One more take on Collecting, or giving it up

[digitalpress]

Reading this thread:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120083

I was about to post there, as I so often do when threads about giving it up or questioning the collecting mindset, or the materialism of it all, or the practicality when confronted with real life, etc. etc. etc...

I consider myself a rather veteran collector. I've got shit all over the house, in my store, in Las Vegas in storage for Classic Gaming Expo... it's a mess, really. An organized and tidy mess but a mess in the sense that I know damn well that I'll never be able to really enjoy it all the way I had originally intended. I'll never play them all. I have no kids, so it won't get passed down, and my wife will only be burdened with selling it off should I leave this plane of existence before she does. Thus, the thought continually pokes at me: "what am I gonna do, have it all buried with me?"

Bear with me for one more moment here so you and I are on the same page. Most of you know I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2006 and that just makes me want to enjoy everything more NOW, as there's just no guarantees on a long old-age period where I can catch up on the gaming, or sell it all and retire to San Juan, or just blow it all on booze and worldwide travel. If you're me, TODAY is rather precious. Common sense says that collecting under these conditions isn't very practical.

All of that said, and after countless discussions with my better half, I have come to the realization that it is the COLLECTING ITSELF that brings me joy, sometimes more so than the gaming itself.

Soul-searching a bit, I pictured a world where I'd keep the few games that I really love and could play every day, and that was a future I could certainly embrace. This was followed shortly later by my next thoughts, picturing a world where I'd given up "the hunt". That was much harder to wrap my brain around. So hard, in fact, that I have resigned myself to the fact that what brings ME joy isn't just the gaming, but the packrat "gotta catch 'em all" mentality that has been with me for as long as I can remember. You know what confirmed this? While updating our online guide lists recently, I actually felt the need to check the complete lists against what I owned for the TI-99/4A and APF MP-1000. I mean, WHO DOES THIS? And worse, who immediately goes to eBay to add a search reminder so those stragglers don't get missed tomorrow and beyond... ?

In the end, everyone has to make their own decision about collecting vs. gaming/practicality/finances. But understand that there are freaks like me who might just find collecting the winner every time.

[Mianrtcv]

Reading this thread:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120083In the end, everyone has to make their own decision about collecting vs. gaming/practicality/finances. But understand that there are freaks like me who might just find collecting the winner every time.

Exactly. Whatever the reason is, it does not matter. If you dig it and can manage it. Who does it hurt? I enjoy to play and collect.

[jcalder8]

It's all about what brings you joy. I have sold some stuff off that I was done with and I have cut way back on my collecting because I want to play more games(and something about bills or rent or food, you know nothing important)

I am happy with the amount of time that I can spend playing the games that I have and although I wish I had more money I am happy only buying games that I know I'll play through in the future.

[Poofta!]

i have to agree with you there as im pretty much the same. the hunt and search to me is more important and fun than gaming itself (i barely game anymore). i also enjoy looking at my shelf of games that i adore.

[RadiantSvgun]

I just collect what I play. For the exception of the Turbo of course.

[InsaneDavid]

All of that said, and after countless discussions with my better half, I have come to the realization that it is the COLLECTING ITSELF that brings me joy, sometimes more so than the gaming itself.

I don't think that could be better put Joe. Happiness is pursuring happiness, in a way, is it not? The cheap hunt, the killer finds, buying garbage NES games I simply don't have just because they're $2.00 - that's probably my favorite part of the hobby, right up there with the people I meet along the way. Same thing when I bought my Galaxian cocktail recently (which I'm sure the boards are getting tired of hearing about), sure I love the game but having a classic cocktail table in the home has been a dream of mine for years. To me the physical piece is as important as the entertainment, as is the story behind how I obtained it.

