Question for collectors...

[Flam]

I don’t consider myself a collector (although recently I’ve found myself buying more games than I have time to play, so that might be a bad sign) so I wanted to know if there are people out there that collect newer games; like games on the PS3. Are there collectors that buy these games and keep them sealed and just hoard them away? I can understand collecting with older systems, but it seems nowadays there are so many titles out there and so much supply that it doesn’t make sense. I realize this might have been the same reasoning people used not to collect NES games back in the day, but still with the number and availability of today’s games I just don’t know why anyone would bother collecting newer games.

[Collector_Gaming]

i'd imagine your collectors editions some people have kept sealed.

If there is a demand for gaming collector market in say 20 years from now. I am sure there will be unopened Xbox 360 copies of skyrim or lego batman or something kicking around that someones kept or a store never sold and just kept in a back room sitting around.

The one thing I think that hurts it these days as to say back in the 80s and early 90s is downloadable games through say Steam on the pc.. or Xbox Live's service or Playstation network's store or Wii's store.. Where you can download those games instead of buying the actual physical copy.

[Bojay1997]

I definitely collect newer games almost as aggressively as older games. Having said that, it is very rare that I pay anywhere near full price and my price point is generally $20 or below and often far less than that. Quite simply over time, most games decrease significantly in value and I think newer games will depreciate even more than previous generations simply because there are so many collectors now and so many more copies of many titles being pressed as the number of gamers has increased. I can't forsee a situation where common PS3 or Xbox 360 games will be super valuable 20-30 years from now like NES or SNES games are right now. Disc based games are just much cheaper to produce and publishers don't seem to care as much about overproducing copies of games. There may be some odd niche releases that become rare, but I think those will be few and far between.

[wiggyx]

Collecting newer games is pretty much the best way to get mucho bang for your buck IMO.

I tend to wait until something's been out for a year or two and the price is half or less than MSRP. They aren't new enough to be worth those full retails dollars, and not old enough to be terribly collectible yet. Still, I "collect" a LOT more old school than modern.



(Yes, I know there are exceptions)

[Flam]

I'm starting to realize that there is a fine line between collecting and flat out hoarding. To me collecting is keeping a collection of games you enjoy to play and getting rid of the ones you don’t like. If you find yourself holding onto games you don't like, just for the sake of having it, then I think you're a hoarder.

[wiggyx]

It sort of depends I think. Personally, I don't buy games that I don't like or don't think I will like. But, there are plenty of collectors who would like an entire library for one or more consoles, and I don't think that's hoarding so much as being an OCD completist, which I can totally understand.

[Bojay1997]

I'm starting to realize that there is a fine line between collecting and flat out hoarding. To me collecting is keeping a collection of games you enjoy to play and getting rid of the ones you don’t like. If you find yourself holding onto games you don't like, just for the sake of having it, then I think you're a hoarder.

Disagree. A collector is someone who by definition builds a collection. You don't have to love every item in your collection, you only have to believe it has value, although not necessarily monetary value. It can bring satisfaction or excitement or any number of other forms of value. A hoarder is someone who has a form of psychological illness that prevents them from throwing things away and compels them to got out and bring in items which have no value because of a compulsion over which they have no control.

[Emperor Megas]

Disagree. A collector is someone who by definition builds a collection. You don't have to love every item in your collection, you only have to believe it has value, although not necessarily monetary value. It can bring satisfaction or excitement or any number of other forms of value. A hoarder is someone who has a form of psychological illness that prevents them from throwing things away and compels them to got out and bring in items which have no value because of a compulsion over which they have no control.That whole post read like someone trying to justify hoarding.

FTR, I'm absolutely, positively NOT saying or even suggesting that you are at all, I'm just saying that I can see someone with a hoarding compulsion making that same statement, not realizing that scenario 'B' really doesn't necessarily contradict or differentiate from scenario 'A'.

"No value" is completely relative after all. People who hoard 'garbage' for example feel that it has value (to them), and many (most) people who don't play/collect/deal in video games at all think that video games are more or less worthless. I agree with Flam in that there really is a fine line. Not being to discriminate in what you let go of seems as good an indication as anything else. I understand the notion of collecting to attain an complete set of something, and I don't lump those types of collectors in with people with no collecting goals who just sit on things they have no practical or healthy use for.

