I am done...

[puke_face]

Are you implying that to be a retro gamer one must collect old games?

Not to speak in place of him, but usually if one is retro gaming, one usually either already owns the retro game, console, etc. or must collect in order to be able to obtain the games or consoles they want to play. Usually because they nor their friends have the game they are looking for to bring back the feeling of nostalgia. Not a must, more of an assumption on a large scale.

[Beak]

^ Actually considering I'm not quitting gaming altogether (or retro gaming for that matter) it doesn't seem too ironic...

Retro gaming generally entails some form of collecting.

Are you implying that to be a retro gamer one must collect old games?

You were talking about curbing your collecting and then others said some similar ideas. That's why it's ironic.

I dunno why this perplexes you so much.

Also, pay attention to adverbs. "Must" is a really strong verb that I definitely didn't say. It "generally entails some form of collecting." You're being difficult if you honestly think that's a unfounded idea.

[Epoch]

Retro gaming generally entails some form of collecting.

Are you implying that to be a retro gamer one must collect old games?

You were talking about curbing your collecting and then others said some similar ideas. That's why it's ironic.

I dunno why this perplexes you so much.

Also, pay attention to adverbs. "Must" is a really strong verb that I definitely didn't say. It "generally entails some form of collecting." You're being difficult if you honestly think that's a unfounded idea.

No you're correct that most retro gamers tend to collect to some extent. I just failed to pay attention to detail there and misunderstood you as meaning that one has to collect to be a retro gamer.

I don't know what the official definition of one is but whatever I don't care that much... :/

[Epoch]

Are you implying that to be a retro gamer one must collect old games?

Not to speak in place of him, but usually if one is retro gaming, one usually either already owns the retro game, console, etc. or must collect in order to be able to obtain the games or consoles they want to play. Usually because they nor their friends have the game they are looking for to bring back the feeling of nostalgia. Not a must, more of an assumption on a large scale.

Ah now I understand what was meant... its a good point, owning older consoles seems to inevitably lead to collecting. So by experiencing the older games via emulation one isn't really a "retro gamer" but more like a hybrid of some kind huh.

[asr10 user]

Very interesting. I'm 26 and this is my first day posting on this site, and I was looking at other peoples collections thinking, wow I have had LOTS of this stuff in my hands at some point in my life, where the hell did I put it, where is it now?

And thanks to your post, I remember. I would sell alot of it to buy more. I didnt just keep EVERYTHING, otherwise I would have a monster collection like lots of people here have.

I recently got back into video games (about 3-4 years ago) after them being my life for almost all of the 16-bit era. I found lots of stuff ive had stashed around the house, but I cant find a whole bunch of other stuff I know I had (a few virtual boys, snes squaresoft games, panzer dragoon rpg)

I musta sold them, and I guess im kind of glad I saw your post. Otherwise I might be going to ebay to buy a bunch of stuff I cant find.

[Alpinex2]

Attention Whore!

[skyknight]

After reading the top post, I sorta understand the situation going on. Even though I was never in debt and have save about 3-months of living, I do ponder on myself, on what I need in life. As stated in one of my posts, I still live with my folks, and my mom isn't too happy about the consoles and games piling up in the living room and my own room.

Particularly, she does state that the consoles and games that I currently own (along with my bros) are several times more than she ever bought for us; which is the harsh fact, that my family SNES and the games for it were all paid by my folks. It was my money that I spend on PlayStation 1, 2, and 3, along with Wii, later DS, PSP, plus Dreamcast and WonderSwan. And like you, I barely finished less than half of the games I own.

And I do feel sorry for anyone that is having a hard time with making a living, as some sacrifices are needed to be made to get by. For the rest of us that are a bit more fortunate, I do respect the decisions that each make in regards to their own lives, but I think some to need find some time to reflect on the pursuit of happiness.

[DCsegaDH]

I have a pretty small collection compared to most of you because I don't collect boxed systems or rare games, just the ones that are affordable. Sometimes I get 2 copies of the same game or a game I don't like and then I'll sell it.

Probably money is one of the factors of why I don't own a lot of Saturn games and I'm kind of a cheap ass too.

I understand getting rid of some of your collection, sometimes collecting becoming more about obsession rather than having a fun time playing it, if you have less stuff you will probably enjoy it more. Well, that my opinion about it.

