To Collect or Not Collect

[ItsThere]

I've always attempted to collect things, but then when I need the cash I've gone to sell /trade them and they are worth 1/10th what I paid for them. So now I just ditch them once I'm finished as I never return to them

Thats fine and I used to agree with you but you will want to return to some things. I had to rebuy condemnde in a skanky classics box recently as well as Oeundan and a lot of VC stuff because I sold it and really wanted to play it again.

I think the decision to sell is a lot tougher than people give it credit for. I could sell Mario Galaxy but I will play as luigi again in the future so.... Why sell now (esp in the case of Nintendo stuff which ALWAYS holds its value)?

[wakka]

I'm with C', I buy stuff because I want to play it and end up keeping it because I don't really want to sell it. As most people have pointed out, games are with a pittance very quickly, but for me this is an incentive to hang onto them rather than get rid of them. Since their monetary value is so low, I'd rather keep them and derive pleasure from the fact that I have a log of all the games I've played, and can always play again.

[QualityChimp]

I always feel that people like having stuff, even if we don't need it. A good point is DVDs and books. How many times do you read most of your books? I know there's a few you'll re-read again and again, but I bet most people with a shelf of books won't have read all of them more than once.

There's a great Seinfeld bit where George has split from his girlfriend and wants Jerry to pick up a couple of books he left at hers...

JERRY: So that’s it? You’re out?

GEORGE: Except for one small problem. Hah, I left some books in her apartment.

JERRY: So, go get them.

GEORGE: Oh, no no, I can’t go back there. Jerry, it’s so awkward and, you know, it could be dangerous sexually. Something could happen, I’d be right back where I started from.

JERRY: So forget about the books. Did you read them?

GEORGE: Well, yeah.

JERRY: What do you need them for?

GEORGE: I don’t know. They’re books.

JERRY: What is this obsession people have with books? They put them in their houses like they’re trophies. What do you need it for after you read it?

GEORGE: They’re my books.

[The Glider]

Love that Seinfeld quote! I've got hundreds of books in my room & I could never part with them. Just the act of taking it off the shelf & having a flick through it is something special.

I'm trying to get rid of my games once I've played them, but it's proving quite difficult. I collect puzzle games & my collection is around 190 & they're for keeps. However, I finally finished Resistance a week or two ago & thought that I should really get rid of it as I won't return to it again. And guess what? It's still in my cupboard...

[Wools]

Anyone else have this problem? or can you tell what you do with your games (keep / sell) and why?

I used to horde games I brought and collected Retro titles before coming to my senses.

What made me give up was not only that the sheer amount was overwhelming but I would barely play, let alone complete, games I owned.

I originally had around 500 games and 25 consoles and decided that was it. I sorted out the games that I would no longer play, games I would and games that I would no longer play but would really miss them due to sentimental reasons. Now I own one small 1m by 1/2 m plastic box that contains my collector stuff, 1 Xbox 360, 1 PSP and about 40 games that I always play.

Now I really enjoy playing games and have a far healthier attitude to buying. Really if you own more than 5 - 10 consoles and have a full time job I don't know how you find the time to play and enjoy them.

[fallenangle]

I'm definitely a keeper but a lukewarm collector. I know in my mind that in the short term only the very rare games are likely to be worth anything above what you paid. I know I could get some money back by selling on the games I've finished but I've always had the feeling I might regret it later.

This has proved all too true. There are games I've decided to sell on because I could get a decent(ish) price. However, of those I've actually rebought a significant percentage and thoroughly enjoyed the replays.

So, generally, I'm loathe to get rid, hence my collection of 150+ played games.

[Wools]

Sometimes I feel weighed down by the games I haven?t played enough or not at all and think of selling up and starting a fresh. Then I think back to those poor saps trying to find those lost treasures. So I keep, I store, I look at and think. Wow, that?s a lot of Wii/DS/PS/DC games.

Sell it all except the titles that you want to play and one's that are sentimental to you. Really if they cost that much money to buy and you do not play it then what is the point in owning it?

[Super Monkey Balls]

I personally think anyone who says they "collect" current gen stuff is a bit mental. Why on earth would you?

Are they rare or challenging to aquire? No.
Will they become valuable? Highly unlikely.
Are they shelf porn? No.
Are the consoles flooded with classics already? No.


Buying new games isn't collecting, not really. Its throw-away entertainment until aspects become "collectable". If they ever do. I personally can't picture a "Check out my Microsoft collection" thread in 10 years time.

[Pilotwings]

Yeah I no what you mean the game's of now are a lot stronger on the online side of things than the single player. Well not all but load's.

It's mostly all changed everyone beats the game and then spend's thousand's of hours playing online. So most of the game's now will be most remembered for the online mode.

Some people will still have collections for these new console's though but as the year's go on I hope they have the spare room for it if they intend to keep them.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I got about 240 games I think and I feel I should get rid of 120 games, but selling US version games ie XBOX or Nintendo 64 is lot harder in this country. So it can't be used to trade in.

I keep 90% of my games I buy these days.

[Sigourney Beaver]

I had some collections but I got rid of all except what I thought was the best in each series.

I still have all the Halo games, all the FF games on PS, PS2, 360, PC, PSP, DS, GC and GBA, all three PAL Atelier Iris games, Grandia on PSOne, Grandia II on DC and PC plus a GBC version, and the Grand Prix series on PC.

I don't think I'll be getting rid of any of that soon. New collections are Killzone with the PS2 and PSP versions being joined by the PS3 version soon, I hope.

Basically, I've got my entire collection down to about 200 in total but that includes old PC games and stuff from old formats in the loft that are either slowly being rereleased on the VC, XBLA and PSN, so I don't count them. From PSOne onwards I have about 160 games. SO! As sequels appear I'll probably start collecting serieses again. Killzone 2 is a prime candidate to go with the PS2 and PSP versions.

[Concrete donkey]

Sell it all except the titles that you want to play and one's that are sentimental to you. Really if they cost that much money to buy and you do not play it then what is the point in owning it?

I've always felt that for a lot of these games I'll get to them or finish them eventually. I started playing Final Fantasy IX last year for the first time, even though it was brought at launch (need to continue that actually) In this world of ever increasing multiplayer focused games, I may be hard pressed to find good single player games in the future. At least I'll have a wealth of untapped games to fall back on. At least thats the thing that runs through my mind.

Another part of me does feel I should sell up and start again, but I know I'll regret not having them, not get much money for them and won't encourage me to play the games I've kept. So I may as well keep 'em.

[Welrain]

Perhaps it less collect and more keep / hoard, I've bought a few cheap games just cause they were cheap and now I seriously don't know what to do with them...play them. heck I've got loads of A+ titles to play first so they sit on the shelf staring at me, damn their eyes.

[SUMIRE]

Yeah, I dont "collect" I just enjoy buying having and playing them. I keep them, were as a lot of people would trade them in or sell them once they had played them.

[BeyondJumpFish]

I only keep one's that i know im going to come back to. I own all the Final Fantasy games (From 6 onwards anyway) and a few 2d fighters and shmups but most stuff i get rid off.