Sega Pico Variants [Archive] - Page 2 - Retrogaming Roundtable

rolenta

06-16-2014, 11:25 AM

This isn't even the world's biggest! A guy named Syd Bolton in Canada has approx 15,000 games, the biggest I've ever seen, for sure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-tdnHlpCco

It IS the World's Biggest Collection, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Several years ago Michael Thomasson confided to me that he had planned to break the record that was in the Guinness Book, which back then was numbered at around 8000 games. Michael's entire collection wasn't cataloged at the time but he believed that he could break the record that was recorded. We were told that there were larger collections, but I said to Michael, if there are larger collections, why don't they have the Guinness Record? So i'll stand by that. Yes, there are bigger collections. But it was the one listed in the Guinness Book that Michael went after.

Regarding Syd Bolton's collection.... The Guinness Record was for a private collection. Since Syd's collection is part of his Personal Computer Museum, it wouldn't be eligible. Also, the Guinness Record was specifically for games that are playable on videogame consoles. Much of Syd's game collection is computer software.

And yes, Michael did plan to get the record and use the hype to sell the collection. This is no secret and I alluded to it at the end of my article "Go For The Record", which was published in the Fall 2013 issue of Video Game Trader magazine. Michael would never have wanted to sell his collection if financial and personal obligations had unfortunately not forced his hand.

There have been posts that there is a conspiracy and the Guinness Book purposely selected to use Michael's collection over others. That may or may not be true, but has nothing to do with Michael at all. Michael's process to get into the Book was a long and arduous procedure (which I documented in the Video Game Trader article). I know of one person who has a larger collection who stated that he had contacted Guinness but for whatever reason, they didn't get back to him. Again, this had nothing to do with Michael and we were completely unaware of that.

Instead of criticizing the record and the auction, please support Michael in this endeavor. At this point he still doesn't know if the bids were real and he is sick to death over this. The support of his extended family is really at stake here.

bb_hood

06-16-2014, 01:10 PM

It IS the World's Biggest Collection, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

To be fair, this most likely is not the worlds biggest collection.
Not only that, its got alot of filler. Its got alot of crap like Imagine Babyz and tons of other dirt cheap games.
That being the case, the collection is not worth even close to what its at now. I dont know how anyone can even think that the current bid is genuine.
The reserve price of 750,000 is just insane.

YoshiM

06-16-2014, 04:00 PM

To be fair, this most likely is not the worlds biggest collection.[\quote]

He said it probably wasn't-it is the world's largest *recorded by Guinness*. That's it. Someone could have every game and proto EVER but this collection is what the record books say is the largest. That's the thing you and others don't seem to want to acknowledge.

[quote]Not only that, its got alot of filler. Its got alot of crap like Imagine Babyz and tons of other dirt cheap games.
That being the case, the collection is not worth even close to what its at now. I dont know how anyone can even think that the current bid is genuine.
The reserve price of 750,000 is just insane.

So what? They are still part of the collection and still in of the recorded world record book as the largest in the world (recorded).

People are just going gaga over perceived value. Someone thinks its worth the money...why does it bother people?

GarrettCRW

06-16-2014, 04:38 PM

He said it probably wasn't-it is the world's largest *recorded by Guinness*. That's it. Someone could have every game and proto EVER but this collection is what the record books say is the largest. That's the thing you and others don't seem to want to acknowledge.

So what? They are still part of the collection and still in of the recorded world record book as the largest in the world (recorded).

People are just going gaga over perceived value. Someone thinks its worth the money...why does it bother people?

A false record isn't worth celebrating at all, and neither is a sale that will help to further inflate the already overinflated market on games. All this idiotic auction is doing is further turning the hobby of collecting video games into some stupid dick-waving competition based on value, with a healthy dose of promoting SoCalMike.

bb_hood

06-17-2014, 06:08 AM

[QUOTE=bb_hood;2002829]

People are just going gaga over perceived value. Someone thinks its worth the money...why does it bother people?

Nobody is going gaga. The guy wants at least 750,000 for a collection that probably worth around 100,000. Its laughable but nobody is getting upset.
The title of worlds biggest collection IS false, and even if this is the largest collection in the world that title would not add 650,000 to the value.

I dont think anybody thinks the collection is worth 750,000. Im guessing the auction was shill bid up from 90,000 to 750,000. Its not about what people think its worth, but someone trying to get an extremely large amount of money for something worth way way less based on total hype.
And yeah nobody cares about Guinness records.

stardust4ever

06-17-2014, 07:39 AM

Like I said, I can't estimate the value with any confidence but I am happy for the seller if these bids are legit. I doubt anyone with a lot of knowledge of video game collecting would (have enough money) value this at $750,000 but it isn't hard to believe some rich person sees "World Record Collection For Sale" & suddenly fancies themselves owning it. I'm sure it happens with other collectibles too. Most people like to spend money & on things they don't need, wealthy people are no different.
A fool and his money are quickly parted...:sob:

jperryss

06-17-2014, 12:39 PM

Supposedly sold for just a tick over $750K.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/17/video-game-collection/?ncid=rss_truncated

Which comes out to $68 per game. I agree with the others, no way was it worth that much and I wouldn't expect to get that much even selling them individually.

If it's legit, the buyer got screwed IMO.

Edit: Yes, I realize systems, etc. were included, but still not worth anywhere near $750K, especially as a lot.

rolenta

06-17-2014, 01:03 PM

Yes, I realize systems, etc. were included, but still not worth anywhere near $750K, especially as a lot.

Actually, consoles were not included in the auction. Only the actual games that were counted for the Guinness Record.

I dont think anybody thinks the collection is worth 750,000. Im guessing the auction was shill bid up from 90,000 to 750,000.

I agree with you concerning the value of the collection. However, I can assure you that if there are shill bids to get the price up, it wasn't done by Michael or any of his friends (that he is aware of).

bb_hood

06-17-2014, 03:18 PM

I agree with you concerning the value of the collection. However, I can assure you that if there are shill bids to get the price up, it wasn't done by Michael or any of his friends (that he is aware of).

I wasn't implying that Michael had anything to do with the bidding, I would guess two bidders unrelated to Michael who wanted to find out what the reserve was.

Is there any evidence that Michael was paid for the collection?

stardust4ever

06-17-2014, 05:35 PM

badinsults

06-17-2014, 09:01 PM

Man, I hate this type of media circus bull crap. This is no different than the unminty label damaged gray and gold NWCs that supposedly sold for 100k a piece to unpaying bidders. "My 2-year-old grabbed my ipad and 'accidentally' placed a bid." Effing trolls. When you play "toss the grenade" somebody always gets burned. 9/10 times it's the seller. Worse part is every gaming media site on the net gets wind of auction like this and publish the results as if it were gospel truth... :facepalm:

This is exactly what I said would happen. These "news" sites don't even ask if money has changed hands. This has happened so many times, it is funny that people even bother looking at gaming "news" sites.