It may seem superficial, but I find the truest ans simplest identifier between a collector and a hoarder is the manner in which they store and maintain their things. Typically, 'collectors' want to preserve and/or showcase their collections, whether it's stamps, dolls, video games, trading cards, etc., where as 'hoarders' just want to acquire and keep stuff. People who have a room, house, storage shed, etc. full of mountains of shit just strewn about, or animals kept with no regard for their general health or happiness, tend to be hoarders.

[wiggyx]

Disagree. A collector is someone who by definition builds a collection. You don't have to love every item in your collection, you only have to believe it has value, although not necessarily monetary value. It can bring satisfaction or excitement or any number of other forms of value. A hoarder is someone who has a form of psychological illness that prevents them from throwing things away and compels them to got out and bring in items which have no value because of a compulsion over which they have no control.


I don't think he meant hoarder in the clinical sense, rather that there are people who are just filling space with a collection of filler/crap. I feel like there are a lot of collectors that "hoard" multiple NIB copies of whatever Xbox/PS3 special edition POS game is out this month in hopes that it will be worth 10 times as much in a few years. We had a discussion about this sort of thing on The Cover Project (TCP). We came up with 2 categories of "collector"; the gamer-collector and collector-gamer. The former buys games because he/she wants to play them and the latter buys in order to build a collection and not too much else. I don't think it's something that's really that easy to define, but it made for an interesting conversation.

I liken game collecting to car enthusiasts/collectors and what they prefer to do with their cars. Some like to add tons of AV equipment, some like to modify for speed or looks, and some would like nothing more than to keep the vehicle as close to showroom condition as possible. Everyone has a reason for what they do and why they do it, and of course they don't all get along very well. I think there's a lot of that mentality in this community, especially as the hobby really comes into its own and has some diversity of product and a significant history to go along with that. We've got folks that like to add lights and whatnot to their consoles, people who are very in to audio and video output upgrades, and folks who are perfectly fine with their "barn finds" and keeping them un-restored, so to speak. We even have über-niche collectors like the folks on TCP who are making all manner of game-related custom cases and whatnot just to store and display their collections (myself included).

Sorry, not trying to get too far off track here. I just find it really interesting to watch this hobby grow and the ways that it's branched out and become something WAY bigger than it way just 5 or 10 years ago.

[wiggyx]

"No value" is completely relative after all. People who hoard 'garbage' for example feel that it has value (to them), and many (most) people who don't play/collect/deal in video games at all think that video games are more or less worthless.

Not disagreeing with you at all on your comments. I think you're pretty much spot on.

But, there is a significant market value for video games and not so much for banana peels, cat shit, and expired lunch meat. There is obviously a personal value for a game collection that may very well exceed market value, but we aren't talking garbage here. I know I wouldn't sell a large number of my own games at or near market value. They have too much personal and sentimental value.

This absolutely does NOT disqualify a game collector from being a hoarder. There are many hoarders that "collect" items that do indeed have a market value and not just a personal/sentimental value. You don't have to live in absolute squalor in order to be clinically diagnosed as a hoarder, that's just most of what we see on TV. My wife is a psych nurse practitioner and we have many friends in the field, and I can tell you pretty much first hand that there is far more diversity than what Hoarders: Buried Alive shows us. It's just that nobody really cares about the woman that has a massive collection of $500+ shoes, not to mention very little ability for the average middle-American to sympathize/empathize with someone like that. The folks that have 3 feet of garbage piled up on their floors makes for better TV and the greater majority of us will be able to sympathize or possibly even empathize with them.

[Emperor Megas]

Not disagreeing with you at all on your comments. I think you're pretty much spot on.

But, there is a significant market value for video games and not so much for banana peels, cat shit, and expired lunch meat.FTR, I wouldn't suggest that there is no inherent value in video games (we all know better than that), I was simple speaking from the perspective of someone who doesn't deal in games at all. They see it little different from the things that 'junk hoarders' have stacked to their ceilings. A lot of the things that people hoard which are 'trash' can be sold at yard sales (in fact, many of those shows will have a yard sale to clear the stuff out, and/or donate a good portion of the salvageable items). However, most people who don't deal in games at all don't see games as potential money, even if they knows that people purchase used video games. If they wanted to invest in something, it wouldn't be flipping flea market video game finds, or shit they found in the attic years after Jr. moved out. Panzer Dragoon Saga, Keio's Flying Squadron, hell, even Stadium Events would just be something they tossed in the garbage, or dropped off on a box at the Good Will.

