Question for collectors...

[Flam]

I don’t consider myself a collector (although recently I’ve found myself buying more games than I have time to play, so that might be a bad sign) so I wanted to know if there are people out there that collect newer games; like games on the PS3. Are there collectors that buy these games and keep them sealed and just hoard them away? I can understand collecting with older systems, but it seems nowadays there are so many titles out there and so much supply that it doesn’t make sense. I realize this might have been the same reasoning people used not to collect NES games back in the day, but still with the number and availability of today’s games I just don’t know why anyone would bother collecting newer games.

[Collector_Gaming]

i'd imagine your collectors editions some people have kept sealed.

If there is a demand for gaming collector market in say 20 years from now. I am sure there will be unopened Xbox 360 copies of skyrim or lego batman or something kicking around that someones kept or a store never sold and just kept in a back room sitting around.

The one thing I think that hurts it these days as to say back in the 80s and early 90s is downloadable games through say Steam on the pc.. or Xbox Live's service or Playstation network's store or Wii's store.. Where you can download those games instead of buying the actual physical copy.

[Bojay1997]

I definitely collect newer games almost as aggressively as older games. Having said that, it is very rare that I pay anywhere near full price and my price point is generally $20 or below and often far less than that. Quite simply over time, most games decrease significantly in value and I think newer games will depreciate even more than previous generations simply because there are so many collectors now and so many more copies of many titles being pressed as the number of gamers has increased. I can't forsee a situation where common PS3 or Xbox 360 games will be super valuable 20-30 years from now like NES or SNES games are right now. Disc based games are just much cheaper to produce and publishers don't seem to care as much about overproducing copies of games. There may be some odd niche releases that become rare, but I think those will be few and far between.

[wiggyx]

Collecting newer games is pretty much the best way to get mucho bang for your buck IMO.

I tend to wait until something's been out for a year or two and the price is half or less than MSRP. They aren't new enough to be worth those full retails dollars, and not old enough to be terribly collectible yet. Still, I "collect" a LOT more old school than modern.



(Yes, I know there are exceptions)

[Flam]

I'm starting to realize that there is a fine line between collecting and flat out hoarding. To me collecting is keeping a collection of games you enjoy to play and getting rid of the ones you don’t like. If you find yourself holding onto games you don't like, just for the sake of having it, then I think you're a hoarder.

[wiggyx]

It sort of depends I think. Personally, I don't buy games that I don't like or don't think I will like. But, there are plenty of collectors who would like an entire library for one or more consoles, and I don't think that's hoarding so much as being an OCD completist, which I can totally understand.

[Bojay1997]

I'm starting to realize that there is a fine line between collecting and flat out hoarding. To me collecting is keeping a collection of games you enjoy to play and getting rid of the ones you don’t like. If you find yourself holding onto games you don't like, just for the sake of having it, then I think you're a hoarder.

Disagree. A collector is someone who by definition builds a collection. You don't have to love every item in your collection, you only have to believe it has value, although not necessarily monetary value. It can bring satisfaction or excitement or any number of other forms of value. A hoarder is someone who has a form of psychological illness that prevents them from throwing things away and compels them to got out and bring in items which have no value because of a compulsion over which they have no control.

[Emperor Megas]

Disagree. A collector is someone who by definition builds a collection. You don't have to love every item in your collection, you only have to believe it has value, although not necessarily monetary value. It can bring satisfaction or excitement or any number of other forms of value. A hoarder is someone who has a form of psychological illness that prevents them from throwing things away and compels them to got out and bring in items which have no value because of a compulsion over which they have no control.

That whole post read like someone trying to justify hoarding.

FTR, I'm absolutely, positively NOT saying or even suggesting that you are at all, I'm just saying that I can see someone with a hoarding compulsion making that same statement, not realizing that scenario 'B' really doesn't necessarily contradict or differentiate from scenario 'A'.

"No value" is completely relative after all. People who hoard 'garbage' for example feel that it has value (to them), and many (most) people who don't play/collect/deal in video games at all think that video games are more or less worthless. I agree with Flam in that there really is a fine line. Not being to discriminate in what you let go of seems as good an indication as anything else. I understand the notion of collecting to attain an complete set of something, and I don't lump those types of collectors in with people with no collecting goals who just sit on things they have no practical or healthy use for.