I mean, look at this poorly researched garbage:

The Wire (http://www.thewire.com/technology/2014/06/worlds-largest-video-game-collection-sells-for-a-pretty-penny/372865/)

Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-s-largest-video-game-collection-sold-for-over-750-000/1100-6420548/)

Hardcore Gamer (http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2014/06/17/worlds-largest-video-game-collection-sold/90047/) (this one at least mentions the possibility that the bidding could be a scam)

Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/someone-paid-750-250-for-the-worlds-largest-video-game-1592128293)

Game Informer (http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/06/17/worlds-largest-video-game-collection-sells-for-over-750000.aspx)

The Escapist (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/135482-Worlds-Largest-Game-Collection-Sold-for-750-000)

Yahoo Tech (https://www.yahoo.com/tech/worlds-largest-video-game-collection-sells-for-89076924439.html) (again, at least it mentions the possibility that the bidding was fake)

It is is interesting to read the comments sections of these articles. A lot from major game news sites are a long the lines of "wow amazing" and "this guy is a loser virgin nerd" (clearly without reading the article). Very few comments mention the possibility that $68 per game might be a bit unrealistic for this lot of games.

JSoup

06-17-2014, 09:09 PM

The Escapist (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/135482-Worlds-Largest-Game-Collection-Sold-for-750-000)

I was there when this one went up and tried to talk a few people down, but no go. The Escapist is an odd bunch of amazingly articulate people that don't know a goddamn thing about half of what they speak. It's so close to pulling teeth that I gave up after four replies.

Double Ugly

06-17-2014, 09:31 PM

A false record isn't worth celebrating at all, and neither is a sale that will help to further inflate the already overinflated market on games. All this idiotic auction is doing is further turning the hobby of collecting video games into some stupid dick-waving competition based on value, with a healthy dose of promoting SoCalMike.

It isn't a false record. It is the largest collection that Guinness has documented so from their point of view it is the largest. Why can't you guys understand this? It is from a subjective point of view because there can be no objective point of view. If someone had a collection of 20,000 games & took the Guinness record would you take it as fact? Any person who uses logic would say, "thats the biggest one we know about but there could be bigger" & that is exactly what Guinness says when they say "Worlds largest collection as recorded by Guinness. The whole point of the "as recorded by Guinness" part is to say that "this is the biggest one we have documented". No where does anyone claim that this collection is "the largest collection on earth, bar none".

If someone asked you what the largest collection is that you could verify would you be able to verify the true largest collection? No, you would say "the largest one I have ever seen is owned by so & so". Guinness can't objectively say who has the largest collection on earth anymore than anyone of us can.

Is Usain Bolt the fastest man for 100m on earth? He holds the record but no one intelligent would say "there is no man on earth faster than Usain Bolt".

Guinness is saying this collector holds the (documented & verified) record not that he has the largest collection on earth. Sorry if I am sounding repetitive but some of you cant seem to grasp this concept so I am trying so explain it different ways to help you understand.

GarrettCRW

06-17-2014, 10:25 PM

It isn't a false record. It is the largest collection that Guinness has documented so from their point of view it is the largest. Why can't you guys understand this? It is from a subjective point of view because there can be no objective point of view. If someone had a collection of 20,000 games & took the Guinness record would you take it as fact? Any person who uses logic would say, "thats the biggest one we know about but there could be bigger" & that is exactly what Guinness says when they say "Worlds largest collection as recorded by Guinness. The whole point of the "as recorded by Guinness" part is to say that "this is the biggest one we have documented". No where does anyone claim that this collection is "the largest collection on earth, bar none".

If someone asked you what the largest collection is that you could verify would you be able to verify the true largest collection? No, you would say "the largest one I have ever seen is owned by so & so". Guinness can't objectively say who has the largest collection on earth anymore than anyone of us can.

Is Usain Bolt the fastest man for 100m on earth? He holds the record but no one intelligent would say "there is no man on earth faster than Usain Bolt".

Guinness is saying this collector holds the (documented & verified) record not that he has the largest collection on earth. Sorry if I am sounding repetitive but some of you cant seem to grasp this concept so I am trying so explain it different ways to help you understand.

Jesus Christ, if you have to ultra qualify a record with crap like, "verified by so-and-so", IT'S NOT A RECORD. Double so when Guinness isn't known for performing due diligence (and has awarded multiple records that they ultimately retired because it was impossible to verify). And comparing Usain Bolt's world record to a supposed collecting record is simply asinine. I humbly suggest you buy a clue before you again reply with the exact same load of horse shit.

badinsults

06-17-2014, 10:29 PM

It isn't a false record. It is the largest collection that Guinness has documented so from their point of view it is the largest. Why can't you guys understand this? It is from a subjective point of view because there can be no objective point of view. If someone had a collection of 20,000 games & took the Guinness record would you take it as fact? Any person who uses logic would say, "thats the biggest one we know about but there could be bigger" & that is exactly what Guinness says when they say "Worlds largest collection as recorded by Guinness. The whole point of the "as recorded by Guinness" part is to say that "this is the biggest one we have documented". No where does anyone claim that this collection is "the largest collection on earth, bar none".

If someone asked you what the largest collection is that you could verify would you be able to verify the true largest collection? No, you would say "the largest one I have ever seen is owned by so & so". Guinness can't objectively say who has the largest collection on earth anymore than anyone of us can.

Is Usain Bolt the fastest man for 100m on earth? He holds the record but no one intelligent would say "there is no man on earth faster than Usain Bolt".

Guinness is saying this collector holds the (documented & verified) record not that he has the largest collection on earth. Sorry if I am sounding repetitive but some of you cant seem to grasp this concept so I am trying so explain it different ways to help you understand.

I really don't understand why it is hard for you to understand why we are not impressed by the Guinness record. What kind of validity does the Guinness record have in the game collecting community when they didn't even bother to find the person with the largest video game collection? I mean, any person could have contacted them for the record. Just because he has the "record" does not mean that it holds any weight to anyone here. It was already established that DreamTR (who has a larger collection) was contacted by Guinness, but they never followed up.

Using the comparison to Usain Bolt is pretty silly. If someone conclusively ran a faster 100 m than Usain Bolt, that person would have the record. Guinness didn't try to find the person with the most games, they just gave the record to someone who contacted them. They could have easily asked on this forum or one of the other major collecting forums to find people who had more games.

portnoyd

06-17-2014, 10:35 PM

And yes, Michael did plan to get the record and use the hype to sell the collection. This is no secret and I alluded to it at the end of my article "Go For The Record", which was published in the Fall 2013 issue of Video Game Trader magazine. Michael would never have wanted to sell his collection if financial and personal obligations had unfortunately not forced his hand.

There have been posts that there is a conspiracy and the Guinness Book purposely selected to use Michael's collection over others. That may or may not be true, but has nothing to do with Michael at all. Michael's process to get into the Book was a long and arduous procedure (which I documented in the Video Game Trader article). I know of one person who has a larger collection who stated that he had contacted Guinness but for whatever reason, they didn't get back to him. Again, this had nothing to do with Michael and we were completely unaware of that.

Instead of criticizing the record and the auction, please support Michael in this endeavor. At this point he still doesn't know if the bids were real and he is sick to death over this. The support of his extended family is really at stake here.

The bolded parts are what's important.

So he wasted one to two years going through the process with Guinness, just to price boost it with the Guinness record when his extended family's well being was at stake? He let them stay in limbo while he did this?

And you want us to support him?

Really? REALLY?

Fuck him. That is fucking disgraceful. If you need to help your family, you sell that shit immediately and don't run in circles with Guinness. And now, since these bids are obviously fake, he is back where he started.

It's really his fault. He tried to sell it on GameGavel, a site with ZERO process control. How'd those calls work out for you, SoCalMike? Did they promise to pinky swear that they'd pay?

