Most Neurotic Collecting Habits?

[Gameguy]

Oh come on. Spending tens of dollars (or who knows how much more) for the sake of looking at packaging? Something you could produce with practically any printer for the same utility?!

I guess that it's amazing that anyone would spend a decent amount of money on original art when they could have a cheap print for a fraction of the price.

I know lots of people do collect certain imports just to have the alternate box art. Some altered art for the US market is terrible compared to the packaging available overseas. It's just something else to add to the collection. What's really weird is people paying so much for a US copy of Sonic for the SMS when the only difference is an additional UPC sticker stuck on the box. That's nuts, way more than buying imports with alternate art.

This whole thread basically reminded me of this guy.
http://listoftheday.blogspot.com/200...retentive.html

[Bojay1997]

Yeah, Bojay does seem to be really defensive and reactionary. It's not like people were going off and insulting sealed game collectors or anything.

I don't think it's defensive or reactionary at all. This thread started off as kind of a quirky discussion about unusual habits some collectors have and quickly turned into a bashing session on sealed games and VGA. Posting things like it's "...sick to be addicted to collecting sealed games" can't really be taken as anything but an insult. Please, feel free to explain to me how being called neurotic or sick without any kind of factual basis is not an insult.

Would I consider myself a "sealed collector"? Sure, but I don't buy or use the VGA and I don't sit down at night and examine my games with a magnifying glass. I actually play a lot of games too, just like most sealed collectors do. People collect sealed games for many reasons. Personally, I do it because I have nostalgic memories of walking into Sears and Toys R Us and many other stores as a kid and seeing large displays of brand new games. Being able to own new copies of those games is a way of recapturing that nostalgia and frankly, it's just neat to have something in really nice condition. It really is like owning a museum piece and something that is rarer to the extent a mass produced consumer product can be rare. I also enjoy the box art and cover description of games a lot more than the actual game in some cases or I own compilations or disc/cart only versions which I can play, so I sacrifice nothing by owning a sealed copy. So, that's my story and you'll have to explain to me what part of that is sick or neurotic.

[PapaStu]

Oh come on. Spending tens of dollars (or who knows how much more) for the sake of looking at packaging? Something you could produce with practically any printer for the same utility?!

Welcome to game variants. The systems I care about, I go all out for. Thats included. Like Dangerboy, 8 Alundra's 5 Lunar SSSC's, for disc or cover art differences. I'm not going to play those games any more than before and those other copies will just sit on that shelf, lookin' pretty... all for the sake of the packaging/art.

[Family Computer]

I don't think it's defensive or reactionary at all. This thread started off as kind of a quirky discussion about unusual habits some collectors have and quickly turned into a bashing session on sealed games and VGA. Posting things like it's "...sick to be addicted to collecting sealed games" can't really be taken as anything but an insult. Please, feel free to explain to me how being called neurotic or sick without any kind of factual basis is not an insult.

Would I consider myself a "sealed collector"? Sure, but I don't buy or use the VGA and I don't sit down at night and examine my games with a magnifying glass. I actually play a lot of games too, just like most sealed collectors do. People collect sealed games for many reasons. Personally, I do it because I have nostalgic memories of walking into Sears and Toys R Us and many other stores as a kid and seeing large displays of brand new games. Being able to own new copies of those games is a way of recapturing that nostalgia and frankly, it's just neat to have something in really nice condition. It really is like owning a museum piece and something that is rarer to the extent a mass produced consumer product can be rare. I also enjoy the box art and cover description of games a lot more than the actual game in some cases or I own compilations or disc/cart only versions which I can play, so I sacrifice nothing by owning a sealed copy. So, that's my story and you'll have to explain to me what part of that is sick or neurotic.

Everything is case by case obviously. It doesn't you understand that almost everyone exhibits neurotic behavior in some realm of their life. Neurotic is not an "insult".

Mass collecting in and of itself is at least somewhat neurotic.

Let's just put it this way, there is a strong positive correlation between graded sealed game collectors and neurosis.

The point is I'm not trying to insult you (and didn't know you collect sealed games anyway) but the fact that you are extremely touchy about this subject is a bit startling.

[Jorpho]

I guess that it's amazing that anyone would spend a decent amount of money on original art when they could have a cheap print for a fraction of the price.

Well, in that case a print cannot completely capture the texture and all other features of the original art.

Welcome to game variants. The systems I care about, I go all out for. Thats included. Like Dangerboy, 8 Alundra's 5 Lunar SSSC's, for disc or cover art differences. I'm not going to play those games any more than before and those other copies will just sit on that shelf, lookin' pretty... all for the sake of the packaging/art.

