Collecting for the sake of it?

[Mofoman]

I love collectin and it does not bother me that I cannot possibly play all the titles that I have, but I enjoy the fact of just looking at my collection and seeing the past f videogaming in my room, it's great when another gamer comes over and we play some of the obscure stuff and also get a great chat fr hours on end about how the industry has changed and stuff like that.

I also love collecting, it feeds my addictive personality and it's better for me than using lot's of drugs like I did when I was younger.I almost think that I replaced one addiction with another, but this one is far healthier for my body.

[CosmoKramer]

We could all just stand on railway platforms on a rainy Saturday afternoon, collecting numbers. It'd be cheaper.

Don't forget your paste sandwiches and weak lemon drink!

[Peekay]

I think a lot of it just comes down to personality - I've always collected something from the age of 10, whether it's comics, games, records or trainers.

[optimusrhymes]

collecting anything can become a way of suceeding in a series of relatively achievable short term goals , allowing you to divert yourself from focusing on obtaining/ succeeding in the more difficult and fulfilling things in life - relationships, travel, career etc.

don't get me wrong I have collected many things in the past and my post is not knocking anyone, it can be a laugh collecting whatever, just moderation is the key - but that like anything really.

[Ostrog]

I'm guilty of this to some extent - not so much with games, but definitely with dvds and comics. I've collected several different versions of certain movies (especially Godzilla films, where the original versions are considerably different from the dubbed ones) and I've a huge backlog of books to catch up on. The thing is, though - I set out to buy this stuff. I don't often buy stuff on an impulse.(not recently, anyway )
With games, I've bought multiple versions of some titles if each one has different features. I still play the games though, and often alternate between them.
I'd say I have a problem, but it's not an entirely unpleasant one. I still play those old games from time to time.

[Matt]

collecting anything can become a way of suceeding in a series of relatively achievable short term goals , allowing you to divert yourself from focusing on obtaining/ succeeding in the more difficult and fulfilling things in life - relationships, travel, career etc.

That is probably the most insightful comment I've ever read on this forum.

[langley]

Alot of very interesting points have been made, as was said earlier i think a key factor stem's from childhood and the fact of not being able to afford the great looking games that you see in the mags - i think this is the root of my current Megadrive buying frenzy, altho i did own a spectrum and a master system before hand, it was the MD that really got the blood flowing, and i have a real soft spot for it,prob more so than any other console!!!

[blahzero]

I went through a phase of collecting games... but I soon found that I didn't like my game collection. It didn't reflect ME and MY tastes, only what was considered a 'must have' at some point.

These days I regulate my buying, but I do still collect for game series' that I am a fan of. For example, got that Biohazard Collectors Box the other day from a forumer dispite me owning the individual games. Why? Because it's something that I actually want to own, something that I want to have in my collection. And there's the key difference. I find no pleasure in collecting games I do not like.

This is key point imo.

[MattyD]

I can identify with buying things because you couldn't have them when you were a child - I've bought a few random things like the old brick-sized Game Boy and loads of old games for it just because I couldn't have them when I was young.

Generally though, I tend to think buying things purely for the sake of owning them, or buying things you already have just for a shinier box, is utterly absurd. It strikes me that people who habitually hoarde and collect things have something deeper missing in their lives that they're trying to bury beneath material possessions.

Even from a purely pragmatic point of view it's pointless to own more things than you can actually use, which is why I don't buy anything else whilst I've got a game 'on the go'.

[nightstalker100]

Ive only ever developed a fetish for collecting on one console - the dreamcast. I went through a phase of picking up every jap and pal game and accessory and for what? I don't play them, i don't see them locked up in a cupboard, its silly. 4 keyboards, 10 pads, 3 consoles, 2 twinsticks, 2 vga boxes, 2 arcade sticks etc!

Now if the game isnt gettin played or been played i get rid of it. I have no time for filler in my collections and having recently branched out to other consoles, sellin all the excess from others, frees up cash and space to start getting the gold on other platforms. 20-30 titles on each console at most; the only collector idiosyncracy i have is that there is nt allowed any reprints, classics, platinum etc and if a ltd ed is out, i purchase that version

[Bleeders]

Resurrected from the Thread Grave.

Interesting one this; I swore it'd never happen to me, but as much as I hate to say it, gone are my days of hoarding. Prior to moving into my own place, I had something in the region of over 100 PS2 games. I'm down to 5 now. Similarly, with the new crop of games coming through, it's more of a case of trading the finished/non-keeper ones off, unless of course the replay value (Gears, Flatout, Resistance etc.) provide a good platform for extended play.

The community influence of this place certainly plays a part, Gears for example, is still enjoyed greatly online and I'm sure it will be the same for Halo 3 as well. But, I'm glad I've trimmed my collection to a small amount since I find I put much more into a single game than I did before. I was maybe a bit too eager to play a bit, move on, play a bit, move on...

Bugger, I am getting old...

[Wools]

Good man! As I've said countless times on here, getting rid of your rubbish is the best thing to re-kindle intrest in your gaming.

I used to have 400 - 600 games and 15 consoles with a shelf that displayed my collection and my entire life was almost consumed by this bug. I played a new game for 15 minutes before discarding it and was buying complete tat.

Sold it all, I have around 60 games and 2 consoles. That's it.

The last games I brought were Tomb Raider Anniversary, Prey, Resident Evil Directors Cut, Colin Mcrae Dirt and Forza 2. I have completed them all with the exception of Forza 2. I actually play games now!

[Bleeders]

It's a double-edged sword, since it can be quite a traumatic, yet therapeutic experience, seeing a once vast collection, dwindled in a matter of days. Still, I know that selling most of my stuff on here, it's going to a good home and won't be used for ice-skating practice, which a lot of Game/Gamestation second-hand titles seem to be used for.

[egparadigm]

I'm not really a collector, but I think I am fairly unusual in that I keep all the games I buy.

I used to have a serious problem with buying too many games and having an enormous backlog. I would spend months on months trying to complete them and then when I could finally allow myself to buy a new one I would splash out and get every single one on the list.

Now I have managed to control my urges and buy only two games at one time. I do keep the games afterwards though, but I only have about 50 games in total across about 7 platforms.

[dataDave]

I only buy + keep games I class as AAA. Got about 200 over most consoles.

I don't keep any average games.