What I don't understand is he says he donated 1,000 games to ICHEG... yet he needs money so desperately that he can give games away?

My mind is fucking blown. I cannot wrap my head around it. I can't tell if this is bullshit, desperation, greed, stupidity, attention whoring or all of the above.

What in the fucking hell was Thomasson thinking?

as recorded by Guinness

After all this, I don't know how anyone can put any stock in any record they verify. They do not do the due diligence and just rush to make press to sell books. You cannot possibly use this as a defense for your reasoning in future posts. Try something less stupid next time.

Flashback2012

06-18-2014, 01:28 AM

The bolded parts are what's important.

So he wasted one to two years going through the process with Guinness, just to price boost it with the Guinness record when his extended family's well being was at stake? He let them stay in limbo while he did this?

And you want us to support him?

Really? REALLY?

Fuck him. That is fucking disgraceful. If you need to help your family, you sell that shit immediately and don't run in circles with Guinness. And now, since these bids are obviously fake, he is back where he started.

It's really his fault. He tried to sell it on GameGavel, a site with ZERO process control. How'd those calls work out for you, SoCalMike? Did they promise to pinky swear that they'd pay?

What I don't understand is he says he donated 1,000 games to ICHEG... yet he needs money so desperately that he can give games away?

My mind is fucking blown. I cannot wrap my head around it. I can't tell if this is bullshit, desperation, greed, stupidity, attention whoring or all of the above.

What in the fucking hell was Thomasson thinking?

After all this, I don't know how anyone can put any stock in any record they verify. They do not do the due diligence and just rush to make press to sell books. You cannot possibly use this as a defense for your reasoning in future posts. Try something less stupid next time.

Okay, it's good to know I'm not the only one who's had trouble reconciling certain aspects of what's transpired with Michael's auction and the events leading up to it. I'm not trying to come off as a bandwagon hater jumping in to pile on Michael, I really don't have a horse in this race. I do offer my sympathies to him and his family regarding his ailing mother. That aside though, there's been something that's been bugging me for weeks now since the thread was started.

I attended the CORGS show approximately two weeks ago up in Columbus, OH and Michael was in attendance as a vendor. This wasn't my first time interacting with him as I had seen him at the show last year and other shows in years past. I was quite used to his show demeanor and how he talked up every item on his tables whether they were sealed new old stock games or homebrew titles. If you were at his booth and you put your hand on something, he would talk it up and try to sell it to you. That' really not a knock on him, that's what he's there to do and that is move product. I've purchased new old stock games from him that day and have at older shows as well so in that regard I am quite happy with my purchases.

That said, I was aware that prior to the show he had succeeded in acquiring the record of largest video game collection as recognized by Guinness. Like others on here, the fact that Guinness verified it didn't mean squat to me (because I was aware of collectors like Adol and Dream TR) and I assumed that he pursued it as some sort of narcissistic stroking for his ego. Given the way he came across when hawking his goods and hyped up his homebrews (including one he kept touting as being available for the first time ever at the show that day), to me it didn't seem like an unreasonable conclusion to arrive at. Something that backed up this notion was that on his tables were copies of the Guinness World Record Books. I was at his tables perusing his stock when I overheard his conversation with a guy inquiring about the books and stating that he was selling the books. I distinctly remember him stating that if someone bought one of the books he would autograph it for free on the page detailing his achievement.

This thread was started two weeks ago on the 4th of June and CORGS was the Saturday immediately prior on the 31st of May. At the show he was practically BEAMING about having made it into the Guinness book and my time at his table wasn't the only time I overheard him touting the achievement or trying to sell the book that he'd autograph for free. The show wasn't that big and he could be heard halfway across the room even though it was packed full of people. The part that bugs me is it strikes me as incredibly odd that I see him in person one day happy as a clam with his record and then less than a week later he has the whole shebang is up for sale on Game Gavel. His mother's ailments are as legit a reason as any to decide to sell but from the sound of his response on the first page of this thread it didn't seem like his mother's ailments were a suddenly new development and that they existed before his attendance of the show. Then I see the comment rolenta made that Port highlighted and I'm wondering if something suspicious if not highly disingenuous and dubious is afoot. I dunno...I'm not him but if that were me I doubt I could be anywhere near as lively as he came across that day knowing the circumstances going on at home. Hell I doubt I could even justify the expense of attending the show (lodging, table cost, gas, and food from NY to C-Bus) with how much he said it costs after Medicare pays their part. :|

Jorpho

06-18-2014, 07:26 AM

So he wasted one to two years going through the process with Guinness, just to price boost it with the Guinness record when his extended family's well being was at stake? He let them stay in limbo while he did this?

And you want us to support him?

Really? REALLY?

Fuck him. That is fucking disgraceful. If you need to help your family, you sell that shit immediately and don't run in circles with Guinness.That doesn't make sense. If he sold it "immediately" instead of going through the process with Guinness, he'd only get a fraction of the price. That's like saying if you run a delivery business and need money, you should sell your car instead of continuing to work. I reckon he might well have gone deeply into debt in the meantime.

And now, since these bids are obviously fake, he is back where he started.We don't know that for sure.

What I don't understand is he says he donated 1,000 games to ICHEG... yet he needs money so desperately that he can give games away?Perhaps the games in question added no particular value to the collection, were otherwise largely unsellable, and were more useful to be given away in promotion.

Double Ugly

06-18-2014, 07:53 AM

I give up. Good luck making it through the rest of your lives.

*logic/benefit of the doubt/objectivity*

7520

rolenta

06-18-2014, 03:43 PM

The part that bugs me is it strikes me as incredibly odd that I see him in person one day happy as a clam with his record and then less than a week later he has the whole shebang is up for sale on Game Gavel. His mother's ailments are as legit a reason as any to decide to sell but from the sound of his response on the first page of this thread it didn't seem like his mother's ailments were a suddenly new development and that they existed before his attendance of the show. Then I see the comment rolenta made that Port highlighted and I'm wondering if something suspicious if not highly disingenuous and dubious is afoot. I dunno...I'm not him but if that were me I doubt I could be anywhere near as lively as he came across that day knowing the circumstances going on at home. Hell I doubt I could even justify the expense of attending the show (lodging, table cost, gas, and food from NY to C-Bus) with how much he said it costs after Medicare pays their part. :|

I miswrote in my earlier post about the timing and after I read these other posts I thought hard about the timeline. When I wrote the article, Michael was thinking about selling the collection. However, although I planned the article during the actual Guinness count in December, 2012, I didn't actually write it until around the summer of 2013, after the record had been confirmed, and by that time, the condition of Michael's mother, who had been sick for some time, had deteriorated considerably. As far as I know, in the spring of 2012, when he confided to me that the record, according to Guinness, was in reach, he didn't plan to sell it. I do not honestly remember what his plans were during the count in December, 2012.

As far as Michael's disposition during the show, he is very good about keeping a cheerful face while in public.

As far as the expenses to the Ohio show, Michael keeps the money that belongs to GoodDealGames separate from his own personal finances. Money made by GDG goes back into the GDG account. And money used for videogame related trips, are funded by GDG.