I'm okay with playing ROMs as well (as Flack mentioned in the other thread), the originals will never totally be replaced but I don't mind going through long games with specific emulators I feel "console comfortable" with. This was a big part of me deciding it was okay to let the TurboDuo go (also that I could always buy another one down the road and my collection really isn't that gigantic or super rare outside of it being 'Duo stuff to begin with). There are tons of TG-16 and PCEngine games that I've had and sold over the years that I never really sat down and dug into. I've been doing that with emulation as of late and for the foreseeable I feel comfortable with that. A few games will stick around, namely titles that I have a bond with or simply don't want to have to look for again when the day comes that I miss the physical console, but for the most part it's an emulation platform for me for awhile. There's plenty of games to enjoy and beat before feeling that it's couch kickback time again with the console and casual play with serious collecting steps back into the spotlight. The 'Duo was my splurge system back when I first came into disposable income, the system I never was able to own but always wanted - expensive then, expensive now. These days that system is the Twin Famicom which has been much more affordable to get games for (mainly thanks to a few forum members here!) and like its counterpart the NES, if it's cheap I'll usually give it a try. Sure that can all be emulated as well but I get more enjoyment from the tactile feel of the system, flipping the disks, the controllers, etc.

I've thinned out things over the past few years, getting rid of stuff I don't play at all or really actively collect - and all stuff I could buy back into easily should the desire arise. That's not completely true actually, I haven't been in a "buy buy buy" mode in a long while and for a couple years it was "sell sell sell" the crap that I "bought bought bought" because I could, it really didn't have much meaning: gameplay or collection wise. This was mostly filler PS2 titles and GBA games, which in the first year I bought almost everything on the platform.

But the classic stuff, even PS1 and Dreamcast, it all means a lot to me. When I do have that moment where I want to play and nothing else, it's cool to think of a game, pull it off the shelf, sit down with it, read through the instruction book cover to cover, look over the packaging and really enjoy the game like I walked into a store the day it was released and purchased a copy because it was a title I saved up for. That's when the large cheaply obtained collections pay you back ten fold, when you discover games you love that you never knew about or only had a faint idea of, that have been sitting in your collection for years. One may not be able to play them all, but those pockets of surprise here and there offer enjoyment that wouldn't be found through other means.

[Simply Dave]

As far as I'm concerned, collecting video games is one of the coolest hobbies in the world. Everytime I read a post where someone says that it's a waste of money and that you should only collect the games you'll actually play, I think about the dudes that pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a rare stamp or some old painting or a Coke bottle. A fucking stamp....think about that.

[Oobgarm]

...I have come to the realization that it is the COLLECTING ITSELF that brings me joy, sometimes more so than the gaming itself.

Truer words could not have been spoken. I'm in the same boat as you buddy.

[scooterb23]

I have come to the realization that it is the COLLECTING ITSELF that brings me joy, sometimes more so than the gaming itself.

I hear that. My issue is...I can't focus on just one thing to collect!! When I get home from this trip, I'll get pics, I promise...my collection of collections!

[gepeto]

I totally agree. I Love the hunt and the find but for me Videogaming is in my blood. Coming from the electric football era and watching videogames go from a blip to gta I just find fascinating. I appreciate and marvel at the advancements. I believe when I am 60 I will still be gaming. I also hope in my heart that one day I will be able to sit back and play all that I have collected.

The amount and size of the collection can be a nuisance but I hope one day to have a house with a big enough basement where I can add order to chaos. If I sold it I would regret it to a point but hey it is what I enjoy doing. Some men do cars,comics,baseballcards we are all in the same boat.

[Videogamerdaryll]

I was just talking about this with my Wife..and the convo comes up often..especially on the way to a race event.

I do two things..Game and Race...

I race the mini motorcycles and think,man ,,.What would happen to my collection of games,shoot even my bikes while at the track...Let alone not being there for my family,Kids and Wife..
....
When I'm racing and things get hairy on the track,or I get too daring-think of taking chances my wife and kids flash in my head and I take it easy..
My wife's always goes with me,if I got hurt what would happen... she'd have to get the bikes home and come get me in some far away hospital....Dead same but I'd never know it..
My 7 year old Son I plan to start racing next year,and he's a Big Gamer..As I told my wife etc that my collecting goes to my two Sons...

To wife:Ok maybe he'll never touch the older stuff..he won't have me to show him it so I try to show him as much as I can now(her-stop talking like that)

..he is currently hooked on N64 games and NES Tetris...360 Lego Games

To Wife: ...........so keep the Arcade machines for him and the new stuff,take the retro stuff to Joe,(yea I've said this if I croak) as(Hon) you'll not know what to do with all this stuff...
For the bikes,call one of the other racers on my Celly..

Dad says..We'll you'll never know what went were if you croak so...who cares
But I have kids and you make sure the Arcade machines stay with them..Make sure you help her if she has to move them..