It may seem superficial, but I find the truest ans simplest identifier between a collector and a hoarder is the manner in which they store and maintain their things. Typically, 'collectors' want to preserve and/or showcase their collections, whether it's stamps, dolls, video games, trading cards, etc., where as 'hoarders' just want to acquire and keep stuff. People who have a room, house, storage shed, etc. full of mountains of shit just strewn about, or animals kept with no regard for their general health or happiness, tend to be hoarders.

[wiggyx]

Disagree. A collector is someone who by definition builds a collection. You don't have to love every item in your collection, you only have to believe it has value, although not necessarily monetary value. It can bring satisfaction or excitement or any number of other forms of value. A hoarder is someone who has a form of psychological illness that prevents them from throwing things away and compels them to got out and bring in items which have no value because of a compulsion over which they have no control.

I don't think he meant hoarder in the clinical sense, rather that there are people who are just filling space with a collection of filler/crap. I feel like there are a lot of collectors that "hoard" multiple NIB copies of whatever Xbox/PS3 special edition POS game is out this month in hopes that it will be worth 10 times as much in a few years. We had a discussion about this sort of thing on The Cover Project (TCP). We came up with 2 categories of "collector"; the gamer-collector and collector-gamer. The former buys games because he/she wants to play them and the latter buys in order to build a collection and not too much else. I don't think it's something that's really that easy to define, but it made for an interesting conversation.

I liken game collecting to car enthusiasts/collectors and what they prefer to do with their cars. Some like to add tons of AV equipment, some like to modify for speed or looks, and some would like nothing more than to keep the vehicle as close to showroom condition as possible. Everyone has a reason for what they do and why they do it, and of course they don't all get along very well. I think there's a lot of that mentality in this community, especially as the hobby really comes into its own and has some diversity of product and a significant history to go along with that. We've got folks that like to add lights and whatnot to their consoles, people who are very in to audio and video output upgrades, and folks who are perfectly fine with their "barn finds" and keeping them un-restored, so to speak. We even have über-niche collectors like the folks on TCP who are making all manner of game-related custom cases and whatnot just to store and display their collections (myself included).

Sorry, not trying to get too far off track here. I just find it really interesting to watch this hobby grow and the ways that it's branched out and become something WAY bigger than it way just 5 or 10 years ago.

[wiggyx]

"No value" is completely relative after all. People who hoard 'garbage' for example feel that it has value (to them), and many (most) people who don't play/collect/deal in video games at all think that video games are more or less worthless.

Not disagreeing with you at all on your comments. I think you're pretty much spot on.

But, there is a significant market value for video games and not so much for banana peels, cat shit, and expired lunch meat. There is obviously a personal value for a game collection that may very well exceed market value, but we aren't talking garbage here. I know I wouldn't sell a large number of my own games at or near market value. They have too much personal and sentimental value.

This absolutely does NOT disqualify a game collector from being a hoarder. There are many hoarders that "collect" items that do indeed have a market value and not just a personal/sentimental value. You don't have to live in absolute squalor in order to be clinically diagnosed as a hoarder, that's just most of what we see on TV. My wife is a psych nurse practitioner and we have many friends in the field, and I can tell you pretty much first hand that there is far more diversity than what Hoarders: Buried Alive shows us. It's just that nobody really cares about the woman that has a massive collection of $500+ shoes, not to mention very little ability for the average middle-American to sympathize/empathize with someone like that. The folks that have 3 feet of garbage piled up on their floors makes for better TV and the greater majority of us will be able to sympathize or possibly even empathize with them.

[Emperor Megas]

Not disagreeing with you at all on your comments. I think you're pretty much spot on.

But, there is a significant market value for video games and not so much for banana peels, cat shit, and expired lunch meat.