Trebuken

06-18-2014, 06:19 PM

I miswrote in my earlier post about the timing and after I read these other posts I thought hard about the timeline. When I wrote the article, Michael was thinking about selling the collection. However, although I planned the article during the actual Guinness count in December, 2012, I didn't actually write it until around the summer of 2013, after the record had been confirmed, and by that time, the condition of Michael's mother, who had been sick for some time, had deteriorated considerably. As far as I know, in the spring of 2012, when he confided to me that the record, according to Guinness, was in reach, he didn't plan to sell it. I do not honestly remember what his plans were during the count in December, 2012.

As far as Michael's disposition during the show, he is very good about keeping a cheerful face while in public.

As far as the expenses to the Ohio show, Michael keeps the money that belongs to GoodDealGames separate from his own personal finances. Money made by GDG goes back into the GDG account. And money used for videogame related trips, are funded by GDG.

I was there as well. I saw him there last year as well. While he did make a point of showing the Guinness page with his face in it, I did not see anything but an attempt at salesmanship. You could not hear him across the room (at the time I was there) as there was some gaming and music demonstration going on.

I had hoped he'd be there this year since he brings some merchandise to the show that the other tables do not. Prices were fair and I am glad he was there.

I hope the auction was legit, not sure we'll know.

------------------------------------------------------------

I have thought GameGavel was a great idea since it started. It never seems to have drawn much attention from collectors. The itemes for sale there are generally underwhelming, at least in quantity. Yet the site is maintained and continues. I think some credit is due for that effort.

Greg2600

06-18-2014, 07:07 PM

The validity of the Guinness Record is pretty much irrelevant to anyone except the buyer. If it is a legitimate buy, I would assume that buyer would be wise enough to know the issues that have been raised.

Secondly, if it's a legitimate buy, AND it pays Michael's family medical bills, AND gets Game Gavel press, what is the problem with that???? I really don't understand the problem with that? It's not your collection, and you're not buying it, so who cares how and what Mike sells it for?

The reaction here is nothing short of comical. You all sound like a Tea Party forum screaming about Benghazi. Should this sale be outed as a full PR stunt, than yes Thomasson ought to be ostracized. However, to attack the man for trying to help his own mother is really pathetic and sickening.

I personally have a lot of respect for Len/rolenta, and if he says Thomasson had long planned the sale, and planned on the record to help on the sale, that's good enough for me right now.

portnoyd

06-18-2014, 07:08 PM

That doesn't make sense. If he sold it "immediately" instead of going through the process with Guinness, he'd only get a fraction of the price. That's like saying if you run a delivery business and need money, you should sell your car instead of continuing to work. I reckon he might well have gone deeply into debt in the meantime.

That's exactly why he should have sold when the need for money arose. Not acting means interest building, potentially negating any boost from the Guinness title.

We can discuss that fraction of the price when it actually sells. The boost from Guinness in a real setting will likely not offset the interest gained by waiting.

We don't know that for sure. (Re: Fake bids)

Come on now. Benefit of the doubt is viable if there is any doubt. Not a single fact about how the auction ended leans toward a transaction actually taking place.

All of you 'but it's verified by Guinness' and 'it may still have sold' apologists are ridiculous. Open your eyes.

I miswrote in my earlier post about the timing and after I read these other posts I thought hard about the timeline. When I wrote the article, Michael was thinking about selling the collection. However, although I planned the article during the actual Guinness count in December, 2012, I didn't actually write it until around the summer of 2013, after the record had been confirmed, and by that time, the condition of Michael's mother, who had been sick for some time, had deteriorated considerably. As far as I know, in the spring of 2012, when he confided to me that the record, according to Guinness, was in reach, he didn't plan to sell it. I do not honestly remember what his plans were during the count in December, 2012.

http://i.imgur.com/6vApA.gif

Jorpho

06-18-2014, 08:48 PM

That's exactly why he should have sold when the need for money arose. Not acting means interest building, potentially negating any boost from the Guinness title.

We can discuss that fraction of the price when it actually sells. The boost from Guinness in a real setting will likely not offset the interest gained by waiting.Really? You think the boost from Guinness couldn't amount to more than 10-15% or whatever the going rate is? You think the sale would have somehow generated anywhere near the same amount of press without the Guinness name?

badinsults

06-18-2014, 09:44 PM

Really? You think the boost from Guinness couldn't amount to more than 10-15% or whatever the going rate is? You think the sale would have somehow generated anywhere near the same amount of press without the Guinness name?

I actually think it would have. It is not everyday that a lot of 11,000 games comes up for sale. This happened when Adol sold his collection (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162834-22-Console-Collections-Complete-for-a-Million-Euros), with a "completed price" of over $1 million. It was all over the press, making major news outlets like CNN. Guess what, everything that has been said in this thread was also said about that auction (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162876-Game-collection-sold-on-eBay-for-1-2-million-Was-this-mentioned-here-already), i.e. that it was nothing more than a publcity stunt. In fact, this thread is almost an exact mirror of Adol's auction threads. In the end, Adol sold the collection privately to the Strong Museum, for a hefty sum (but far less than $1 million). But let's put things into perspective. Adol's collection had 100% complete collections of Famicom, Super Famicom, Famicom Disc System, Sega Systems, PC Engine systems, etc, with an estimated 7000 games (http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&hash=item4605501c13&item=300736846867&nma=true&pt=FR_Jeux_Vid%E9o&rt=nc&si=oZVuIXq%252BoaIKARo%252Fz7hROAxU7AU%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_164526wt_887), and all of the games were either complete or factory sealed. Though the number of games was far lower, the value of the collection was most definitely higher.

But to the press, they only look at the sheer numbers, as they are not interested in spending the time to dissect the lot. In fact, I think this auction would have got a lot more press than it did if it was posted on Ebay, and not Game Gavel, even without the Guinness record label. Thomasson can only hope that some wealthy benefactor still is willing to shell out a premium just to have a huge lot of games at once. I doubt any major museum would be interested in this set, like they were with Adol's collection of Japanese games, purely due to the lack of high profile sets and titles. A collector who knows his stuff will not be interested in this lot at the price he wants for it.

pseudonym

06-19-2014, 12:24 AM

What's wrong with a little publicity again? I assume that you guys would want to drum up as much interest as possible if you were selling your collection. To me it looks like the last legitimate bidder was in the 100,000 range and then two trolls took turns bidding it up.

stardust4ever

06-19-2014, 02:18 AM

The reaction here is nothing short of comical. You all sound like a Tea Party forum screaming about Benghazi. Should this sale be outed as a full PR stunt, than yes Thomasson ought to be ostracized. However, to attack the man for trying to help his own mother is really pathetic and sickening.Agreed. People or getting way too butthurt over this. Whether the sale was legit or not, it's not going to have any bearing whatsoever on 99.99% of the people complaing about it on forums or social media.

Yes, I feel bad for Thomasson and his family. That is why I hope for his sake the sale was legit. I'm also wondering what type of freight shipping options they'll have to ship this stuff.

bb_hood

06-19-2014, 03:48 AM

The reaction here is nothing short of comical. You all sound like a Tea Party forum screaming about Benghazi. Should this sale be outed as a full PR stunt, than yes Thomasson ought to be ostracized. However, to attack the man for trying to help his own mother is really pathetic and sickening.

Really, is that what you think? That people are getting upset because 'he sold his collection to help his mother'? Nobody is bashing him because he wants to help his family.
I think the main issue is he put the reserve at 750,000 and tried to use the stupid guinness record to get it. Nobody is hating on the guy because he wants to help his family.