[Lerxstnj]

Everyone collects differently.
I don't buy new.
I rarely collect for current gen systems except to play.
I like collecting one gen behind, Currently collecting for Xbox and Gamecube.
I realize there are few collectors like me.
Not sure if that answers OP's question. :)

[Bojay1997]

Except that under your definition, anyone who keeps anything could be considered a hoarder simply because they don't have a good inventory or tons of extra space. People literally don't need much more than some food, water, shelter and love. Outside of that, there is really no reason to own anything at all. My understanding of hoarding is that it is a severe psychological condition that manifests itself in various ways but the most graphic of which is the person who goes out and brings literal garbage into their home and piles it from floor to ceiling.

Are there people who have collectible items piled floor to ceiling in their home or people who walk into a shop and buy as much as they can without really caring much about what they are buying that could be considered hoarders? Sure. Is simply collecting and owning more than just games you personally enjoy playing hoarding? I don't think so.

Collecting is partially about preserving history and lots of us own games we know are bad or not fun just because we have an interesting memory of playing that particular game or seeing it somewhere and owning it provides reminders of that time or place. Is collecting something that can lead to unhealthy habits like overspending, going into severe debt, becoming compulsive or obsessive? Of course, but simply asking if people are buying new games to add to their collection does zero to shed light on the issue and it says nothing about any individual. You could also argue that the person who simply trades everything in or gets rid of their old games has no ability to build healthy bonds or attachments and has no sentimentality or respect for history. It seems to me that every collector and gamer is different and there is no line between hoarding, gaming or collecting that can be determined simply by learning what people are buying or not buying and keeping or not keeping.


That whole post read like someone trying to justify hoarding.

FTR, I'm absolutely, positively NOT saying or even suggesting that you are at all, I'm just saying that I can see someone with a hoarding compulsion making that same statement, not realizing that scenario 'B' really doesn't necessarily contradict or differentiate from scenario 'A'.

"No value" is completely relative after all. People who hoard 'garbage' for example feel that it has value (to them), and many (most) people who don't play/collect/deal in video games at all think that video games are more or less worthless. I agree with Flam in that there really is a fine line. Not being to discriminate in what you let go of seems as good an indication as anything else. I understand the notion of collecting to attain an complete set of something, and I don't lump those types of collectors in with people with no collecting goals who just sit on things they have no practical or healthy use for.

It may seem superficial, but I find the truest ans simplest identifier between a collector and a hoarder is the manner in which they store and maintain their things. Typically, 'collectors' want to preserve and/or showcase their collections, whether it's stamps, dolls, video games, trading cards, etc., where as 'hoarders' just want to acquire and keep stuff. People who have a room, house, storage shed, etc. full of mountains of shit just strewn about, or animals kept with no regard for their general health or happiness, tend to be hoarders.

[Emperor Megas]

Except that under your definition, anyone who keeps anything could be considered a hoarder simply because they don't have a good inventory or tons of extra space. People literally don't need much more than some food, water, shelter and love. Outside of that, there is really no reason to own anything at all. My understanding of hoarding is that it is a severe psychological condition that manifests itself in various ways but the most graphic of which is the person who goes out and brings literal garbage into their home and piles it from floor to ceiling.

Are there people who have collectible items piled floor to ceiling in their home or people who walk into a shop and buy as much as they can without really caring much about what they are buying that could be considered hoarders? Sure. Is simply collecting and owning more than just games you personally enjoy playing hoarding? I don't think so.

Collecting is partially about preserving history and lots of us own games we know are bad or not fun just because we have an interesting memory of playing that particular game or seeing it somewhere and owning it provides reminders of that time or place. Is collecting something that can lead to unhealthy habits like overspending, going into severe debt, becoming compulsive or obsessive? Of course, but simply asking if people are buying new games to add to their collection does zero to shed light on the issue and it says nothing about any individual. You could also argue that the person who simply trades everything in or gets rid of their old games has no ability to build healthy bonds or attachments and has no sentimentality or respect for history. It seems to me that every collector and gamer is different and there is no line between hoarding, gaming or collecting that can be determined simply by learning what people are buying or not buying and keeping or not keeping.I was quoted after your reply so I'm not sure if you were refuting my post, or refuting someone else's and agreeing with mine. :confused:

Anyone else getting server busy messages, BTW?

