Can't stop collecting

[lspear76]

I've been a big gamer for years, since the Atari 2600. Over the years I've owned just about every system, but much of my collection was lost through trades and selling when a new system came out. Some things I just don't know what happened to, such as my Sega 3d glasses and a bunch of old EGM (from 1989) and Gamefan (from 93/94) magazines.

After finding about 50 NES games at my brother's place, I've become addicted to collecting old games again. Over the past few weeks I've bought about 30 complete Sega Master System games, the 3D glasses, and a few complete and loose Genesis games. Keep in mind, i already had a pretty decent collection (Atari/Sega/Nintendo as well as the current systems) but now I feel drawn to "the next level" wanting to snag all the games I can find ASAP. Just yesterday I got another 9 Sega Master System games in and have been playing for hours. Right now I'm playing Captain Silver for Sega. Earlier I beat Rocky three times. My girlfriend and I played Parlour Games. I still haven't even opened some "new" games I got last week -- The Orange Box and Sega Rally Revo.

Why did I start collecting the Sega Master System out of all systems? I don't know. It was always the red head stepchild of the late 80's. I owned an NES, but when I saw the ads for the Master System (in a flyer for the local Laneco food store!) I had to have it. The back of the box "Great Baseball" looked incredible, and the commercial telling me about "Rocky" and "Phantasy Star" had me hooked. I admit the NES was a better system, but Sega was fun too. Some of my best memories are of my brother and I driving to Toys R Us (about 20 miles away) and buying Sega Master System games. In fact, when Kay Bee Toy Store was sold out of Rocky, we called Toys R Us and they had it in stock. We drove there on a weekday school night to get it, because I was (am) the type of person who needs everything NOW. I can't wait. So at 8pm on a schoolnight we drove to get the game, came back, played for 20 minutes and I had to go to sleep for school. :-)

Another great memory is going to that Toys R Us (it was always an event) and buying 3 Sega Master System games at once. Some real stinkers I think -- Kung Fu Kid, Black Belt, and something else. Toys R Us was great back then because it seemed like they had a thousand games. You had to look take these paper slips to the register, pay for the game, and then go to another area where they would retrieve your games. It was the coolest. :-)

Later on the Sega Master System and NES got replaced by the Sega Genesis (first games were Tommy Lasorda Baseball, Last Battle, Thunderforce II) and the incredible Commodore Amiga 500 computer. Here's a video of me playing TV Sports Football with my brother back on Christmas 1989.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5V5ug4e39M

[IronBuddha]

You had to look take these paper slips to the register, pay for the game, and then go to another area where they would retrieve your games.

The Toy's R Us here still does that. I remember when demolition derby 2 came out for the PS I wanted to try it out but I wanted to buy the first one first since the price got dropped down and to see if I like it I'll buy the second one, well anyways I did all of that went home and noticed they gave me part 2 instead of the first one!

[miaandjohnrule]

I had a SMS way before I got an NES in 1991. Boy, was I missing out. But the old Sega still has a special place in my heart. All those hours with Safari Hunt , Gangster Town, Rambo: First Blood part 2, Time Soldiers , Bomber Raid. Great fun, good times. I've got some doubles if you are looking for anything special, pm me

[cyberfluxor]

Welcome to DP and good luck with your adventure to game collecting and classic gaming. Good times ahead and new things to learn. Plenty of knowledge on these boards so don't hesitate to ask questions. If/when you're been here for a little while you should check out the Marketplace, lots of goodies to be had there if you're looking to expand your selection quickly. Also feel free to discuss your finds in the "What's it Worth?" forum.

[jwm2]

Its hard not to be a collector imo.

[bust3dstr8]

This initial rush of buying will slow down after a while, don't worry its normal.

It's like when you meet a new guy/girl, you hump like bunnies on crack for a while, then it slows to a normal pace later.

[grolt]

I always wanted an SMS, but only my friend had one growing up. Now though, I'm doing much the same as you, buying up most of the games I come across. The Master System is a great system to break into collecting, since it has a relatively small library (114 in the US) , with a high ratio of good games and most of them can be found complete thanks to those hard cases never giving out. Keep at it, it's a drug, to be sure, but what a system! It's nice to have another SMS fan around here.

[josekortez]

I don't necessarily call myself a collector, well, a completist collector anyway, but I just keep buying games that I don't have time to play. If it's cheap, I just get it and say that I'll play it but I never do. If I think it'll be hard to find, I buy it too. I don't know why I keep buying. I'm not overextending myself financially, but it's like I can't stop!

[EX-Soldier]

I don't necessarily call myself a collector, well, a completist collector anyway, but I just keep buying games that I don't have time to play. If it's cheap, I just get it and say that I'll play it but I never do. If I think it'll be hard to find, I buy it too. I don't know why I keep buying. I'm not overextending myself financially, but it's like I can't stop!

cosign to the 20th power, im more of a modern collector, starting at saturn an ending at ps2, every weekend i drop a couple hundred on rpgs, all i want is a complete ps1 rpg collection, problem is, i have like 40 on my plate as it is, and rpgs can rarely be beaten in a weekend so my pile just keeps growing and growing, i fear i'll never even play half of them....but i can never say no to a deal, once i started i found the addiction intensifying, i cant even explain it, today alone i drove something like 200 miles total to rack up on ps1 and saturn games, woke up at 9 am came home around 6pm, anyone else have this disease????

My name is EX-Soldier....and i have a problem =(

[jdc]

Hey, there's a lot of joy in old games, so why not? It's like vinyl records, same feeling. Old and cool because of it. I used to collect the old cart stuff but over the last few years I've found pleasure in collecting and playing close-to-mint PSX games.....concentrating on a best-of-the-best Playstation One games library. It's way tougher than carts because most of the PSX games that you see in the wild these days look like ass.

[Trebuken]

This initial rush of buying will slow down after a while, don't worry its normal.

It's like when you meet a new guy/girl, you hump like bunnies on crack for a while, then it slows to a normal pace later.

It may slow down.

It may also come in spurts like it does with me. I'll buy nothing for a few weeks, then notice that the SMS only has 110 or so games released and then I'll try to get them all over the next few months --- then stop....

[josekortez]

today alone i drove something like 200 miles total to rack up on ps1 and saturn games, woke up at 9 am came home around 6pm, anyone else have this disease????

My name is EX-Soldier....and i have a problem =(

Yeah, everytime I go home to visit my relatives 100 miles away, I spend the entire weekend searching for games. Thrift stores, yard sales, different Toys R Us, Circuit City & Best Buy stores, and I don't even spend that much time with my family.

I need to set goals to actually play some of these games instead of always buying new ones. I just got around to some of the Dreamcast games I bought in 2000, 2001 and 2002. That tells you what my backlog is like. I'd like to make a goal to actually beat some of them but I can't guarantee that...

[EX-Soldier]

Yeah, everytime I go home to visit my relatives 100 miles away, I spend the entire weekend searching for games. Thrift stores, yard sales, different Toys R Us, Circuit City & Best Buy stores, and I don't even spend that much time with my family.

I need to set goals to actually play some of these games instead of always buying new ones. I just got around to some of the Dreamcast games I bought in 2000, 2001 and 2002. That tells you what my backlog is like. I'd like to make a goal to actually beat some of them but I can't guarantee that...

lol im buying dreamcast games as we speak

[Dark_Sol]

We ARE SICK!