Games that *aren't* worth collecting?

[NayusDante]

I'm going through my collection, doing a full audit to see what I really want to hold on to. I'm planning on selling anything that I don't play, have no desire to finish, or just got for the cheap/oddball factor. I've finally gotten to the point where I don't want shelves full of dusty cart-only games, and I'd rather focus on the stuff that I'm either really into or actually have the time to play.

My problem is that I'm not exactly sure what's good to keep around and what's not, from a collector's perspective. Stuff like old sports games are a no-brainer, but what about the random platformers, and "average" games? What criteria do you use to separate the wheat from the chaff?

[portnoyd]

Loose Genesis carts are generally not worth it. The ease of getting them complete and their abundance just strikes their value down.

2600 commons are worth dirt. Just too many of them and 2600 prices falling is just amplifying things.

I've found that common complete INTV games go for bupkis. Just personal experience and the high amount that have passed through my hands.

[Oldskool]

The way I see it, whether it's a great game or not if it has not been played for a long time, nor do I have a desire to play it it's gone. I don't care whether a game cart is loose or not, or whether other people think it's a good game.

Also, lately if it's a game that I can burn and play on the original hardware it's gone. From a gamer's perspective it shouldn't matter if it's original, complete, or loose - if it works in the machine it's good enough.

But you are asking from a collector's perspective. For a collector I wouldn't keep anything that's loose. Boxed and complete only. Anything that has some decent value to it, keep it. Sports games can go unless they are some of the sought after sports games (Like Tecmo Bowl), or it's a sports game that you truly enjoy.

As far as consoles go, as a gamer I personally try to just keep one around (although extras always seem to pile up). As a collector, you may want to keep your different variations of a console (like genny 1,2,3 for example).

If you are a mixed collector/gamer you'll just have to find some middle ground.

I would say that I am a collector/gamer. So certain consoles I like to "collect" for, while others I just want to play the games.

I bet none of this made any sense.

[Famidrive-16]

Any duplicates you have you should probably just go ahead and get rid of now. Unless you've got a big reason to keep them or you're a constant trader they'll end up sitting there forever for no good reason.

If you're *that* big on complete games then maybe get rid of loose carts, I never really understood the "complete or die" standard though.

[mobiusclimber]

Most games I can tell if I want to keep after playing for ten minutes or less. If you want to sell your games, you'll likely want to test them first anyway, so I say play each game for a few minutes (unless you're absolutely sure it's not something you want to keep).

There ARE some sports games that are "collectible"... it just depends on what that word means to you.

[Slate]

For me, I have so many games I don't know what I have so sometimes I play the games before pricing them. If its something I like or think I'll play again I'll keep it.

Austin

[sixwayshot]

I generally only buy games I want to play. I don't actively look for boxed games, unless they're cheap (The local Play N Trade would price a boxed NES game for the same price as a loose one, for instance). All I want are the games. Same thing with burned discs-- It may be a copy, but it's still the exact same game. For certain consoles, the prices just aren't worth it.

I've basically narrowed down my purchasing habits (or, non-purchasing habits, so to speak) to this:


- Buy only games I'm interested in/that look interesting (I usually test out ones that LOOK cool, because, as we all know, looks can be deceiving)

- Avoid games that I KNOW I don't have an interest in (I have no desire to play Silent Service, Minnesota Fats: Pool Legend, or Slam & Jam '95.)

- Avoid sports games, for the most part. (Unless they're actually fun-- Pick your favorite Madden or NHL year and stick with it. I also buy up sports games that are more well-known: NBA Jam, Tecmo Bowl, Mutant League Football, NFL Blitz, etc. Those games are great.)

As for stuff to get rid of:

- Non-notable sports games (Madden, NHL, Bulls Vs. Blazers Vs. Whoever)
- Lackluster titles (Bubsy, Xardion, Little Sky Troopers, Astynax, Silent Service, etc...)
- Duplicates

It really depends on what you want. If you like the game, by all means, keep it. I, for instance, love the artwork for the game Zoop. I also love all of the different variations on Tetris (Even stuff like Wetrix, Tetrisphere, Hatris, and Wordtris) and I'm trying to collect each one.

This also applies with stuff you want to get rid of. Mega Man X3 may not be your thing. If you don't like it, sell it. (Possibly to me...)