FTR, I wouldn't suggest that there is no inherent value in video games (we all know better than that), I was simple speaking from the perspective of someone who doesn't deal in games at all. They see it little different from the things that 'junk hoarders' have stacked to their ceilings. A lot of the things that people hoard which are 'trash' can be sold at yard sales (in fact, many of those shows will have a yard sale to clear the stuff out, and/or donate a good portion of the salvageable items). However, most people who don't deal in games at all don't see games as potential money, even if they knows that people purchase used video games. If they wanted to invest in something, it wouldn't be flipping flea market video game finds, or shit they found in the attic years after Jr. moved out. Panzer Dragoon Saga, Keio's Flying Squadron, hell, even Stadium Events would just be something they tossed in the garbage, or dropped off on a box at the Good Will.

[Lerxstnj]

Everyone collects differently.
I don't buy new.
I rarely collect for current gen systems except to play.
I like collecting one gen behind, Currently collecting for Xbox and Gamecube.
I realize there are few collectors like me.
Not sure if that answers OP's question.

[Bojay1997]

Except that under your definition, anyone who keeps anything could be considered a hoarder simply because they don't have a good inventory or tons of extra space. People literally don't need much more than some food, water, shelter and love. Outside of that, there is really no reason to own anything at all. My understanding of hoarding is that it is a severe psychological condition that manifests itself in various ways but the most graphic of which is the person who goes out and brings literal garbage into their home and piles it from floor to ceiling.

Are there people who have collectible items piled floor to ceiling in their home or people who walk into a shop and buy as much as they can without really caring much about what they are buying that could be considered hoarders? Sure. Is simply collecting and owning more than just games you personally enjoy playing hoarding? I don't think so.

Collecting is partially about preserving history and lots of us own games we know are bad or not fun just because we have an interesting memory of playing that particular game or seeing it somewhere and owning it provides reminders of that time or place. Is collecting something that can lead to unhealthy habits like overspending, going into severe debt, becoming compulsive or obsessive? Of course, but simply asking if people are buying new games to add to their collection does zero to shed light on the issue and it says nothing about any individual. You could also argue that the person who simply trades everything in or gets rid of their old games has no ability to build healthy bonds or attachments and has no sentimentality or respect for history. It seems to me that every collector and gamer is different and there is no line between hoarding, gaming or collecting that can be determined simply by learning what people are buying or not buying and keeping or not keeping.

That whole post read like someone trying to justify hoarding.

FTR, I'm absolutely, positively NOT saying or even suggesting that you are at all, I'm just saying that I can see someone with a hoarding compulsion making that same statement, not realizing that scenario 'B' really doesn't necessarily contradict or differentiate from scenario 'A'.

"No value" is completely relative after all. People who hoard 'garbage' for example feel that it has value (to them), and many (most) people who don't play/collect/deal in video games at all think that video games are more or less worthless. I agree with Flam in that there really is a fine line. Not being to discriminate in what you let go of seems as good an indication as anything else. I understand the notion of collecting to attain an complete set of something, and I don't lump those types of collectors in with people with no collecting goals who just sit on things they have no practical or healthy use for.

It may seem superficial, but I find the truest ans simplest identifier between a collector and a hoarder is the manner in which they store and maintain their things. Typically, 'collectors' want to preserve and/or showcase their collections, whether it's stamps, dolls, video games, trading cards, etc., where as 'hoarders' just want to acquire and keep stuff. People who have a room, house, storage shed, etc. full of mountains of shit just strewn about, or animals kept with no regard for their general health or happiness, tend to be hoarders.

[Emperor Megas]

Except that under your definition, anyone who keeps anything could be considered a hoarder simply because they don't have a good inventory or tons of extra space. People literally don't need much more than some food, water, shelter and love. Outside of that, there is really no reason to own anything at all. My understanding of hoarding is that it is a severe psychological condition that manifests itself in various ways but the most graphic of which is the person who goes out and brings literal garbage into their home and piles it from floor to ceiling.

Are there people who have collectible items piled floor to ceiling in their home or people who walk into a shop and buy as much as they can without really caring much about what they are buying that could be considered hoarders? Sure. Is simply collecting and owning more than just games you personally enjoy playing hoarding? I don't think so.

