Do you have any personal COLLECTING "rules" you adhere to?

[Emperor Megas]

Not unlike my question of personal 'gaming' rules, I wonder if you have any special 'collecting' rules that you adhere to?

This relates to anything relating to your game collection/collecting (or any similar collections, really). You know, price points you stick to, completeness requirements, how you display or store your stuff, how/where you won't shop, etc..

I have a quite a few, not least of them are:

• I only collect games that I plan on playing - I don't collect rare or expensive games to complete sets, or to archive for posterity, or to brag about. I only want the games that appeal to my gaming taste (or have some sort of sentimental value). Any 'filler' I have in my collection are games that are just "meh", but not games I can't stand or would never consider playing.
  
  
• I have to store my media in alphabetical order - Whether it's displayed or not, I need it to be alphabetized. I do this with nearly everything (books, movies, music), but especially games.
  
  Sometimes I make an exception for non-numbered sequels with subtitles that come before the previous installments in alphabetical order. For example: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within is on the shelf before Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones.
  
  
• NES and SNES carts are the only I purchase 'loose' - Well, I acquire loose Atari carts as well, but that older stuff isn't a huge focus in my collecting. As I mentioned in another thread lately, I don't mind not having the boxes for NES/SNES games, and acquire manuals at my leisure. I think it's because NES/SNES have spine labels on the carts which makes them easy to organize, plus they still look great on a shelf alone.
  
  
• I replace marred jewel cases with new ones - I hate crack and frosted jewel cases. I always replace them with a similar style case if they're damaged. Double, triple and quad style CD cases get the same when replaced.
  
  
• Online, I only purchase common titles for cheap, in lots - I can't justify purchasing a really common title online and paying the same amount or more in shipping as for the game itself. Even if it's still cheaper than purchasing it in the wild, it's a psychological imperative. I either wait until I find a lot with enough games I care about to justify the purchase, or I find other games I want from the same seller if they combine shipping.

Those are just a few, I have several others.

[Informationator]

I am collecting all games for SNES, indiscriminately, as I want a complete collection for that system. It is the only system I'm collecting for right now (Although I've randomly picked up some NES, GB, and GBC games along the way)

My collecting "rules" are as follows:

• Optimized Spending - I buy in bulk. 20, 30, 40, even 50+ game auctions. It seriously lowers the price per game both due to the fact that people's ability to accurately calculate game-worth falls as the price rises and because it saves loads on shipping.
  
  
• Detailing Games - About 80-90% of the time, when an SNES game comes to me, it is DISGUSTING. I'm talking about dirtier than cash. You know what I mean... That kind of dirt you feel when you touch something and put it down and you still feel grime on your hands.
  
  I spend an INCREDIBLE amount of time detailing my games and peripherals. I call it "detailing" not "cleaning" because I clean every single game's plastic case, label, and circuit board inside and out and on every surface (except for the circuit boards. I stick to the pins and some very basic surface dusting). I clean every edge, every indentation (including the horizontal lines on the periphery of the cart) of the plastic and clean every label. I even take the cart apart and clean the areas where the cart meets and the little indented edges around the labels... Some people even put security strips and crap INSIDE the cartridges, so I remove those and clean the internal plastic.
  
  Heck, I wrote a novel on how to clean SNES games on my Reddit forum: HERE
  
  I do not put any game on my custom made shelves until it has been detailed like this.
  
  
• Logistics - I have an exhaustive logistical spreadsheet listing every game I've ever obtained, what I paid for it, the name of the seller, the full address of the seller, whether or not it has a box/manual/poster/strategy guide and what state it's in: poor, fair, good, very good, excellent, or mint with specific guidelines as to what each of those mean.
  
  One day I hope to create a map showing all of the places my collection came from using the addresses I've logged.
  
  
• Overall Cartridge Quality - I intend to replace every game in "good" or worse condition, which includes games with any yellowing, however mild, any tears in the label, or any marker I've been unable to remove.
  
  I swap the backs on games, but only with similar backs, so if it's a back with embossed lettering, I'll replace it with an embossed back. Some carts like Scoobie Doo and (I think) Wheel of Fortune have back labels with a green hue to them, so I keep those backs in the same family. With some backs (like on some Donkey Kong games) the back lettering looks somewhat bolded. I try to match that with a new back.
  
  
• Label Quality - Even if I have a game in "Very Good" condition... If it's one of those "Assembled in Mexico" ones, I swap them with a comparable "Made in Japan" game in "Very Good' condition because the Mexican labels are complete garbage (No gloss, tear up easily, inks are poorer quality).
  
  
• Label Revisions - I keep all label revisions just for history's sake If I ever HAD to sell a game I would sell the duplicates with different labels, but I like having them to see the artistic changes companies chose to make.
  
• Circuit Board Revisions - I try to keep the latest revision of a game or peripheral if I can identify it. So, for example, the Super Game Boy... There are two revisions of the circuit board:
• SGB-N-10
• SGB-R-10
  
  R-10 is the later revision, so I've kept the R-10 revision and am going to sell the N-10 revision. If anyone knows the difference between these, let me know, because I have no idea and haven't found any information in my research.

[Rickstilwell1]

•I only collect games that I plan on playing. Why buy it if I will never touch it? If I can only find a sealed copy of the game to get its box, I keep it and buy a loose cart and manual until I can trade it for an open box copy someone has and plenty of profit money to go along with it.