JSoup

06-19-2014, 11:32 AM

Nobody is bashing him because he wants to help his family.

Actually pretty wrong. It's been brought up here a few times and more than a few on other forums. Given the information we have about the collection, it seems a lot of family neglect took place before we got to this point.

bb_hood

06-19-2014, 04:13 PM

Actually pretty wrong. It's been brought up here a few times and more than a few on other forums. Given the information we have about the collection, it seems a lot of family neglect took place before we got to this point.

How is selling a collection of video games in to pay for a family member's medical bills the same as neglecting one's family?

To say he neglected his family is just a mean assumption.

JSoup

06-19-2014, 04:25 PM

How is selling a collection of video games in to pay for a family member's medical bills the same as neglecting one's family?

Missed the part about him not making more than 30K a year ever, did you?
Missed the part about him having a collection worth, what was that number you pulled out of your ass? Oh, right, $500K+.
Given how much it costs to collect games these days, that level of disconnect suggests some major priority issues or out right neglect.

bb_hood

06-19-2014, 05:10 PM

Missed the part about him not making more than 30K a year ever, did you?
Missed the part about him having a collection worth, what was that number you pulled out of your ass? Oh, right, $500K+.
Given how much it costs to collect games these days, that level of disconnect suggests some major priority issues or out right neglect.

You are still making the assumption that Michael spends all his time and money collecting games, which is just unfair.
Do you know the man personally? Oh right you dont.
Besides the man collected games for 30 or so years, and operated chains of game stores. He probably got most of his games for close to nothing.
Medical bill can add up fast, and priorities change.

and i never said 500K,

JSoup

06-19-2014, 05:49 PM

You are still making the assumption that Michael spends all his time and money collecting games, which is just unfair.

I'm using the evidence he's given us. If that proves to not be the whole picture, it'd due the lack of counter evidence.

Do you know the man personally? Oh right you dont..

So you do and are defending him based on information we don't have?
Or are you just white knighting him for some reason?

Double Ugly

06-19-2014, 06:41 PM

I'm using the evidence he's given us. If that proves to not be the whole picture, it'd due the lack of counter evidence.

So you do and are defending him based on information we don't have?
Or are you just white knighting him for some reason?

Yes, you are using what the seller said & drawing conclusions based on assumptions of yours & others in this thread, not on what the seller has said. Concluding that the seller is neglecting his family based solely on two statements he made (makes $30k a year & estimates his collection at $700k+) is nonsensical (I hope you aren't trying to say that his mother wouldn't be sick if he didn't collect video games).

bb hood is merely trying to bring some rationale to this conversation. There in no reason for you to slander the seller based on things you have imagined.

Can you prove any of the defamatory remarks you have been making? If you can't then you shouldn't be saying it in public.

It is too bad that public slander is no longer punishable by law.

JSoup

06-19-2014, 06:57 PM

Yes, you are using what the seller said & drawing conclusions based on assumptions of yours & others in this thread, not on what the seller has said. Concluding that the seller is neglecting his family based solely on two statements he made...

The bolded part is false. I drew my conclusion from the evidence he provided, which are the two statements he made and you've conceded to him making. I've discussed the ones brought up by others, but not drawn any conclusions from them. I again state that he's not painting a very pretty picture of himself and then guys like you come along to suck him off. You can't prove a negative, yes, but you can certainly stack some evidence against it.

TheRedEye

06-19-2014, 07:08 PM

Mike has always been nice to me and I hope that his family is in good health, that the payment comes through, and that the winner is happy with their purchase.

Greg2600

06-19-2014, 07:09 PM

Really, is that what you think? That people are getting upset because 'he sold his collection to help his mother'? Nobody is bashing him because he wants to help his family.
I think the main issue is he put the reserve at 750,000 and tried to use the stupid guinness record to get it. Nobody is hating on the guy because he wants to help his family.

It's his collection, he can sell it for whatever amount he wants, and he can put whatever reserve he wants. I frequent many other forums, and this is the only place having full on rage hate of this "sale." It's well beyond the facts or anything like that, it's just miserable people who get a kick out of flaming anything they can get away with.

JSoup

06-19-2014, 07:16 PM

For the record...

Mike has always been nice to me and I hope that his family is in good health, that the payment comes through, and that the winner is happy with their purchase.

...never met Mike, but this.

Double Ugly

06-19-2014, 07:44 PM

The bolded part is false. I drew my conclusion from the evidence he provided, which are the two statements he made and you've conceded to him making. I've discussed the ones brought up by others, but not drawn any conclusions from them. I again state that he's not painting a very pretty picture of himself and then guys like you come along to suck him off. You can't prove a negative, yes, but you can certainly stack some evidence against it.

Your conclusion is that he has neglected his family, correct? Can you please explain in what ways he has neglected them?

Proving a negative refers to "proving the absence of something" in which case you are correct, it cannot be proved, however I am not sure how this is relevant? Saying something negative about someone & not being able to prove it is not the same as not being able to prove a negative. You are saying he is (positive) guilty (not innocent) of neglecting his family.

YoshiM

06-19-2014, 08:01 PM

I frequent many other forums, and this is the only place having full on rage hate of this "sale." .
I don't frequent as many forums but ones I do I agree with Greg.

For the love of Bira Bira.....how long is the negativity going to go on?

stardust4ever

06-19-2014, 08:53 PM

Why are people so freakking offended by this auction? Man needed the money. Let him be, dang. If I had a collection that size, I would probably want to be rid of it as well.

Jorpho

06-19-2014, 11:36 PM

I actually think it would have. It is not everyday that a lot of 11,000 games comes up for sale. This happened when Adol sold his collection (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162834-22-Console-Collections-Complete-for-a-Million-Euros), with a "completed price" of over $1 million. It was all over the press, making major news outlets like CNN. Guess what, everything that has been said in this thread was also said about that auction (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?162876-Game-collection-sold-on-eBay-for-1-2-million-Was-this-mentioned-here-already), i.e. that it was nothing more than a publcity stunt. In fact, this thread is almost an exact mirror of Adol's auction threads.Aren't there also a lot of big auctions that never got much attention outside of "the community" ? I dimly recall some complete NES collections being sold with posts along the lines of, "Print off this complete list of NES games and cross off X, Y, and Z; that's what you're getting".

Storyteller

06-20-2014, 02:30 AM

If only Guinness had tried to contact Dream and not ignored him, the end result for this would have been much different.

It really gets up under my skin when this guy has the "official herpa derp collection biggest" when it's very clear he doesn't (and I was standing in front of said bigger collection not 2 weeks ago). But because Guinness is harder to get ahold of than a comcast rep that gives a shit, he's got a $750k bid for sports games and a couple rare titles.

I don't have anywhere near double digits of games, but I recognize bullshit when I see it. And him alluding to the fact that he "doesn't know" if there are others out there with bigger collections when clearly he does is a shady move.

If he sells this for 750k, he will have pulled off the perfect heist, and I really hope the buyer knows he paid $68 per madden, 2k, fifa, god knows what else.

badinsults

06-20-2014, 03:10 AM

Guess what, all of the bids above $90,000 were fake (http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=13425.msg200906#msg200906).

Arkanoid_Katamari

06-20-2014, 03:38 AM

Guess what, all of the bids above $90,000 were fake (http://www.rfgeneration.com/forum/index.php?topic=13425.msg200906#msg200906).