[Flam]

I don't think he meant hoarder in the clinical sense, rather that there are people who are just filling space with a collection of filler/crap.


This is what I meant.

I understand collecting stuff in order to have the whole collection. I use to buy full sets of Tops baseball cards in the 80's, which are worth crap now. But it's not like many people are going to achieve collecting the whole NES catalog. Collecting games to me is like collecting books, I keep the ones I really like and get rid of the ones I don't; quality over quantity. I somewhat understand holding onto a system with a few games in case you want to bust it out every now and then.

and yes I do think collectors have a mild case of a hoarding disorder. I saw some comic book show on National Geographic and one guy had about 80,000 different comics. I think collecting (like many things in life) fill a void for people.

[wiggyx]

It's quasi-therapy for me. I stopped collecting for about a decade, then I was in a car accident and my passenger, who was a good friend, died. I haven't touched a car since and collecting really has helped me pass the time in a way that nothing else has. I don't even play very often. Just hunt, buy, and make custom covers and cases. I'm sure I'll slow down as time passes. I don't want or need my house to become a game museum or anything.

[The 1 2 P]

I collect newer games from this gen but it's more along the lines that because I have every console and a PSP and DS I don't have time to play all my games, so many of them end up staying factory sealed. This is actually a good thing when some of them turn out to be worth some money like SW: TFU Ultimate Sith Edition. I also get all of my games for very cheap affordable prices, even the limited and collectors editions so I'm losing very little. And it will pay off in the future because even if the games don't rise dramatically in price I'll still be able to easily get back the $10-$20 I put towards most of them.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I only collect sealed Madden games. I'm waiting for them to double in value, then I'll sell them.

Just kidding. The OP makes a good point about how mass production makes collecting sealed games a fruitless effort, from a money standpoint.
One also has to consider the fact that a lot of today's games are going to become available for download on future consoles.

The special editions are a different story, since they are printed in lower numbers, and have physical objects like figurines inside.

I imagine some people just want an entire sealed set just because they enjoy collecting.

I myself buy mostly one generation behind. Mass produced games that are one generation old are the cheapest video games out there.

[TeddyRuxpin]

YOu really just never know how modern games will do. I bought a "black label" Fable for Xbox back when the local Toys R Us was closing and kept it for years planning to eventually play it. Well, I never did. I sold it for about $55 a few months ago on ebay. I paid about $3-10 for it on closeout from Toys R Us. I sold many Gamecube games I got that way too. I also made a good killing back when the TRU was closing off of the clearance games.

Now I wish I had kept the Pikmin games longer.. they're worth a pretty penny new now... $70 each.

I imagine that Zelda Twilight Princess on GC is worth a lot sealed. I paid $10 for a complete mint used one at a garage sale and got about $30 on ebay for it. That's more than the Wii one is worth (right now). The GC one is worth over twice what a new Wii one costs.

[zakthedodo]

Back in the late 80's, I had my first job in a comic book shop where everyone was buying 5 copies of every new issue of anything.

The fact that older comics were so highly priced is because they were considered not of any value, much like old baseball cards.

Anything after the PSX might suffer from the same thing. Older games were considered garbage, now they've become "Classic".
Video games had never gone through that cycle before.

Sealed? That's a different animal altogether. I think any era game or system NIB will always catch a fair price.


Sure wish I had bought all the $40.00 clearance Sega Nomads I saw at EB back in 1999.

[TeddyRuxpin]

Sealed? That's a different animal altogether. I think any era game or system NIB will always catch a fair price.


Not so much. I had a sealed Atari 7800 Asteroids and I could barely get $10 for it. The box was a bit smashes sort of, I will admit. Sure, it's probably a very common game but still. Compared to a cart only of the game, I guess that's a good amount.

[zakthedodo]

Huh, I know the 7800 was a bit of a failure, the the fact it was complete with box and manual is sure to get a complete-ists's attention. Especially old games where the box was universally considered expendable.

