Advice from people who have sold their collections

[boxhead]

So, I’ve been collecting games for about 25 years. I’ve never really sold anything and I probably have close to 1000 titles (generally the cream of the crop across every system since the snes.

The thing is, I’m starting to feel a bit fatigued by it all. What’s the point in having all these games when I literally feel worn out just looking at them? The thought of finding the system, plugging it in and working out a game I want to play is just too much so I don’t bother.

Its such a huge part of my past that I don’t know how I feel about throwing it all on eBay. I’m not sure if it’s a slump I’m in or if having all these games is actually a negative thing?

I Wondered if anyone here had sold off their collections and how did it make you feel? Did it allow you to enjoy gaming more?

Cheers,

Luke

[Colin]

Delighted I don't have a games collection any more, I just can't be arsed with the clutter these days. (I also got rid of all my CD's, DVD's etc) I still have two retro systems, my Neo Geo and PC-Engine, but they are both running with everdrive style solutions and I can play anything from the complete library at any time. I have a handful of PS3/PS4/PSVita games, but only titles I'll genuinely replay. The thought of having mountains of games sat in the house that are nothing more than ornaments just seems like stupidity to me now, but that's a personal thing, if it's what others want to do then more power to them.

[vanpeebles]

I sold a fair bit of stuff, but with the aim of focusing on certain mahcines. If you have too much you just can’t use it effectively. Some stuff I’d only sell if I had too, as it would be too expensive to buy again in the future.

[Asura]

I sold off mine years ago. Given, I was never quite the collector of some people here, but I used to have faaaar more games than I have now, including quite a large NGPC collection.

The big change for me is YouTube. These days, if I think of a game I really want to see and hear for a minute, I can just load up a video. It scratches the itch, and within a minute or so I go back to playing something recent.

[chopemon]

I was buying a load of games and didn't have the consoles set up to play them. Every time I looked at my collection I was frustrated and tired by it. So I spent the time and money getting everything hooked up so I can play anything at any moment. Everything is going into one TV using the OSSC and while it cost a bit to get and a load of time to rearrange and hook everything up, I'm back to loving my collection and playing whatever I want whenever I want.

So my advice is, instead of selling, if you're able to, try getting your machines hooked up and left set up so they are ready to go whenever you want. I hated digging out machines and faffing with cables each time I wanted to play something.

[Team Andromeda]

I sold a fair bit of stuff, but with the aim of focusing on certain mahcines. If you have too much you just can’t use it effectively. Some stuff I’d only sell if I had too, as it would be too expensive to buy again in the future.

Yep this is the best way. Sold off loads of my old games and just kept all my Mega CD, Master system, OG XBox and Saturn games and hardware. Still have a few old systems too, but just use Everdrive for them or copied them to a huge HD (like for the PS3)

Less mess and so much more convenient and rather spend my money elsewhere, than fund some of the tossers on eBay

[samanosuke]

I sold almost all of my collection circa 2006 and have never looked back since.

I used to collect for all then current-gen, PCE, Saturn, AES, SNES, MegaDrive etc and had piles of games I’d never get around to playing. For me the tipping point was my Saturn collection; each pay day I’d phone Lee at VGI and order a stack of “must have” shooters and rarities, and most of them would see little more than an hour’s play before being stuck on a shelf and adding to the collection. I remember moving out of my flat and in with my missus - the amount of gear I’d accumulated was beyond ridiculous and I began, with some encouragement from the other half, to sell almost all of it off.

Once it’d all gone I decided to just stick to MegaDrive/Mega CD and SNES as my go-to consoles, and downsized my collection to just a dozen titles for each. I’ve managed to keep my collection trim over the years, only really adding limited run home brews to it such as Pier Solar, Duke Nukem, Beggar Prince etc, and feel much better for it. I’m pretty well disciplined in not accumulating more titles whilst I still have games on the shelf which haven’t been completed, and as I rarely get the time to play these days many of them still remain on my to-do list. I guess that vindicates the conclusion I had far too many games to begin with.

Only real regrets is selling off the AES lot as some of it is worth a lot more than I sold it for; Sengoku 3, for instance, which I let go for ~£150. But between you and me I didn’t sell my AES console, and it remains in the loft, so I could always get myself a Neo SD in the future 😊

My advice to you is to follow your instinct. Since selling my collection I find myself enjoying and appreciating games a lot more than I did when compulsion took over and it became all about owning games rather than playing them.

[kryss]

I don't "collect" games outside of the Super Robot Taisen series. I've switched to digital where I can so that I don't have the space taken up by the crap that I used to. Getting games on the off chance that I'll play them is not something I do now. I intend to trade a bunch more the next time we're visiting the in-laws in Japan. Still a bit disappointed I can't trade in Wii games here as of last year.

[speedlolita]

I sold absolutely everything in 2012. Sadly I got back into the swing of things and have basically restored what I had.