•I have to store my media in alphabetical order - well, it makes it easier to know where a game is if I do that. I store games sorted by chronological order that the systems came out too, dependent upon box size. If the games are Game Boy or CD size jewel cases they go on the short rows of the bookshelf and if they are full size boxes they go on the tall rows of the bookshelf. Oversized boxes get put in a different location.

•Very rare games are the only ones I purchase 'loose' now. I'm talking extremely rare; so rare the box and manual are almost impossible to find or if the game never came with them in the first place. If a game is really expensive due to demand, I will buy at least two components separately if it makes the item cheaper in the long run.

•When I buy cheap games online, I always check the seller's store to see if they have anything else I want. Yes it makes me lose focus on collecting for a particular system, but saves me money on other games in the long run if they are all good deals.

•Games I beat before get highest priority. If I took the time to beat a game I must have liked it enough to spend the time doing so. Games that belong to a series I like but haven't beaten before get 2nd priority. I collect bad games only if they are part of a series I generally like most of the time.

•There is nothing wrong with getting same games over multiple platforms. It just simply allows me to enjoy the title more and have an extra excuse to play the same game again within the same year.

[retroguy]

Due to student loans and other bills, I can never spend as much money on games as I would like to, so when I go game shopping, my only rule is to set myself a budget and get as many games as I can for that amount of money.

[Steven]

The only rule I have now is... I'm done

I haven't bought a game in years. So glad to be done and out of the 'rat race' so to speak.

[Informationator]

The only rule I have now is... I'm done

I haven't bought a game in years. So glad to be done and out of the 'rat race' so to speak.

Hah! I'm building my career as I build my game collection and I look forward to being able to just kind of sit back, breath a sigh of relief, and take things a bit slower... On both fronts!

[Atarileaf]

I used to be a "buy anything and everything I can get my hands on" type of collector but I backed off of that and only collect for the systems of my childhood and early adulthood when I was still really into console gaming (Genesis/SNES era - a little bit PS1/N64 too) and only games that I enjoy and will play.

I do have a slightly weird "rule" and that's that my collection needs to be a nice even number. For example my 2600 games that I display and I consider my favorites are exactly 50, not 49, not 51, 50. I hate having 39 games so I'll try to find a game I like to make it 40. Drives me nuts stuff like that.

Weird eh?

[Nebagram]

My main rule would be 'only buy a game I want tplay, regardless of whether or not I'll actually get round to it. Admittedly about 40% of my seriously bloated collection is still unplayed, but I'm not averse to the idea of going through and playing them all, if that makes any sense.

Second rules would be 'don't pay too much'. I've got a good idea in my head of how much to pay for a particular game, used or new, and I'll never go above it no matter what.

[jrokshady]

Any game that comes on a disc I must have the case/box/instructions.

Any cartridge game I just want the cartridge itself and don't need the box or instructions.

No stickers, cracks, marks, or writing on any cases or on any game in my collection.

For all disc based systems I have at least 3 spare cases in excellent condition in case I buy a game that has a bad case.

I have to have controllers for every controller port on my systems. Having a Nintendo 64 with only 2 controllers would necessitate buying 2 more controllers.

I will never buy a redundant system. Because I own a Turbografx-16 I will never buy a Turboexpress. I have a Genesis, so there is no point in buying a Nomad. Same goes for redundant accessories like the Master Gear or Master System Converter. Backward compatible systems don't count.

If a carrying case is available for a handheld system I must get one. If an AC Adapter is available for a handheld system I must get one.

I must have all add-ons that enable the playing of more games on my systems. Turbografx-CD, Jaguar CD, 32X, Sega CD, Expansion Pak on N64, stuff like that is a must for me.

If I ever win a lottery of $1,000,000 or more, or inherit or make that much money, then I will buy one copy of every single game ever released in the USA.

[Emperor Megas]

I will never buy a redundant system. Because I own a Turbografx-16 I will never buy a Turboexpress. I have a Genesis, so there is no point in buying a Nomad. Same goes for redundant accessories like the Master Gear or Master System Converter. Backward compatible systems don't count.

I'm not trying to change your mind or anything, but isn't the 'point' of the Nomad and Turbo Express to play the games on the go? I mean, I can see SEGA Master II, or top loader NES, Genesis 3, etc.. Those are better example since they're home consoles revisions, with less features to boot.

[Rickstilwell1]

Any game that comes on a disc I must have the case/box/instructions.

Any cartridge game I just want the cartridge itself and don't need the box or instructions.

No stickers, cracks, marks, or writing on any cases or on any game in my collection.

For all disc based systems I have at least 3 spare cases in excellent condition in case I buy a game that has a bad case.

I have to have controllers for every controller port on my systems. Having a Nintendo 64 with only 2 controllers would necessitate buying 2 more controllers.

I will never buy a redundant system. Because I own a Turbografx-16 I will never buy a Turboexpress. I have a Genesis, so there is no point in buying a Nomad. Same goes for redundant accessories like the Master Gear or Master System Converter. Backward compatible systems don't count.

If a carrying case is available for a handheld system I must get one. If an AC Adapter is available for a handheld system I must get one.

I must have all add-ons that enable the playing of more games on my systems. Turbografx-CD, Jaguar CD, 32X, Sega CD, Expansion Pak on N64, stuff like that is a must for me.

If I ever win a lottery of $1,000,000 or more, or inherit or make that much money, then I will buy one copy of every single game ever released in the USA.

There is a chance that could cost more than 1 million. But it's hard to guess. It depends on what condition everything you bought would be in. Getting all PC games could also take a very long time as there were so many. You could probably build a decent coin op arcade in your home with that as well. Build onto your house and throw mad arcade parties!!!