"The Hunt"
I still enjoy the hunt......It's an addiction..My dad goes with me to Fleas and he hunts for non gaming stuff but he finds enjoyment if he finds/sees something gaming for me..

Unfortunate .as I was just talking about this same thing with a member here,the Flea Markets around me have went down hill in finds..I don't find much if anything..NES systems are scarce,SMB is what I'd call rare if I saw it at a flea Market these days..
If I find anything good looking.. it's junk or broken..the vendors are scraping the bottom of the barrelI
'm tired of getting bit by broken junk via the flea market..If I find something it comes like once a year now with my last great find,that being the Ms Pac Man coctail table...Years ago I'd be climbing over Genny and NES systems..Years agoythe hunt was worthwhile and pure fun.. now I dig through bins and boxes to find nothing..If I find loose NES games they are priced at $5-10 each..
Broken PS2 .Gamecubes and Xboxes have started to be the flooded item at Fleas now..but vendors still seem to think that trying to sell a used GC for $50.00 is giving you a good deal..
Vendors I've found good stuff from through the years have vanished or they say"I just don't find anything anymore"


Ebay..I hardly ever go on looking for something gaming anymore unless I'm price hunting,looking for a super cheap new system game...
I remember when I'd have several gaming packages coming in a week..Ahh the good old days.

..
I recently sold retro stuff off,,and bought another bike.
Wife says,hey you collected that stuff for years then just sold it all off at once ..aren't you going to miss it..
Yes for many reasons and No...
If I sell something it's to buy something else that I'll use and have fun with then no....I'm not using the games,they were just on display behind glass..
I don't have the time to play it all..nor really does my Son..with the bike I'll use the heck out of it and my Son will grow to race them..
If I get something I want after selling something I'm happy..if it doesn'tt work out that way then I'm pissed..

Collecting,I've lost the interst to try and complete collections,my last close to complete collection was Sega Saturn..
I still collect games just not like I used to so I make sure not to sell everything..>>>
As:
When I'm too old to ride-race I'll go back into collection games full time.....Meaning I'll be up at Joes store buying all kinds of stuff.

(full circle).

Right now I'm just trying to have as much fun as possible while I still can..I'm 40..you just never know when your gonna go,.........

whatever makes you happy..go for it..

[Trebuken]

For many here there is also a sense of community. This site is a hub. Many branch out to CGE and similar events, others are sontent to just remain among the forums. There is a sense that we are collecting together, driving the hobby and creating our own niche...OK well maybe not me, but many of the veterans here lead me to believe this is the case...

[fpbrush]

I agree with most that has been said here-- and I think what it comes down to, is "collecting/packratting", "the hunt", or "the community" can all be really amazing stimulating things for the videogame collector. But really in the end, its all about FUN or joy as Joe was getting at. If any of these things has made collecting lose it's fun for you (ie losing too much space to games, reselling market getting you down, or not enough forums like this one) it's probably time to adjust your collecting style--I know I had to.

But some are the 'catch em alls' and some are just in it for a few favorites--but I think all these styles create a healthy collecting community as we are a part of here!

Everyone here is a collector--we are all just collecting in different ways.

[EX-Soldier]

he who dies with the most toys...wins

[maxlords]

Joe is a Pokemon trainer

Seriously though...I like playing em more than hunting em. In fact...I don't ever complete collections, I don't even particularly LIKE the hunt...it's just habit now because that's the only way to find stuff. This year...everything I've found at yard sales got traded in to a local indy game store to pay for new games. I don't really "hunt" like I used to. I'm kind of the exception I guess. I've limited what I buy to a handful of items, and I almost never buy anything but current gen anymore...I have 95% of all the older stuff I wanted and I don't see the point of buying games I won't play. But I still compulsively look sometimes.

I guess what I'm saying is for some people...this is a hunt. For some people, it's OCD. Me...it's more of the latter, plus I love gaming. But even now, I go through phases where I'll game heavily for a month, then not touch any games for 2 or 3. And the older I get the more I do that.

[crazyjackcsa]

If I could get more than pennies on the dollar, my collection would be gone but the value of them now is so much lower than what I paid. For the 2 dollars I'll get for most games, I'll keep them. For the most part I've only collected what I play and have never traded in. That's left me with over 200 games across about 6 systems. If somebody offered me 3k for the collection, I'd take it.

