Do you ever feel like condensing your gaming collection/purchases?

[fake]

Looks like a MSX2... wait, yeah.. there's the x68k.

And a Towns Marty. Dude. I'm so jealous. Especially of the MSX2 and X68k

 

[HeartlessNinny]

That's a damn important distinction.

Back at the beginning of the decade, I saw a lot of stuff coming out and thought "Heck, I'll buy it, and be able to play it later." Some stuff was bought so I could experience some unique game design (this joke gets funnier as time passes). Some stuff was for continuing on with franchises that I loved as a kid. Others were because I thought that the stories were worth my time.

Looking back on it, a lot of it is just data written to optical media that, in a more admittedly sadder sense of the idea, hadn't even been played. It's dead weight. And since there probably won't be much time to play it in the near future, there isn't any compelling reason to keep most of it.

Just yesterday I was at Costco, and saw a copy of Okami for the Wii. "14.99," I thought. "I remember playing this game when I borrowed it from a friend, and kind of enjoyed it." But then I thought about the time commitment. And the fact that 14.99 buys other, immediately useful things, like beer or tomatoes. I came to the conclusion that it would just become more dead weight, and just left it there.

Then there are economic and cosmic questions that concern things like opportunity cost and overall quality of life stuff. Can I live a full life having not played the entire way through Okami? I'm quite certain of it, yes.

And that's a certainty that casts my past buying behavior in such an 'illuminating' light.

I think that's a good attitude to have.

 

[SNKorSWM]

That is exactly where I'm at, too. Except I still believe I'll get a PS3 or something someday. I do really want to play MGS4 and...well, I'm sure there will be something else, eventually.

A game like MGS4 is a prime candidate for re-release on PS4, specifically formatted for 3DTV. Until I can confirm that their hardware designers are qualified for the job, there's no hurry on my part. XD

 

[Steve]

Haven't bought a game in ages.

Happy with my SNES/Saturn/DC collection. Good for life.

 

[terry.330]

Shame on you guys for always bringing up this pussy-ass regret crap. This ought to be the community that shamelessly embraces the raw thrill of hoarding. We don't have to hide here.

Raw thrill of hoarding lol

That doesn't even look like a bunch of fun game stuff, that looks like a fucking mess. Do you enjoy spend more time untangling cords than playing?

 

[SNKNostalgia]

Just one concern. Carpet + newer game systems = Heat. You just store them there right?

Seriously though, any game system from the PS1/Saturn and up should be on a wood surface. Hell, even the Turbo Duo and CDZ can overheat on a carpet. I wouldn't dare do that with the 360.

 

[OrochiEddie]

I started collecting while sporting part time jobs, and not a career so I've only ever bought what I intended to play, and 99% of the time that is what I've done. I don't see the point in buying games just to have them, why buy a game that will just sit there and never be played?

Because of that I don't really plan on condensing. I have some odds and ends that I may get rid of at some point, but I'm content with what I've bought since its all been enjoyable and if I keep my current buying belief until...whenever.... I don't see a need to ever sell anything. Sometimes my gaming interest takes a back seat to something else, but I come back to it always and am glad to have what titles I have, the basics, the A+ titles, especially for those older consoles.

I also don't buy consoles older than what I can appreciate. I don't any Atari/colecovision shit since it was before my time and probably wouldn't hold any interest to me. I started gaming on the NES and the SNES and I could never appreciate those older games. Some of my friends started buying really old stuff and it sits there, and is never played because they think its shit. I think its shit too because I wasn't 8 when the NES came out, I wasn't even born.


Long story short: Buy what you will play, and skip those games that were merely "7s" and "8s" in their time. Those titles rarely hold up. Go for the "9s" and "10s", those are the few titles that survive the test of time. Seriously, what percentage of the SNES is worth playing? 5%? 10%?

 

[ironish]

Yeah I've actually condensed my gaming collection. I will probably even tone it down further. I don't play all that much, and for the most part I've lost a lot of interest in the hobby. I only buy games from some of my favorite franchises so I can play them if I feel like it.

I sold my old systems and now only have a PS2, PS3, and an original XBox which will probably go as well. I go back and forth whether or not to get a 360 for the Cave shmups. Who knows what I'll do, but I'd love to just buy one system for every generation. I don't want to invest too much in the hobby anymore. Even my last gaming PC rig (which was a long time ago), I mostly bought it for UT04, Doom 3, and WC3. That won't happen again, all that money to somewhat play 3 games.

Of course that's just my story. It's a cool hobby, but you gotta do whatever your gut tells you.

 

[lithy]

Sold everything, had nothing gaming related for almost 2 years. Now I just have a Wii with a few games.

Meh. Sell all your shit if you feel the interest waning. There are very few things that you will truly regret and not be able to get back, and what there is that you truly can't get back, odds are you'll find you didn't need to have it anyway.