Sega Master System was the 1st system I knew of that made the entire package worth considering keeping. They may not have been the 1st though. When the NES came out the fact that the game came with a sleeve seemed amazing.

Then again, ATARI games were plentiful.
So were NES games, Not sure how much original black box games go for.

[TeddyRuxpin]

I once came across a large lot of boxed Colecovision games. One I ended up selling too cheap on ebay even though I still had a fairly high price. Someone actually emailed me and told me it was too cheap. I should have done auction I guess. I could have just issued a refund and listed it again but that's not very honest, so I let it go. At the time there were NO others of the game on ebay at all as I recall which should have been an indication. Guess I should have stopped by here but I forgot about the forum for many years until just a few days ago. Darn my bad memory!! I still have a few fairly uncommon boxed games from that lot. I paid about $40-50 for the lot and made about $400-500. Yeah, many of them were that rare.

[VideoGameRescue]

A lot of people collect to regain their memories as a kid or like me I enjoy the hunt of the games. When I worked at rhino video games there was a guy that collected the new games that came out. He would by one to play and one to keep sealed up. So yes there are current generation collectors.

[scaleworm]

It's quasi-therapy for me. I stopped collecting for about a decade, then I was in a car accident and my passenger, who was a good friend, died. I haven't touched a car since and collecting really has helped me pass the time in a way that nothing else has. I don't even play very often. Just hunt, buy, and make custom covers and cases. I'm sure I'll slow down as time passes. I don't want or need my house to become a game museum or anything.

I'm SORRY that what you write of here happened to you, and am truly very sorry for your friend. I was in a terrible collision as well years ago, was very lucky, was pretty badly (still) damaged, and know of the trauma you write of here first hand.

Collecting (Vinyl, and games/systems all second hand) to me is a form of therapy as well to me. I do not go to bars, nor collect cars nor boats nor terribly expensive items (houses) as some in society with great means tend to do. If a person owns several houses on different continents as they have the means to do so, does the media identify them as hoarders... Say someone like Paul Allen, Jenifer Aniston, or Johnny Depp (with a whole island)? Media tells us what they sensationally want to, and in doing so warp reality to increase market demand to satisfy advertisers. Does a person who collects guns as they hunt, or are in law enforcement and like guns, get labelled a hoarder?
Whatever sells advertising and is sensational becomes an "important" mainstream topic. What of Avian flu, or climate change, genetically modified foods, tumor stem cell research, or ocean acidification? I guess real topics are not "chic", or important enough, or gotcha' journalistic enough in scope, according to media, or political pundits, let alone candidates... to converse about and present with accuracy to the media's hypnotic masses. Does Mr. Romney's owning of many residences and worse, a great treasure trove of cash, identify him, (as he accumulates almost exponentially more and more daily) and his family in total great hoarders of cash?

I refuse to be a media puppet. I have no cable (on average $100 a month in my area), nor watch TV. I use my monitors for films, or games. I spend less on games a month than folks with cable do, for cable. By having cable and watching hours of mindless junk, does that make a cable subscriber a media hoarder?

[Bojay1997]

This is what I meant.

I understand collecting stuff in order to have the whole collection. I use to buy full sets of Tops baseball cards in the 80's, which are worth crap now. But it's not like many people are going to achieve collecting the whole NES catalog. Collecting games to me is like collecting books, I keep the ones I really like and get rid of the ones I don't; quality over quantity. I somewhat understand holding onto a system with a few games in case you want to bust it out every now and then.

and yes I do think collectors have a mild case of a hoarding disorder. I saw some comic book show on National Geographic and one guy had about 80,000 different comics. I think collecting (like many things in life) fill a void for people.

In my opinion that makes your argument even weaker. Just because you don't think something is worthy of keeping doesn't make it true. I personally have zero interest in paintings by the great masters, but that doesn't change the fact that many people are willing to spend millions for them and there are people with very expensive and extensive art collections. Who is to say that you don't have lousy taste and that your "quality" games aren't in fact crap to most gamers or collectors? Hoarding is not the same as collecting, but hoarders and collectors can share some personality characteristics and serious consequences including financial ruin, disruption of personal relationships and many other things can come from both. Collecting is a hobby just like any other. It can be taken to extremes and cause harm, but just because somebody collects in a different way than you do doesn't make them a hoarder or mentally ill or anything else.