With the birth of my son there just isn't time or to be honest, the money.

[16-bit]

Whether it is my own collection or inventory, I actually enjoy sorting/organizing video games as much as playing them.

[Malon_Forever]

It's more about what you enjoy doing overall with you're free time. Do you like to read, go to the movies, play games, collect anything (games as well ) Personally if you love doing, why stop? Don't get carried away with it, just keep doing what you like. Just need a healthy mix of things.

[SegaAges]

This topic seems to be coming up alot more lately.

I have been around here for around 3 or 4 years, and I am 25 now.

I have been collecting since I was young, but with all that time, I am still doing a "quest for 1000 games" thread. I have been into collecting since I was probably 14 or 15, so a good 10 years.

Some people who have been in this for 10 years are like Joe when it comes to how many games they have.

I started losing interest in the amount of games I had until I started getting close to 1000, which is always a milestone.

Why do I do it?
I honestly don't know. All I know is that I love it. I collect for everything, and definately not a completist. I have a complete N-Gage collection, but ebgames helped me with that since they were dirt cheap and most were easily readible to get.

Some of you have a wife and kids to pass your stuff along to. I don't have that option right now. I am only 25. I am a computer programmer with a degree, and I graduated when I was 24, and assumed I would be at least in the middle when it came to age at my job, I am one of the youngest (I think there is 1 person younger than me that works here). I have nobody to give this stuff to right now. I have said, back when I got a little too deep into drugs (I am clean now, I assure you), that if I died, all I cared about was that none of my games were sold, and they were enjoyed. I was actually asked by a doctor while I was in a hospital what i wanted to do with it all (assuming I did not make it if I continued down that path). Scary times, but meant for a different thread, and I am clean now, thankfully

My problem is that I started getting mroe games than I had a chance to play. Back when my number was around 300 or 400, I would play every single game I bought, even to say it sucked. Now, I counted yesterday actually, and I have 31 X-Box 360 games, and look at my gamerscore, hahaha, and that is recent stuff.

I actually knew I wasn;t the only person, but did not realize that I was a collector myself until I watched a show on G4 where Joe was on there lookin' all sexy for the camera, and that is when I found out about DP.

I have been a member ever since, and it is great. For about 5-7 years or so, I was collecting with no communication to anybody else about it besides my friends and family, now I get to talk to people all around the world about doing what I do.

We all do the same thing. Somebody else also said it, but some of us just do it differently.

Will I ever stop collecting? Right now, no. As long as games are getting put out in physical form I will continue to buy them. Even when they stop, it will give me more time to get all of the stuff that was put into physical media.

Maybe when I find a nice girl and start a family, my priorities may change, but right now, I am "living the dream". 25 Year old dude with a college degree, nice car, a salaried job, spendable income. Bills suck, but I always have money to spend. I am enjoying this life while I can, as I am sure some of you did. I am at the point where my collection will probably start skyrocketting, but I don't care, I am having fun and enjoying life. Games bring a smile to my face.

I will say though, collecting is not like it used to be. Video games were fairly mainstream when I started when I was a kid, but the industry has grown to the point where you will not find deals like "Every single Saturn game [2 isles worth] all for 4.99 to clear out inventory" at BestBuy. Stuff like that doesn't happen anymore. We got lucky a few years back when TRU did that 90% off deal, I know you guys remember that, but it is much different now. The finds are out there, but it is much harder to score a find. It is now all about finding a deal on games, and not finding something "in the wild". It has changed, to the point where people that are not all taht into games are out doing what we do, but they stay specific to a current-gen or N64 if they are in college.

[Igorr]

As far as I'm concerned, collecting video games is one of the coolest hobbies in the world. Everytime I read a post where someone says that it's a waste of money and that you should only collect the games you'll actually play, I think about the dudes that pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a rare stamp or some old painting or a Coke bottle. A fucking stamp....think about that.

Hey, NICE collection. I did notice that you have a least one n64 game with permanent marker on it. You know how to get that off? Take a Magic Eraser (Made by mr. clean or something) and get it a bit wet and rub it on it and it will come right off! I use it to clean ALL my nes game carts and even my nes consoles. Works like a friggin charm!