'Collecting' - The Great Debate

[gordon]

I had a Megadrive Tetris for ages. Can't remember what happened to it; I probably threw it away.

Collecting is a sickness, I think; but it's a harmless one, and good things come of it, so it's really no one's business to criticise. It's not like we can't play the games that people collect -- they are digital media, after all, unlike books and pre-CD music -- so the argument that collecting prevents others from enjoying games doesn't really wash.

I don't really understand why people do it, either. I think we all have minor hoarding urges (otherwise we'd sell / give away every single game we played as soon as we finished it / grew tired of it), but it must be an immense mental strain worrying about keeping all those games in pristine condition for so long.

[Tirian]

I had a Megadrive Tetris for ages. Can't remember what happened to it; I probably threw it away.

As did I. The Hong Kong knock-off version that is. Trust me, you did not have the one that I am talking about ...

[gordon]

I can't remember which version it was -- I got it as a review copy from C&VG.

[Kizzycrew]

Are you really saying you can't envisange playing Zelda OOT or any other of your favourites down the line?

Agreed. I'll be playing Paperboy til I die.

[Tirian]

I can't remember which version it was -- I got it as a review copy from C&VG.

Well, if it looked like this :



... then it might have been the real thing. But don't kick yourself too much for throwing it out - how were you to know it was going to be worth ?4000 today?

Tirian

[gordon]

Nope, definitely not that one, thank god. It was only the cart, AFAIR. The version I had was spot-on, though; and I remember you got rewarded for progress with different background art, including a bizarre komodo dragon like thing.

[Concept]

People like J.K. Rowling and Terry Pratchett are alive today, as are most of the most prominent writers in the fantasy genre - and their first editions command thousands of pounds. It's not really so far removed from the game collecting scene as you seem to want to suggest. LPs / CDs and the like provide even more pertinent comparisons. The games industry now is probably about where the 'music industry' was forty or fifty years ago (or perhaps a little bit more)

Agreed. I don't take stock in these self-critical get-out clauses that people use when comparing gaming to other mediums. Gaming is still relatively young, but it's not as young as some people like to make out.

Videogaming has been around for 40 years, and if the comparison measure really has to be used, it was around this time in the film industry's lifespan that it received Citizen Kane. There are rare games that need archiving and information that needs saving.

[MikeRox]

well you could class what I have as a collection, but really it's just an assortment of games I love from the formats I own and I can't sell them because if I do I'll only want to buy them back and play them again :P

Mind you, there are very few sealed games in my "collection" :P I agree in many respects that games are made to be played but surely collectors keeping games in playable states is a good thing? I only try to buy mint complete stuff these days but thats just because I prefer my stuff to be in good condition.

[wheelaa]

I reckon the easiest and most direct comparison to draw is with toys. Similar, and often more recent, time scales, just as fanatical a fan base. You've got a brand new in the box millenium falcom or optimus prime, it stays brand new. (Grown men shouldn't be playing tranformers anyway). Pleasure can be in the owning.

[Concept]

And the tracking down.

I think purely for archiving purposes (I'm aware of the potential of future emulation), that keeping games in their original state is important for historical purposes.

There's nothing wrong with collecting. It's just another hobby that's related to videogaming in context.

Am I collector? Not really - I don't keep many games shrink wrapped, but I do like to occasionally own rare, forgotten games that have had a good word of mouth to see if I'll enjoy them, and what I'm missing out on. I guess in I'm similar to Smegaman in this regard.

[Baseley09]

I collect semen in my nutsack.

Then sell it out hardcore over asian shemales.

[kernow]

lol after pub posting

[Duddyroar]

Say you found a sealed Radiant Silvergun for a fiver in a boot sale somewhere - would you

a) Congratulate yourself on your lucky find, open it up, toss the useless spine and registration card in the bin, and play the hell out of it

Surely one of the options should be: 'open the game, keep everything in excellent condition and play the hell out of it'. Which is what I do.

You're now assuming that anyone who isn't a collector can't take care of their games...

[Commander Marklar]

I think purely for archiving purposes (I'm aware of the potential of future emulation), that keeping games in their original state is important for historical purposes.

See, there's another spilt here... historically, I'd want to be able to play the game too so if I were to come across some random half-complete game or something super rare, I'd dump it and put it 'out there' for others to play too.

There's certainly nothing wrong with collecting, I didn't mean to have a pop at anyway. Just the reasoning behind it The ironic thing is, I've got some 500 odd games sitting around here on my shelf and those that I do play are kept in immaculate condition (check my recent sale thread; both have been heavily played in system link -- selling my extra copies -- yet are 'as new' in condition; still great for the collectors).

The collectors I do have a problem with are those that scoff at the low price I may have paid for such-and-such, looking down their nose in disgust at players who do enjoy the content of the games (they are meant to be played, after all). Like its a whole different thing to have paid a couple of grand for Metal Slug compared to the ?200 I may have picked it up for. As if it's somehow hurting the reputation of a certain platform or something... The mind boggles

[vertigo]

I wrote an email to Edge this month in follow-up to the first letter in this month's Inbox with regard to being able to play games from an old generation. I suggested that the industry is more willing to put things in the past and forget them than to be proud of its past and allow access to past games, the main problems being inaccessibility of software and a lack of working hardware to play it on. I suggested also that perhaps some sort of museum or library is possible, although most likely unworkable.
Perhaps if something like a videogame museum or library system ever does come into being, these collectors are going to be the people who provide the exhibits, much in the same way the estate of a deceased person contributes art to museums.