[Flam]

In my opinion that makes your argument even weaker. Just because you don't think something is worthy of keeping doesn't make it true. Who is to say that you don't have lousy taste and that your "quality" games aren't in fact crap to most gamers or collectors? Hoarding is not the same as collecting.

I never said that hoarding is collecting, I said there is a fine line between the two. I understand that things are relative, and that what I think is quality might be crap to others. My point is that there are people out there that keep games they know are crap themselves just to have it and keep it in thier "collection".

Whne I collected full set's of cards, I thought that they'd might actually be worth something one day.

[Videogamerdaryll]

I simply don’t resell the Newer Type Game System Games That I buy(usually used) for my two Sons and myself so you might say ,yea I collect them..

Now if I found out that a game in that collection was worth big bucks then,..YEA SOLD..

[Bojay1997]

I never said that hoarding is collecting, I said there is a fine line between the two. I understand that things are relative, and that what I think is quality might be crap to others. My point is that there are people out there that keep games they know are crap themselves just to have it and keep it in thier "collection".

Whne I collected full set's of cards, I thought that they'd might actually be worth something one day.

Ok, but what does that have to do with hoarding? Just because someone owns games that they don't think are very good doesn't make them a hoarder. I know people who buy almost exclusively digital releases now, so couldn't even your small collection of games be considered unecessary hoarding? I also know people who have literally hundreds of games that they have bought digitally during Steam sales, most of which they have never played because of some compulsion to buy. I don't think they're "hoarders", but they certainly have some issues with making compulsive purchases.

[Flam]

Ok, but what does that have to do with hoarding? Just because someone owns games that they don't think are very good doesn't make them a hoarder. I don't think they're "hoarders", but they certainly have some issues with making compulsive purchases.

My question is why would someone hang onto a game that they don't think is any good? Collecting= holding onto games that you think are good and enjoyable (quality), Hoarding= holding onto games you don't think are good (quantity).

and yes, I think when people have issues with compulsive issues it is a sign they might be a hoarder.

Also, let's get this idealized definition of hoarder out of the way. I'm not talking about people living in sqwaller and going broke. My def. is not that extreme, I'm simply refering to people to retain things that they don't enjoy other than the act of possesing an item in and of it's self.

Basically, if you don't enjoy it, don't use it, then get rid of it and stop hoarding.

[The 1 2 P]

I imagine that Zelda Twilight Princess on GC is worth a lot sealed. I paid $10 for a complete mint used one at a garage sale and got about $30 on ebay for it. That's more than the Wii one is worth (right now). The GC one is worth over twice what a new Wii one costs.

I had TP scanned at Kmart a couple weeks ago and it still was ringing up at full retail. Even though it has sold enough for player's choice status it's definitely one to keep your eye on in the future.


I simply don’t resell the Newer Type Game System Games That I buy(usually used) for my two Sons and myself so you might say ,yea I collect them..

Now if I found out that a game in that collection was worth big bucks then,..YEA SOLD..

I keep getting surprised by how many current gen games are 1-5 years old and still command just as much money used(or more) as they did when they were originally released. When you already have one of these games in your collection it's easy to overlook because you aren't actively searching for it.

[Emperor Megas]

I keep getting surprised by how many current gen games are 1-5 years old and still command just as much money used(or more) as they did when they were originally released. When you already have one of these games in your collection it's easy to overlook because you aren't actively searching for it.Can you give me a few examples? I never encounter this, probably for the reasons you've mentioned (I don't look if I own something already).

[Bojay1997]

My question is why would someone hang onto a game that they don't think is any good? Collecting= holding onto games that you think are good and enjoyable (quality), Hoarding= holding onto games you don't think are good (quantity).

and yes, I think when people have issues with compulsive issues it is a sign they might be a hoarder.

Also, let's get this idealized definition of hoarder out of the way. I'm not talking about people living in sqwaller and going broke. My def. is not that extreme, I'm simply refering to people to retain things that they don't enjoy other than the act of possesing an item in and of it's self.

Basically, if you don't enjoy it, don't use it, then get rid of it and stop hoarding.