So if someone quietly replaced them one day with cases made in a copy shop somewhere, you would probably never know the difference?

[kafa111]

the most neurotic thing for me is the stickiness from tags, or sharpie on a cartridge, because it takes a while to get off when you buy a lot of games.

Also i think, in the end, sealed game collectors are the smartest collecters. although i dont collect sealed games, people that do will eventually have games that would be worth a lot of money. for example if you bought $100 sealed game today, probably in about a decade its value will probably be more then $500. even though i dont have facts to prove it, but there will always be sealed game collectors who will buy from previous sealed game collectors

[jordandavid]

My most neurotic habit is when I find completely sealed NIB games in the wild, or when I buy one on ebay. As soon as I get it I HAVE TO open the game and immediately put the instructions through a paper shredder, page by page, and then I have to burn/melt the box, plastic wrap, and instruction shreds together. Just a quirk, I guess...

I have an urn I keep all of the ashes in, I would gladly sell it to a sealed collector for the right price. PM me if interested.

[FxMercenary]

My most neurotic habit is when I find completely sealed NIB games in the wild, or when I buy one on ebay. As soon as I get it I HAVE TO open the game and immediately put the instructions through a paper shredder, page by page, and then I have to burn/melt the box, plastic wrap, and instruction shreds together. Just a quirk, I guess...

I have an urn I keep all of the ashes in, I would gladly sell it to a sealed collector for the right price. PM me if interested.

Are you the type of kid that goes to Gamestop and trades in loose game DVDs without the case or instuctions? Because Gamestop is no longer taking those anymore.

Personally I like to have the Instructions for an old game, because when it comes time to pass the old games on, people are going to have to know how to play them.

When it comes to game cases, they are a must for me. If the game came in a cardboard box, I could care less about them. But Genesis, Sega Saturn PSX. Those cases were made to keep with the game.

[calistarwind]

I still don't understand why people need to argue over what other people do. They are not spending a dime of your money on what they get enjoyment from. Personally I like that there are all types of game collectors because it is what spurs conversation and keeps this from being another boring site.

Bring on the Neurotic Collecting Habits, it is what I'm reading for.

[Tempest]

I guess I never understood the people who collected sealed games. I understand wanting to buy sealed games because they're obviously mint inside (nothing like being the first person to open a game), but I don't understand people who buy sealed games and never open them.

My only neurotic collecting habit is that I keep games organized by part number. Alphabetical would make more sense, but I like to keep games in a near chronological order from earliest to latest and part number generally accomplishes that.

Tempest

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

When I opened my 3ds, I used a hair dryer to peal the round plastic seals off so that I did not rip the box. It work quite well.

[Emperor Megas]

When it comes to game cases, they are a must for me. If the game came in a cardboard box, I could care less about them.

How much less could you care, exactly?

[Atarileaf]

sealed game collectors

I keep all my game collectors sealed too. I hate it when the little bastards are running around loose.

[Enigmus]

I guess that it's amazing that anyone would spend a decent amount of money on original art when they could have a cheap print for a fraction of the price.

Get a nice printer, decent grade photo paper and a scan of the art that has a high DPI. Works wonders for games with missing or damaged case artwork, so it should work good for making prints of alternate art.

Some altered art for the US market is terrible compared to the packaging available overseas.

I agree. Just look at the Mega Man box art for Europe and you'll wonder why you still have to look at the US box on occasion.

Still, sealed game collecting is pretty ridiculous. Why stare at a game still in the plastic and remember Toys R Us when you could open the game and, oh, maybe remember the part about playing it and having fun?

[tubeway]

Still, sealed game collecting is pretty ridiculous. Why stare at a game still in the plastic and remember Toys R Us when you could open the game and, oh, maybe remember the part about playing it and having fun?

People that spend more time trying to relive nostalgic times can't be terribly happy with their current adult life.

[DaddyMulk]

I tend to snap up Genesis game variants I come across in the wild just because they're usually cheap, and a nice sidebar to the complete collection I'm going for. I definitely have my limitations though (variant label due to the cart in question being a pack-in? Yeah, I'll add it to my collection. "Made in Taiwan" molded into the back instead of "Made in Japan/U.S.A./China"? No dice.)

The few (<5) sealed games I have in my collection are, again, a nice sidebar, but the behavior of going for complete collections of sealed games freaks me out.

I used to organize my boxed Genesis games by manufacturer and then by serial number, but it drove me nuts after awhile trying to actually *find* the games I was looking for. I settled for going by manufacturer and alphabetical order, though I still group the black label and red label 1st-party stuff together.