However, I'm refining now. I've got Nintendo and Sony home consoles as well as Nintendo handhelds. I have way too much software for a few systems but I've also got a lot of software that I love, and I don't have too much software that it feels overwhelming.

Systems I plan to keep (aside from my Switch) once I'm done sorting will be Super Famicom, Nintendo 64, GameCube, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and DS. Still a good amount, but stuff that I know I love and have a connection with. No sodding updates to contend with on any of this hardware either!

I only have one console set up at a time personally, and it doesn't change too regularly.

Ditching modern stuff has made me happiest quite honestly, I think there's a degree of me being completely bored of gaming that makes me more fond of the past. Like, I'd much rather explore what has been than what is coming. It's quite easy when you don't own a television (as in, I don't need anything to provide content to a TV). I still have my average PC and a pretty extensive library on Steam but that doesn't consume space or get in the way.

[boxhead]

I sold absolutely everything in 2012. Sadly I got back into the swing of things and have basically restored what I had.

However, I'm refining now. I've got Nintendo and Sony home consoles as well as Nintendo handhelds. I have way too much software for a few systems but I've also got a lot of software that I love, and I don't have too much software that it feels overwhelming.

Systems I plan to keep (aside from my Switch) once I'm done sorting will be Super Famicom, Nintendo 64, GameCube, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and DS. Still a good amount, but stuff that I know I love and have a connection with. No sodding updates to contend with on any of this hardware either!

I only have one console set up at a time personally, and it doesn't change too regularly.

Ditching modern stuff has made me happiest quite honestly, I think there's a degree of me being completely bored of gaming that makes me more fond of the past. Like, I'd much rather explore what has been than what is coming. It's quite easy when you don't own a television (as in, I don't need anything to provide content to a TV). I still have my average PC and a pretty extensive library on Steam but that doesn't consume space or get in the way.

This is how I feel. It genuinely feels like I get far more joy from playing on my hacked snes mini than I do modern console games. They all seem so soulless and too huge. They want everything from you - your time, your money, when you play. I can’t be arsed with it.

I’d much rather play some fan translated square/enix RPG.

Maybe I just need to drastically streamline my collection. I have some ridiculously rare stuff that I know I’ll never ever play. 100% cotton and E.V.O for NGPC for example. They aren’t even good games!

Cheers for the advice everyone

[Brad]

I've got to the point where I want to be able to play what I want I'm as genuine a way as I can. Eventually that might mean just running emulators but I don't think we are there yet so for now it's SFC with an everdrive (plus a few games that everdrive can't do) and an MVS with a neo SD. So, no game 'collections' at all. If I wanted to collect things it'd be vinyl records but I don't even do that; just some stuff that is special to me.

[Wools]

I would recommend you sell everything aside from your favourite retro & modern console [MENTION=6557]boxhead[/MENTION]

I had around 20 consoles & 400 games and was already feeling overwhelmed but buying my first ever car forced me to sell some of it back in 2005. Sold the rest around 2008 and from then on, tended to run 1 new console / PC and 1 retro.

It was the best thing I ever done. Games were keeping me locked up at home and the chase to buy retro Classics was killing me financially too. I realised I had a problem and acted upon it.

Now over a decade later, I feel free and have come to enjoy owning only a few things in my life but each thing is well made and I take pride in it all, yet I treat them as objects to be used. With my collecting, I played them all but wanted them to remain mint & rarely be touched. Like yourself, I never got round to playing them properly and they became a burden rather than my passion.

I now own a PS4 (Digital only) and the only physical games are games I’ve worked on as mementos. I find having only 1 device forces the mind to focus and its easier choosing a game to play. Yes, I go through stages of wanting to pick up a Dreamcast, Saturn, N64 etc but a few YouTube videos and remembering how much of a bastard it is to buy back, keeps me in check! I’m a big fan of Nintendo’s approach with the Mini rage & May pick up a SNES later down the line, but the days of a big collection are behind me.

Sell it all, it’ll be liberating!

[garrz32]

Sold all of my stuff cos I was sick of the hamster wheel of my life, looking for games/buying games to sit on my shelf not being played.

Best thing I ever did and I won't go back to that.If you go down the road of selling them on Ebay, wait until they have their promotional offers on " sell for £1".Save you a ton of money in fees.

[Arashikage]

Amen to what everyone else has said. The only regret I have is that I sold at the wrong time. If I had sold everything now instead of then I'd be a rich man. It is a liberating experience though, I don't regret what I did.

[QualityChimp]

Sold all of my stuff cos I was sick of the hamster wheel of my life, looking for games/buying games to sit on my shelf not being played.

I think this is in some people's character, though.
You stop collecting games and somehow end up collecting Fabergé Eggs or first pressings of T'Pau records.

Has anyone swapped one collection addiction for another?