Are you a COLLECTOR, or are you a GAMER?

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Definitely a gamer. As nice as big collections are, I don't really care what I don't have yet. If I decide to get an entire series or extra content or a soundtrack, it's because I really like those games and intend to play them. Don't have the money to be a collector even if I wanted to be. I do tend to keep games I like, though. There are times I think I should really play one of my untouched games and end up going back to Ace Combat or Valkyrie Profile. Oh well, it's good fun

[Key-Glyph]

I'm happy just owning the game. Thankfully I am not a completist.

You bring up the interesting point that a gamer's identity is often defined by how good they are at games -- with the ultimate goal being completion of titles -- as opposed to how much they just enjoy them (e.g. like a collector simply takes joy in the "having"). I'm not saying that completionist gamers don't enjoy their games... but if a gamer's focus is taken off of achieving victory, can they do so without being perceived as lazy, uncommitted, or "not a real gamer?" I'm never sure how judgmental people are of other players in an arcade, for example. Like those times I've clearly overestimated my skills at unfamiliar DDR machines. /insecurity

I love collecting things, but with video games I only collect what I intend to play. The kick I get out of the consoles and titles I've gathered is that most of them are my childhood originals. I love looking at it all and taking pride in the condition I've kept it in, and I enjoy knowing that this is clearly a defining aspect of my personality to be reaching back so far and to have persevered for so long.

Actually, I suppose my collection is like a timeline, since everything was acquired for a specific reason at a specific time and thus each piece has all sorts of unique memories attached to it. I'm a sentimental fool is what it is. I suppose my video games are the one genre of object I've physically held onto, and sustained interest in, most consistently and for the longest stretch of time out of anything else.

[Nintendork666]

I'd imagine you'd be hard-pressed to find many with our shared interest who weren't a little bit of both. I certainly am, but I'm not the type to buy anything I have no intentions of playing.The only interest I could ever show in a sealed game, would be to either flip it or open it up and play it. So I guess that makes me much more of a gamer than a collector. I like being on this side of the fence.

[Drakon]

I have a good collection of games. But I play them all. So you can decide.

[dsheinem]

OR



Not sure I feel like either...

[Erik_Twice]

I'm mainly a connoisseur. However, I'm mor ein the player camp depending on the game. I'm only a collector tangentially.

[Zing]

I am a gamer who collects the games he plays. I am very particular about the quality and version of the games I buy, but I only buy games that I play.

[Yancakes]

My goal is to beat about 80% of my games, ultimately. I've slowed down a lot on buying them recently so that I can catch up.

Occasionally, though, I buy games for silly reasons. I picked up Auto Modellista for like 5 bucks because it has the same announcer as Capcom VS SNK 2, for instance. I have no interest in the game.

[dtrack]

if you are a gamer then you only need a computer due to emulators. so if you into buying snes carts and saying you are not a collector that's basically saying you don't have enough money to be a "real" collector. lets face it.

[harper]

if you are a gamer then you only need a computer due to emulators. so if you into buying snes carts and saying you are not a collector that's basically saying you don't have enough money to be a "real" collector. lets face it.

You lost me.