Slightly off-topic, but the most neurotic behavior I've ever seen from a gamer/collector was from one of my mother's co-workers. We were over at his house, and he happened to be a gamer (~10 years my senior) with a pretty good collection of older and newer systems. We played for awhile, but whenever we would jump platforms, he would unplug all of the controllers, twist-tie the cables, and pack them away before we moved onto the next system. Since we were hopping between a lot of different platforms, this drove me nuts (I'm thinking he might have even done this with the power supplies/AV cables as well).

[Gameguy]

Get a nice printer, decent grade photo paper and a scan of the art that has a high DPI. Works wonders for games with missing or damaged case artwork, so it should work good for making prints of alternate art.

I hate when people do this to replace case inserts or cart labels and make exact copies of the original art. When I'm buying a complete game I don't want to worry about it being reproduction, I want it all original. If I didn't care I would have just got a flash cart and been done with it, it would have saved me some space too.

Still, sealed game collecting is pretty ridiculous. Why stare at a game still in the plastic and remember Toys R Us when you could open the game and, oh, maybe remember the part about playing it and having fun?

I have some sealed games, but I didn't pay a ton for them. I don't see a problem collecting sealed games, it's paying several times more for them compared to a complete near mint copy that I don't get.

As for staring at a box instead of playing the game, what if the game sucks? I don't get people collecting games that are crap, that's way more neurotic than buying factory sealed ones.

[InboRenge]

Oh Digitpress, how the mighty have fallen. It's no wonder that most of the serious collectors spend their time on other forums. I've been around since 2003 (I forgot the password to my first account looooong ago), and I remember a time when this forum was heavily based on research, information, and collecting, not envious and spiteful "retro gamers" who can hardly be called collectors.

So much hate for sealed collectors. It's not their fault that you haters don't have the funds to enjoy the hobby. You think that someone plopping thousands of dollars on a sealed game wouldn't have a second copy to play? Get real. Stop player hating.

If you're complaining about people spending money "just for different boxart", why even bother in the first place? Just download the ROMs and HQ scans of the box/manual, if all you people care about is playing the game. Leave the collecting to grown-ups with grown-up jobs that can afford to spend money on collecting.

[Bojay1997]

Get a nice printer, decent grade photo paper and a scan of the art that has a high DPI. Works wonders for games with missing or damaged case artwork, so it should work good for making prints of alternate art.



I agree. Just look at the Mega Man box art for Europe and you'll wonder why you still have to look at the US box on occasion.

Still, sealed game collecting is pretty ridiculous. Why stare at a game still in the plastic and remember Toys R Us when you could open the game and, oh, maybe remember the part about playing it and having fun?

Again, just because you don't like to collect something in a particular way doesn't make it wrong or ridiculous. Many collectors don't use their collectibles in the way they were originally intended by the manufacturer. For example, coin collectors don't spend their collectible coins and stamp collectors don't use their stamps for postage and art collectors don't take a paintbrush and add to the canvas they are painted on and many comic book collectors don't read their original rare and high grade copies, but read reprints instead. It is entirely possible to derive great enjoyment and satisfaction simply from owning a particular collectible object and knowing it is well preserved and protected.

That doesn't mean that most sealed collectors don't play lots of games and enjoy the experience as well, just like I'm certain most coin collectors actually spend currency and stamp collectors use stamps for postage. Collecting in and of itself is a completely unnecessary act, so there is no right or wrong, just a series of personal choices about how to do it. Frankly, I'm still really baffled by why people care so much about sealed collecting and feel the need to attack it at every turn. It's a tiny little niche which has zero impact on the ability of non-sealed collectors to collect. In fact, it actually benefits non-sealed collectors as it reduces the amount of competition for non-sealed items.

[tubeway]

So much hate for sealed collectors. It's not their fault that you haters don't have the funds to enjoy the hobby. You think that someone plopping thousands of dollars on a sealed game wouldn't have a second copy to play? Get real. Stop player hating.

If you're complaining about people spending money "just for different boxart", why even bother in the first place? Just download the ROMs and HQ scans of the box/manual, if all you people care about is playing the game. Leave the collecting to grown-ups with grown-up jobs that can afford to spend money on collecting.

Anyone that repeatedly uses the term "player hating" in reference to collecting sealed video games, an incredibly nerdy pursuit, deserves a laugh. Sorry buddy, but your "awesome grownup job" at jiffy lube or a cell phone store netting you a whopping 30k ain't "ballin'" yo. If you think this is all jealousy over expendable income then you can't possibly be a "grownup" yourself.