thinking of what i'd lost and really did shrug it off without thought.

It was wierd though, i remnember being confused as to why I was able to let it go rationally when it had meant so much to me. It was like the chemical change in my brain from adolecent to adult had happened infront of my very eyes in that one incident and i was aware it was happening and confused about it.

strange i know but maybe thats why it really stands out for me.

Suffice to say - i started collecting again but focused on my first console ever - the master system, my biggest regret in loosing all those games is not the loss but the fact that i struggle to remember exactly what games were lost.

[Guru of Time and Space]

Good riddance.

-GoTaS

[RASK1904]

When I was like 20 I had over 200 Atari games. I had collected. Well they were in a friends car and her car got stolen. I couldn't talk to her for a long time after that. I was definitly not buying any atari games becuase every time I thought "I used to have that, or, thats crap I had better, or I'm not paying that much" So it was really hard to get back into it. Then one day I found Frankenstein's Monster, and I never had that one. So I wanted to play it. Later I found a 2600 for 9$. And now I have over 100 different games again. I am still missing a few that I do really want to get again, but I can wait. The best was when I'd get a bunch of games and play them and remember that I used to have the game and liked it. Pain sucks but it does fade with time.

ps. I've told this story sooooooo many times here.