I'm pretty sure this is close to the same advice that nruva gave me when I made a similar post.

 

[Neo Alec]

Raw thrill of hoarding lol

That doesn't even look like a bunch of fun game stuff, that looks like a fucking mess. Do you enjoy spend more time untangling cords than playing?

Kinda. What you see there is the unbridled results of the rush to temporarily take out systems and hook them up. There are few things more natural or more beautiful.

Just one concern. Carpet + newer game systems = Heat. You just store them there right?

Seriously though, any game system from the PS1/Saturn and up should be on a wood surface. Hell, even the Turbo Duo and CDZ can overheat on a carpet. I wouldn't dare do that with the 360.

The CDZ I won't play on there. And you have a point with the Duo. The 360 I only play vertically on carpet. I've been lucky with my three 360's so far. Despite how it may look, we actually take very good care of our stuff.

 

[Lastblade]

I sold off 80% of my stuff 6 years ago, and focus mostly on current gen (and occasional emulator for older games). I try not to keep any games I have finished, so as soon as I am done, I sell them here or other forums to recoup a portion of the cost. This has worked out really well (that and not to buy games on release and wait for price drop). I spend much less now and I am more motivated to play my games and finish them asap.

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

When I got into Neo home carts about ten years back I proceeded to sell everything else since I felt that I would never touch the classics again. However, I kept wanting to experience the nostalgia of childhood innocence again. I ended up going back and recapturing the 8/16-bit classics but in a conservative manner.

People talk about going cold turkey and dumping everything but that's as far of an extreme as having a 1000-1500 gaming library. The perfect solution is somewhere in the middle. Your comfort level will vary on how many classic consoles is too many. You just have to be comfortable with your possessions, use them to their fullest, and know that in the end gaming is just an impermanent luxury that may be replaced by a different hobby in the future. As long as you enjoy what you have, more power to you.

I only keep games now that I will definitely play again. A small library for the classics (MVS, NES, SNES, Genny, Turbo) that will be enjoyed over and over again. Same as with my movies, just the best of the best. The only system with an impermanent library is my PS3 since with current gaming it'll take several playthroughs to really determine what will stand the test of time.

 

[Neo Alec]

You just have to be comfortable with your possessions, use them to their fullest, and know that in the end gaming is just an impermanent luxury that may be replaced by a different hobby in the future.

If you've been playing video games for nearly all your life, have many memories with friends and family that revolve around playing games or discussing them, and your future relationships with the same people quite likely will involve gaming in some way, than it goes beyond simple pastime and becomes nearly a way of life. In this light, it's very difficult to see it as a temporary hobby to be replaced by something else, but it's always possible.

 

[RAZO]

Yea, thats true. Last year me and my brother were playing contra at my parents house and totally enjoying the shit out of it. We were reminiscing on some good old childhood memories while playing it and my brother is not the video game type. It was like a bonding thing.

 

[Nesagwa]

Alec borders on obsession when it comes to old games. It's unhealthy if you ask me.

Putting that much personal stake into a pile of plastic is ridiculous. Burn it. Burn it all.

 

[genjiglove]

Alec borders on obsession when it comes to old games. It's unhealthy if you ask me.

Putting that much personal stake into a pile of plastic is ridiculous. Burn it. Burn it all.

Then he'd have a bunch of nasty fumes to deal with.

 

[OMFG]

I ponder about selling my current gen games as I frequently use my older system more and more. My Dreamcast has had more play time this month than my 360 and PS3 combined.

 

[lithy]

THANKS A LOT WAYNE

Alec borders on obsession when it comes to old games. It's unhealthy if you ask me.

Putting that much personal stake into a pile of plastic is ridiculous. Burn it. Burn it all.

Yeah, I was planning on telling Alec just how pathetic he is, but this seems to just about cover it.

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

In this light, it's very difficult to see it as a temporary hobby to be replaced by something else, but it's always possible.

We won't be able to play any consoles after 2012. Can't play without electricity, or, even worse, after an alien attack. Maybe a GameBoy could be fashioned to run on some old batteries, kind of like Denzel Washington's iPod in Book of Eli, but I doubt that would be part of anyone's way of life.

 

[Neo Alec]

Alec borders on obsession when it comes to old games. It's unhealthy if you ask me.

Putting that much personal stake into a pile of plastic is ridiculous. Burn it. Burn it all.

Yeah, I don't know if it's a good thing, but that's how it is. It generally keeps me happy. I do other things with my family, of course, but gaming is something that my brothers and some friends have in common.

We won't be able to play any consoles after 2012. Can't play without electricity, or, even worse, after an alien attack. Maybe a GameBoy could be fashioned to run on some old batteries, kind of like Denzel Washington's iPod in Book of Eli, but I doubt that would be part of anyone's way of life.

That's true. The end of the world is going to seriously hamper our ability to play games.