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.