Collecting is partially about preserving history and lots of us own games we know are bad or not fun just because we have an interesting memory of playing that particular game or seeing it somewhere and owning it provides reminders of that time or place. Is collecting something that can lead to unhealthy habits like overspending, going into severe debt, becoming compulsive or obsessive? Of course, but simply asking if people are buying new games to add to their collection does zero to shed light on the issue and it says nothing about any individual. You could also argue that the person who simply trades everything in or gets rid of their old games has no ability to build healthy bonds or attachments and has no sentimentality or respect for history. It seems to me that every collector and gamer is different and there is no line between hoarding, gaming or collecting that can be determined simply by learning what people are buying or not buying and keeping or not keeping.

I was quoted after your reply so I'm not sure if you were refuting my post, or refuting someone else's and agreeing with mine.

Anyone else getting server busy messages, BTW?

[Flam]

I don't think he meant hoarder in the clinical sense, rather that there are people who are just filling space with a collection of filler/crap.

This is what I meant.

I understand collecting stuff in order to have the whole collection. I use to buy full sets of Tops baseball cards in the 80's, which are worth crap now. But it's not like many people are going to achieve collecting the whole NES catalog. Collecting games to me is like collecting books, I keep the ones I really like and get rid of the ones I don't; quality over quantity. I somewhat understand holding onto a system with a few games in case you want to bust it out every now and then.

and yes I do think collectors have a mild case of a hoarding disorder. I saw some comic book show on National Geographic and one guy had about 80,000 different comics. I think collecting (like many things in life) fill a void for people.

[wiggyx]

It's quasi-therapy for me. I stopped collecting for about a decade, then I was in a car accident and my passenger, who was a good friend, died. I haven't touched a car since and collecting really has helped me pass the time in a way that nothing else has. I don't even play very often. Just hunt, buy, and make custom covers and cases. I'm sure I'll slow down as time passes. I don't want or need my house to become a game museum or anything.

[The 1 2 P]

I collect newer games from this gen but it's more along the lines that because I have every console and a PSP and DS I don't have time to play all my games, so many of them end up staying factory sealed. This is actually a good thing when some of them turn out to be worth some money like SW: TFU Ultimate Sith Edition. I also get all of my games for very cheap affordable prices, even the limited and collectors editions so I'm losing very little. And it will pay off in the future because even if the games don't rise dramatically in price I'll still be able to easily get back the $10-$20 I put towards most of them.

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

I only collect sealed Madden games. I'm waiting for them to double in value, then I'll sell them.

Just kidding. The OP makes a good point about how mass production makes collecting sealed games a fruitless effort, from a money standpoint.
One also has to consider the fact that a lot of today's games are going to become available for download on future consoles.

The special editions are a different story, since they are printed in lower numbers, and have physical objects like figurines inside.

I imagine some people just want an entire sealed set just because they enjoy collecting.

I myself buy mostly one generation behind. Mass produced games that are one generation old are the cheapest video games out there.

[TeddyRuxpin]

YOu really just never know how modern games will do. I bought a "black label" Fable for Xbox back when the local Toys R Us was closing and kept it for years planning to eventually play it. Well, I never did. I sold it for about $55 a few months ago on ebay. I paid about $3-10 for it on closeout from Toys R Us. I sold many Gamecube games I got that way too. I also made a good killing back when the TRU was closing off of the clearance games.

Now I wish I had kept the Pikmin games longer.. they're worth a pretty penny new now... $70 each.

I imagine that Zelda Twilight Princess on GC is worth a lot sealed. I paid $10 for a complete mint used one at a garage sale and got about $30 on ebay for it. That's more than the Wii one is worth (right now). The GC one is worth over twice what a new Wii one costs.

[zakthedodo]

Back in the late 80's, I had my first job in a comic book shop where everyone was buying 5 copies of every new issue of anything.

The fact that older comics were so highly priced is because they were considered not of any value, much like old baseball cards.

Anything after the PSX might suffer from the same thing. Older games were considered garbage, now they've become "Classic".
Video games had never gone through that cycle before.

Sealed? That's a different animal altogether. I think any era game or system NIB will always catch a fair price.


Sure wish I had bought all the $40.00 clearance Sega Nomads I saw at EB back in 1999.