So, I just bought a copy of Space Channel 5. Yep.

bb_hood

06-20-2014, 03:53 AM

If he sells this for 750k, he will have pulled off the perfect heist, and I really hope the buyer knows he paid $68 per madden, 2k, fifa, god knows what else.

Agreed.

rolenta

06-20-2014, 08:01 AM

If only Guinness had tried to contact Dream and not ignored him, the end result for this would have been much different.

I just want to know why nobody bitched when Richard Lecce was listed in the Guinness Book for having the largest collection in 2010 with 8,616 games. Michael beat that number fair and square. As someone pointed out in this post, if you run a 3:00 mile, should you not claim it because you heard that someone else had ran it in 2:59 and didn't document it.

Also, I think I know who Dream is, and if it is who I think it is, Michael tried to reach out to him through Facebook after the Guinness controversy began, but didn't get a response.

Michael Thomasson

06-20-2014, 09:00 AM

Oh the conspiracy theories... People stated that I wasn't planning on selling the collection, just a PR move, that the reserve would be in the millions... yet no one bothered to ask me. All untrue. I do not want to sell the collection, but have chosen to do so to help my mother, sister and my own family. I have neglected no one that I love at ay point, and am doing the stand-up action of giving up all that I have built up for those that I genuinely care for. It was a hard decision that I slowly built up to as I was preparing for the sale.

It is not confirmed, but it seems that the high bidder (former home of email, name, address and phone number of a highly probable shill bidder) may not be the genuine deal. It is not confirmed that he is a bogus bidder, but while he was in communication during the screening process, he seems to be absent following the conclusion of the auction. The auction house started contacting other bidders last night in case this turns out to be the case. Game Gavel knocked out many bogus bids during the auction, but this gentleman appeared genuine, was in communication at the time, and did not give false phone numbers or e-mail addresses that bounced back like many others that were removed from the bidding process. Unfortunately, he drove the number up so fast that it seems to have scared away other potential bidders.

His actions, and the others that found this to be a fun game (excuse the pun) have done my family a great disservice and it troubles me that be people can be so shallow and petty that they are willing to do real damage to others for no reason that involves them. Brian and the others may think that they were being funny, but the truth is those involved in any shady activities (if that is the case) concerning my auction has done a tremendous injustice to those that I care about and that saddens me.

Concerning the title. I've continually referred to the collection as the "World's Largest Video Game Collection according to The Guinness Book of World Records" since the issue about of that was the case was brought up. I had no understanding that there were bigger collections until I was in communication with Rob Feraldi and he mentioned that Jason Wilson may have more games. How would I know, I've never seen his collection? He never told me until after I was awarded the certificate from Guinness. Out of respect, since then I have been very careful how I worded it to the press and others, I am also quick to mention Syd Bolton's collection in some interviews, which I have seen even though the majority of his collection PC. We are friends and have discussed all the hijinks that have followed. I bought about 3% of my games at the Digital Press store on three occasions and even told Joe that I was going for the record garnering no response. After the fact, when I heard that Jason was upset, I reached out to him even though he was attacking me. I was even trying to tell him that he didn't need to get upset about the record because I was going to be selling it anyway, but he removed me from all discussion threads and refused to answer my e-mails. I then tried mediating through Rob, which was helpful, but not enough to get Jason to contact me directly or respond. If he had, a lot of this hysteria could have been resolved. Now I hear that Jason has contacted at least one bidder to sabotage a future sale opportunity.

Many reading the messages on this forum have large collections. Imagine if you had to sell what was essentially your passion, and how it would make you feel. Then think about how you would feel having to do something that you don't want to do, that is CRUSHING to do, and then getting beat up about it unfairly for trying to do the right thing.

Dangerboy

06-20-2014, 09:20 AM

It is not confirmed, but it seems that the high bidder ( EDIT: Removed bidder's personal info. ) may not be the genuine deal. It is not confirmed that he is a bogus bidder, but while he was in communication during the screening process, he seems to be absent following the conclusion of the auction.

Is there some sort of bidder privacy statement with GameGavel?

i find posting a bidder's complete contact information to the internet - *especially* - when it's posted by the seller, under an explanation that's more or less an accusation of lying (aka fake bid) a wee bit...troubling.

Oobgarm

06-20-2014, 09:23 AM

Is it too late to post this?

http://replygif.net/i/187.gif

Nz17

06-20-2014, 09:26 AM

Michael Thomasson, first of all, good luck with your family and your attempts to liquidate your collection into a financial asset for the well-being of those around you. But I'm curious, are you keeping any games/hardware from your collection, something(s) that weren't in the auction? Perhaps devices loaded with digital downloads, e.g. tablet, 3DS, etc.? You aren't going completely game-free I hope, right?

GarrettCRW

06-20-2014, 09:35 AM

Is there some sort of bidder privacy statement with GameGavel?

I'm sure it gets ignored like the "DO NOT FUCKING E-MAIL ME" settings.

I love it how we vbenderites are negative snots, but Michael Thomasson is an A+ dude while pulling shit like posting someone's contact info all over the internet.

Lil_John

06-20-2014, 10:04 AM

Yeeaahya!

portnoyd

06-20-2014, 10:05 AM

It is not confirmed, but it seems that the high bidder (former home of email, name, address and phone number of probable fake bidder) may not be the genuine deal. It is not confirmed that he is a bogus bidder, but while he was in communication during the screening process, he seems to be absent following the conclusion of the auction. The auction house started contacting other bidders last night in case this turns out to be the case. Game Gavel knocked out many bogus bids during the auction, but this gentleman appeared genuine, was in communication at the time, and did not give false phone numbers or e-mail addresses that bounced back like many others that were removed from the bidding process. Unfortunately, he drove the number up so fast that it seems to have scared away other potential bidders.

His actions, and the others that found this to be a fun game (excuse the pun) have done my family a great disservice and it troubles me that be people can be so shallow and petty that they are willing to do real damage to others for no reason that involves them. Brian and the others may think that they were being funny, but the truth is those involved in any shady activities (if that is the case) concerning my auction has done a tremendous injustice to those that I care about and that saddens me.

Many reading the messages on this forum have large collections. Imagine if you had to sell what was essentially your passion, and how it would make you feel. Then think about how you would feel having to do something that you don't want to do, that is CRUSHING to do, and then getting beat up about it unfairly for trying to do the right thing.

The hilarious thing is the ADMIN OF DP replied after you, clearly saw your post, and left the personal information intact.

Michael Thomasson

06-20-2014, 10:09 AM

I don't know how to respond, but here goes. My brother and I just had a discussion last night about moving my mother out of her home and into an apartment for her remaining time. Dropping two of her nurses (she has had 24 hour care for years) and keeping the remaining hand to help. I was hoping to keep her in the comfort of her home. If I don't find a buyer for the auction, this is just one scenario of the decisions I'll be having to make. I hoped to do right by her (and others that I care for her) and took the bold step to do so. Unfortunately, my plan seems to have been railroaded and you are concerned about the privacy of a person that may have willingly broke the law by bidding on an auction that is legally binding. I am not the bad guy here. As far as posting information to the internet... it was already there.