[ScourDX]

I'm not sure about some of collector here. I tend to collect classic game in one disc (IE: Sega Genesis collection) and sell some of the older games. If you really want to cut down on number of games, getting compilation game may not be a bad idea. However not all re-release will be smooth as the original.

[Icarus Moonsight]

What criteria do you use to separate the wheat from the chaff?

My judgment. Hope that helps!

I like loose games, carts or disks... Sell them to me! I will play them, shocking, I know.

[Cornelius]

For me it is a balance between how hard it would be to find the game again (in given condition), how good it is, and how much I can sell it for. That last one comes into play quite a bit, since a lot of stuff isn't worth getting rid of. Dupes and the likes of genesis sports games get bundled with consoles when I sell them, but generic platformers I may keep just because they won't necessarily add any value to a lot and aren't worth selling on their own.

You must do what you feel is right, of course.

[megasdkirby]

For me, any game that you have no passion for is not worth collecting. Yet perhaps the collector in all of us wants to disapprove, specially when the game is very, very cheap.

For instance, I can't stand the Wii, yet I continue to buy games for it. I have around 70 Wii games, and I admit that I continue to buy games for it, but I almost NEVER play with the console. I don't really understand why I buy games for it, as I really don't care for the console. But I can't deny that I love to get cheap games, specially when they are $5 or so. It's almost like an impulse buy.

If you love a console or particular game, then it's worth collecting. But if it's something you have no passion for, don't like (you have to force yourself, like in my case), or simply don't care for, it's not worth collecting.

[Zthun]

I'm going through my collection, doing a full audit to see what I really want to hold on to. I'm planning on selling anything that I don't play, have no desire to finish, or just got for the cheap/oddball factor. I've finally gotten to the point where I don't want shelves full of dusty cart-only games, and I'd rather focus on the stuff that I'm either really into or actually have the time to play.

My problem is that I'm not exactly sure what's good to keep around and what's not, from a collector's perspective. Stuff like old sports games are a no-brainer, but what about the random platformers, and "average" games? What criteria do you use to separate the wheat from the chaff?

This is a rhetorical question. Everyone's going to have a different answer and everyone is going to be right. There is no right or wrong way to collect and there is no right or wrong answer to 'what should I keep.'

Label each game with a 1 or 0. Zero means, I don't want this, one means I really want to have this. Throw all the zero's into a sell box, and keeps the one's.

Personally, you'll never find me on the end of trying to sell my collection. I've done it before and all I've wound up doing is trying to get them all back again, so all that's going to happen is regret. Good luck man.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Avoid any copies of Myst you find.

Myst is the Super Mario Bros. of PC gaming. Everyone bought a copy. Now it's not worth more than ten cents.

[Oldskool]

I have a re-sealed Myst for sale for the 3DO. Anyone interested?

[mobiusclimber]

Personally, you'll never find me on the end of trying to sell my collection. I've done it before and all I've wound up doing is trying to get them all back again, so all that's going to happen is regret. Good luck man.

It all depends on why you sold the games in the first place. If I end up selling stuff out of my collection, it's b/c I need the money. The ONLY thing that I've ever sold that I regret selling was Princess Tomato CIB and mint, but only b/c it's proven to be stupidly difficult to get another copy of this game at an acceptable price, and at the time I sold it I really didn't "need" the money... I mean I did, but what I got for it wasn't a giant help at the time or anything, and it turned out I didn't even need the money for what I thought I did. Now I'm kicking myself over it. But every other time it's been b/c I needed to take care of things in my life, and whatever it was I needed money for was more important.

[3rdman]

I have distilled by collecting philosophy down to a basic question.


When evaluating what to keep and what to sell, for whatever it is, if the item gives you joy to play it, look at it, or daydream about it, keep it. No pleasure? Sell it.

[ryborg]

If a game isn't factory sealed, slabbed, and graded by VGA, it really isn't worth collecting, or even owning.

[megasdkirby]

If a game isn't factory sealed, slabbed, and graded by VGA, it really isn't worth collecting, or even owning.

No, but it's definitely worth reselling to the first schmuck willing to spend 50x it's original price.

[Slate]

VGA is much like the book prices for Gibson guitars. The book price isn't necessarily what the current price is. Would you pay $400,000 for a Gibson Les Paul made in 1958 or 1959? They were going for that a few years back, Maybe even more. I still see ones priced that high.

Austin

[allyourblood]

Keep everything. Sell nothing.



You're welcome!