The same reason someone would hold onto a baseball card of a really crappy player that's not worth what they paid for it. It might have sentimental value or they want a complete set of a particular type of game on a particular platform or they just like the colors on the card or how it looks on their shelf. Who cares? Keeping it doesn't make them a hoarder. You seem really obsessed with what other people should be doing or how they should be categorized. Why do you even care? As I noted earlier, nobody ever needs to own a single game because owning and playing games is not a life sustaining necessity, they are simply entertainment goods. It doesn't matter if you own only games that you love to play or only games that are sealed mint and stored away out of sight, neither one is more righteous or valid or less capable of growing into something that could be a real mental illness or compulsion.

[Flam]

You seem really obsessed with what other people should be doing or how they should be categorized. Why do you even care?.

I really don't give a shit, this wasn't even the original point of my post, then I made a statement and it turned into this stupid argument over what defines a hoarder. I'm over it.

[Rob2600]

1. There are gamers who collect games they enjoy.

2. There are gamers who collect games they speculate will increase in value.

3. There are gamers who see a broken Intellivision in someone's garbage can, bring it home, and add it to the nine broken Intellivisions they already have sitting in a pile.

[zakthedodo]

1. There are gamers who collect games they enjoy.

2. There are gamers who collect games they speculate will increase in value.

3. There are gamers who see a broken Intellivision in someone's garbage can, bring it home, and add it to the nine broken Intellivisions they already have sitting in a pile.


A coffee table made of intellivisions!:)

[wiggyx]

Haha! I might be #3 on that list as I sit next to 8 broken GBA SPs that I'm Frankensteining to make 4 working GBA SPs (hopefully).

[scaleworm]

Haha! I might be #3 on that list as I sit next to 8 broken GBA SPs that I'm Frankensteining to make 4 working GBA SPs (hopefully).

That's funny. I only collect games/systems/vinyl (that work :-) to try to increase my game/system collection toward a dream I have when I retire, hopefully some day in Europe or Hawaii. Some folks that come to my house think otherwise, as they know not my plan (and I care not what they think.... I am above that).

I meant no disrespect to Flam or anyone else here. My post was in response, in general, to the media's portrayal of either folks that are mentally ill and do hoard items, or the interpreted mockery that folks that watch these shows then project onto folks that collect items that they love, as a safe and healthy hobby, but then due to the projector's ignorance get tagged as dimwits or warped. I am not a puppet of media, and do not like being identified as ill by peers for a hobby that I enjoy, and play, and have serious plans for.

Before humans were agricultural, they were hunter gatherers. Would a pre-agronomist humanity then, via media or personal ignorant interpretation, be identified in whole as a "bunch of hoarders"?

I like the image of broken intellivisions stacked into a coffee table...

[The 1 2 P]

Can you give me a few examples? I never encounter this, probably for the reasons you've mentioned (I don't look if I own something already).

Metroid Prime Trilogy for the Wii and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Ultimate Sith Edition for the 360 and PS3 are a couple. To give you an example Metroid Prime Trilogy is listed on Gamestops website for $59.99 used but in stores it sells for $69.99 used. SWTFU: Ultimate Sith Edition sells for $39.99 used there(which is the price it originally sold for new). Those are just two brief examples but there are several others like those.

[substantial_snake]

Can you give me a few examples? I never encounter this, probably for the reasons you've mentioned (I don't look if I own something already).

Portable RPGs in this gen particular have been weird.

Infinite Space, Radiant Historia (before the re-release), and The World Ends with You and three prime examples of DS games that have either drastically increased in price or used prices have hovered around new prices. Infinite Space being the most extreme example with used complete copies normally going for 60 and new US copies hitting 80 bucks. TWEWY is particularly weird since square sells new copies on its store for 20 dollars, however on amazon prices are 50 used and new.

Anyways to the op I don't collect newer games, I play them and even so I still have by far more current gen games then older games. I tend to keep those games which I can see myself revisiting in the future and those games that I don't end up picking up again will probably just go towards a next gen system in some trade-in deal with gamestop. I think I had about 50ish PS2 games before I picked up my PS3 and now I have about 10 diehards that I do play on a regular basis with the occasional pickup when I come across it.

[SparTonberry]

TWEWY is particularly weird since square sells new copies on its store for 20 dollars,

Several people have said S-E's site is actually pretty stupid and still lists the game even though it's sold out (and the order is automatically canceled when you try to pay).