GarrettCRW

06-20-2014, 10:13 AM

Poty.

portnoyd

06-20-2014, 10:57 AM

No one is discounting your medical bills. What we are discounting is:

Your blind eye to other larger collections. Your excuse of having no understanding of large collections is like saying I didn't realize the speed limit is 65, officer.

And that reserve price. Comes off both as ignorant to reality and questions truly if you want to sell. DreamTR valued his collection at $700k for insurance purposes. Tell me how yours is worth more. Difficulty: use data from videogamepricecharts and don't round up by way of the title.

Posting a suspected criminal's (as you put it) information is no different than posting an innocent's info. And if was already out there, that means SoCalMike violated his own ToS posting it. Now that's funny.

Seriously, if Palmer Luckey is really going to cut you a check (and he would be ill advised to do so based on what comprises the collection), you better take it. You will not do better.

DreamTR

06-20-2014, 11:00 AM

Concerning the title. I've continually referred to the collection as the "World's Largest Video Game Collection according to The Guinness Book of World Records" since the issue about of that was the case was brought up. I had no understanding that there were bigger collections until I was in communication with Rob Feraldi and he mentioned that Jason Wilson may have more games. How would I know, I've never seen his collection? He never told me until after I was awarded the certificate from Guinness. Out of respect, since then I have been very careful how I worded it to the press and others, I am also quick to mention Syd Bolton's collection in some interviews, which I have seen even though the majority of his collection PC. We are friends and have discussed all the hijinks that have followed. I bought about 3% of my games at the Digital Press store on three occasions and even told Joe that I was going for the record garnering no response. After the fact, when I heard that Jason was upset, I reached out to him even though he was attacking me. I was even trying to tell him that he didn't need to get upset about the record because I was going to be selling it anyway, but he removed me from all discussion threads and refused to answer my e-mails. I then tried mediating through Rob, which was helpful, but not enough to get Jason to contact me directly or respond. If he had, a lot of this hysteria could have been resolved. Now I hear that Jason has contacted at least one bidder to sabotage a future sale opportunity.

Many reading the messages on this forum have large collections. Imagine if you had to sell what was essentially your passion, and how it would make you feel. Then think about how you would feel having to do something that you don't want to do, that is CRUSHING to do, and then getting beat up about it unfairly for trying to do the right thing.

Oh we are not going there with this.

I will go over the FACTS once and for all so people are 100% clear on everything and then they will really get a clear cut picture of this.

1. Guinness contacted ME about this way before anything else.

Brief reading:

Hi Jason,

My name is Philip Robertson, I work for Guinness World Records in New York and am currently researching records that relate to video gaming and naturally came across your colossal collection via your interview with JJ Hendricks from last summer. Have you ever considered having your collection officially recognized as the largest in the world? Or are there elements of your collection you consider large enough to stand for other records � most video game consoles, controllers or original arcade machines etc? We�re interested in strong visual images and a good story and it sounds like that�s exactly what you have, reading the interview with JJ.

Would love to chat more about this.

Best regards,

Philip

Philip Robertson
Guinness World Records

Email: Philip.robertson@guinnessworldrecords.com
Tel: 718 513 7268
Blackberry: 917 650 3853
www.Guinnessworldrecords.com

My response:

From: dreamtr@aol.com [mailto:dreamtr@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 6:07 PM
To: Philip Robertson
Subject: Re: Largest video game collection world record?

Hi Philip, I've never really thought about that because I know there have to be more people than me out there with more games...I figure as far as "different" games go with no doubles, I definitely have a tad over 16,000 which does not include stand up arcade and pinball machines which I have around 175 right now...

I would think that people with warehouses of overstock own 25,000 or more games of multiple titles (5,000 or each game or so), so it's hard to know if that is what is "considered" part of a collection or not. I have another 1,000 or so games that I do not consider part of my collection because I have a retail store where those are for sale and for my eBay site.

The best thing that I can tell you is what I DO have complete collections of (I collect multiple systems) and if you add the numbers up of the official releases, you come up with the numbers that I have (I also have a lot of Japanese/European/Brazilian games for multiple systems) as well as numerous games that were in development versions (prototypes) and unreleased games but again, this all depends on what type of video gaming section you are looking to place this in...

The collectors I know with the most games...

Andre Hodos in France. (goes by the name Adol)..probably has around as many games as I do, and I am sure since he sells on eBay and trades a lot he has a "doubles" box that is not really considered part of a collection.

Joe Santulli, he owns a game store called Digital Press Video Games in Clifton, NJ and also runs the collector website www.digitpress.com

Joe has to have 25,000 games in his personal collection. That is my estimate, he has to have computer games and/or doubles to get that amount because if you add up the entire United States released library of games, you end up with around 12,000 games, and since I have most of that library the other 4,000 are imports and prototypes, but you would definitely have to call the Digital Press game store to find out, Joe knows more collectors than I do and I personally think he has more different amount of items than I do, but I have no idea. I know his store has more stuff than I do, but again, you are talking about doubles/triples/200 of one game, etc.

Let me know if I can help with anything else!

His response:
-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Robertson <Philip.Robertson@guinnessworldrecords.com>
To: dreamtr@aol.com <dreamtr@aol.com>
Sent: Tue, Feb 2, 2010 10:23 am
Subject: RE: Largest video game collection world record?

Hi Jason,

Thanks very much for the email.
In terms of guidelines for records, we would insist that each item in the collection be a different. For record categories it does sound as though you have a number of really powerful collections which might be divided into individual sub-categories: e.g. Arcade machines, video game consoles/systems, video game /game software and game memorabilia. My colleagues in the Guinness World Records records management team would be able to provide much better direction on this subject, and I encourage you to submit a new record application via www.GuinnessWorldRecords.com which then allow me to track and help move the records through the various channels as we have more than 1,000 record applications a week. My interest is in video gaming records and believe your�s is a significant collection that should be recognized.

Would be happy to talk more about this.
Best regards,
Philip

(These are out of order because they are in a forward)

-----Original Message-----
From: dreamtr <dreamtr@aol.com>
To: Philip.Robertson <Philip.Robertson@guinnessworldrecords.com>
Sent: Wed, Feb 3, 2010 4:24 pm
Subject: Re: Largest video game collection world record?

HI Philip, I have sent the record submission as of last night.

(After this I sent some more emails for followup, and then this one after Michael's collection was basically plastered on the front page of everything ever)

"Philip, I never heard anything back from anyone contacting me, and I just noticed someone who has significantly less games than I do has the record"

Now I will go on to the next order of business so you guys can understand where this is even more ridiculous....

rolenta

06-20-2014, 11:04 AM

No one is discounting your medical bills. What we are discounting is:

Your blind eye to other larger collections. Your excuse of having no understanding of large collections is like saying I didn't realize the speed limit is 65, officer.

And I'll repeat what I posted earlier: It wasn't a major deal when Richard Lecce was listed for having the largest collection with 8,616 games. I for one never knew of DreamTR's collection until Rob Faraldi told me about it, which was in response to me telling Rob that Michael was going after the PUBLISHED record.

PapaStu

06-20-2014, 11:09 AM

The hilarious thing is the ADMIN OF DP replied after you, clearly saw your post, and left the personal information intact.

I however have not. Removed from both the initial post and your quote.

When stuff shoots that high in an (online) auction that gets national media attention, I have little faith that it's going to come through for the seller. Ever. Doesn't matter if it's eBay, GameGavel or some other auction house. The ability to do solid background checks can be difficult and far too easily faked. I'm not going to throw my two cents in on the Guinness award because it'll do nothing, just like peeing on a raging fire except smell bad.

I hope that you can find a truly willing buyer, get a sum you're both happy with that will afford you the ability to care for your family as you're trying to do with the proceeds.

rolenta

06-20-2014, 11:14 AM

I will go over the FACTS once and for all so people are 100% clear on everything and then they will really get a clear cut picture of this.

Jason, no one is disputing this. But this is a fault with Guinness. We were not aware of any of this when Michael contacted Guinness. We only had the published number in their book to go by.

DreamTR

06-20-2014, 11:15 AM

Now for the rest of the FACTS of the matter here:

Rolenta did direct Michael towards me. For a guy who I have purchased stuff for years from at CGE (who I even talked to when I was at 10K games in my collection AT CGE back in the early 2000s) had absolutely no clue who I was. Didn't remember me from the magazine I worked for, nothing. I have no problem with that he has met a lot of people even though him and I have talked numerous time and he knew exactly who I was years ago at every expo...here is where it gets interesting:

The reason no one said anything to Richard Lecce about is record is because it was not plastered all over the internet in every major news outlet for 15 minutes of fame "claiming" it is the verified World's Largest Collection, etc. I just discounted Guinness with my email string from 4+ years ago. You were told other people had more games before hand, you discounted it (referring to Michael), heck, when I posted on his Facebook group I kid you not he said he could not "imagine" anyone having more games than him and he talked about the 28+ or so CIB game system collections he had. I mean, I named 14,000 games off the top of my head and I wasn't even trying. Do people forget DS and Wii exist? I've got 2600 games for those two systems ALONE that are different....I mean, for someone who is "on top of things" it sure did not look like it.

The point is Michael is playing innocent about this coverage and everything. It's not his to have. It might not be mine to have, but I'll tell you, if that was my collection up and scattered about I can assure you the whole fiasco with this has cost ME money because in the event this collection of commons was to be sold for 750K vs the stuff I have, well, if there was any scheming with Guinness that would be kind of conniving if it was not the truth, wouldn't you say?

You bring up me trying to "sabotage" a bidder.

Here is the scoop. Yes, I contacted Palmer Luckey. He was informed not to go above 90K on your stuff (not informed by me), as that is what it is worth. He wants complete collections of stuff for a project he is doing. Arcade games possibly too. Now apparently you are ok with ripping the guy off here. There is no way your stuff is worth what you think it is. It's delusional to think otherwise. Educating the guy as to not getting ripped off? You are damned right I did it, but he already knew beforehand based on his max bid. See that for what you will, the person who should be mad is ME in general because you don't even have the largest collection, Guinness talked to me before you, you get all this coverage and constant opportunistic stuff for something that was basically fabricated!

Even your description of you saying you will still be "writing books" "doing tv, teaching (sic) etc, is arrogant at worst! You say you have sold all these before, and will do it again! Well, I would think so with the 8,000 commons you probably have in the Good Deal Games stuff!

So the bottom line is there is nothing you or I need to discuss. You handled this fiasco badly with all this coverage and you are trying to play mediator with the internet. I may not have the most games, who knows. I led Guinness down the right path AND I was told to submit an application. However, somehow you made it in, have less games, have a collection of commons, are trying to hoodwink people out of money for a collection that is worth way less, and yet somehow I am being made the bad guy? Why are you bringing my name up again here? I stopped discussing this with you, IT WAS DONE. Now that other people bring me up you are thinking I am the bad guy because I talked to someone who already was told by other people not to bid on your stuff? Really?

Wow.
Wow.
Wow.

Ladies and Gentleman. Michael Thomasson. World Record Holder.

DreamTR

06-20-2014, 11:18 AM

Jason, no one is disputing this. But this is a fault with Guinness. We were not aware of any of this when Michael contacted Guinness. We only had the published number in their book to go by.

Leonard, that is fine, but I was staying out of this until Michael brought me up again.

Palmer Luckey had made up his max bid mind before. Yet Michael is saying I am sabotaging things.

Fault with Guinness or not, Palmer is looking for CIB complete collections that Michael does not have. That has nothing to do with me. It's simple "I am looking for something and this is not it" type info. I have nothing to do with that. It's a free country I can talk to whoever I want and that had nothing to do with me. So you can't defend him anymore when he is stirring the pot with me again.

portnoyd

06-20-2014, 11:18 AM

And I'll repeat what I posted earlier: It wasn't a major deal when Richard Lecce was listed for having the largest collection with 8,616 games. I for one never knew of DreamTR's collection until Rob Faraldi told me about it, which was in response to me telling Rob that Michael was going after the PUBLISHED record.

It wasn't a major deal because Lecce did not mug for the camera like Michael did. As DreamTR said on AA, no one but Michael put himself under the microscope by opening the floodgates for coverage. As I said before, Michael needed to show a little humility and it would have gone a long way.

Storyteller

06-20-2014, 11:20 AM

I had no understanding that there were bigger collections until I was in communication with Rob Feraldi and he mentioned that Jason Wilson may have more games. How would I know, I've never seen his collection?

You know you can google DREAMTR GAMES and find interviews and pictures and history. Internet.
7521

DreamTR

06-20-2014, 11:25 AM

I mean no one to blame but yourself for the backlash, especially with this from your auction:

� and, as many of you know I have been involved in the gaming industry for 25+ years. Although I am selling this collection, please do not misunderstand and come to the conclusion that I am leaving the hobby. That is definitely not the case. I love games and they are pivotal part of my identity. I will continue to champion them. I will continue to write for periodicals and publish books, teach my college gaming classes, occasionally partake in competitive gaming, operate GDG�s Homebrew Heaven, publish new games and gaming products, write business plans, make appearances on television, film and radio, manage retail gaming stores, help with trade shows, work as a consultant for third parties, et cetera.

I simply have an immediate family and extended family that have needs that need to be addressed. While I do not wish to part with these games, I have responsibilities that I have made to others and this action is how I will help meet them. No worries, I�ve sold my collection many times in the past and still managed to capture Guinness� attention, and it is entirely possible that I may again.

No wait, let me repeat that:
"No worries, I�ve sold my collection many times in the past and still managed to capture Guinness� attention, and it is entirely possible that I may again."

You just said you are "sick" and you are upset to sell your passion, but said you have done it many times over?

What?

The whole auction read like a resume as to how "important" this collection is based on yourself. Again, great guy in person, but really? I have no idea why you wanted to talk with me on the phone, what would that accomplish? You aren't Guinness and I am sure everyone is sick of every month a new thing on this collection popping up but you can't keep playing the innocent card here.

What fascinates me is that if there are "family issues" and this had to be sold, well, sell it for what it is worth, which is 90 to 100K. What else are people supposed to think when you are trying to get way more than it is worth and it is being piggybacked off Guinness??

When you open Pandora's box what do you expect to come out of it? Ponies and flowers and people handing over 700K?

I would sell my console collection for slightly LESS than your 750K if anyone was ever serious about it. THat is why this is so baffling to me how you are just not realizing so many things about this down to the collectors and amount of games out there if you are as involved as you say you are...it does not add up and just displays mememememememememememmemeemememem all over the place.

I am sure everyone likes to brag about something, but come on, this has become Ringling Bros, Barnum, Bailey and the Guinness/Michael circus.