[Matt Taylor]

Really interesting topic, and something I am sure is on the minds of a lot of thirty somethings that started out collecting for nostalgia's sake only to find themselves 15 years down the line, hunting down that PS2 'Metal Gear Solid 2' demo that shipped with, but seems to be missing from, most 'Zone of the Enders' cases, just so that everything is complete again. For exactly 'who' to see and 'when'? We'll never know.

Its funny that myself and another hoarding friend of mine joke about those games we buy that are 'ones for the shelf', the ones we know we'll never play but really should own. I don't even think the idea of games rising in value is something we can cling to. As you rightly pointed out, gamers and collectors of our generation do collect for nostalgia. There is nothing more satisfying than holding in your hands an import game you'd seen in a magazine in your teens that you thought you'd never see with your own eyes. But as has happened with the record collecting trade (my father having been a huge record collector and probably where I cought the bug from) the people who originally hoarded these vinyl pressed memories are dying out just as our generation will, decreasing the vital demand/supply chain needed to make these things valuable. Afterall our generation bemoaning the idea of playing classic games on emulators and virtual consoles because you don't get that 'authentic feel' will be lost on our children's generation. Much the same as we could never understand why hearing music on crystal clear compact discs just didn't have the same feel as scratchy old vinyl.

I think I speak for all game collectors out there when I say what you're doing is definitely a hard choice to make, not hard in terms of going to war or operating on the brain, don't get me wrong, but hard in a different way. It is a detachment from years of gaming, years of collecting and years of nosalgia.

Is it something I'll ever do? Probably not, but I will always have those moments of doubt as to the point of it all. I am well aware that on my death bed as I stare into that welcoming bright light, I shall not be greeted at those pearly gates by a God who will make the decision of whether to let me stay or not based on my owning an immaculately boxed version of Dezaemon 3D for the Japanese N64. I hope in all honesty that I will continue to have these moments of clarity, these rare out of body experiences when I will take a step back from myself and think: what the fuck am I doing bidding on a mint and sealed Brazil only copy of Street Fighter II for the Master System. I mean lets face it, if I had never had these moments in my life I'd probably never have had sex.

[Kebo]

I actually view things completely differently. I used to sell games after I finished them, and I've always regretted it. Mostly because I always want to revisit them, and I like to collect. I don't collect games to brag to other people or show off. To the contrary, I sometimes feel uncomfortable when people see I'm OCDish about collecting.

Nostalgia is part of it. And collecting for the sake of it is part of it too. I wouldn't say it's so much materialism as a desire that's been ground into me since being a child. As a kid all the various toys I liked were collectibles. Legos, Monsters in my Pocket, muscle men, Z-bots, pretty much every toy, you just wanted to have them all so you could have the full experience, not just a half-attempt. I collected all kinds of trading cards. I collected coins. Why? I don't know, it was enjoyable. And having something to look forward to, to pursue, was fun, it always will be. I don't care about having nice, expensive clothes, furniture, cars, or so on. I live a modest life. But hey, something has to motivate me to get a paycheck more than just food and shelter. Some people look forward to spending their money going out to clubs, or theaters, or getting brand new cars. Maybe they like new shoes, new pants, guns, motorcycles, whatever. Those things just don't give me the same enjoyment as getting, say, a complete copy of Final Fantasy 3 in the mail. And that's probably because for my entire life, gaming has been my number one hobby, and it likely always will be.

I haven't got to any hyper-collector status yet (only around 220 games, which I've played through around 60%) but I'll probably finish out my 'retro collection' close to 800-900 games eventually, or so I hope. I know it will never take priority over the necessities (food, shelter, utilities, family/friends). Nostalgia plays a big role, and I don't really see it as being stuck in the past. While I have awesome memories of getting SNES and Super Mario World as a 7 year old, I don't wish to be 7 again, or live where I lived. But nostalgia in itself is an enjoyable emotion and I don't see a reason to avoid it. It's better to have it for something as trivial as videogames than say, who you date, your relationship with friends and family, your job, or where you live. With videogames I'm constantly creating new nostalgia because I play new games as well. Super Mario Sunshine is already nostalgic to me. So is the first few months I played World of Warcraft. These are memories I cherish and are invaluable, far worth whatever cost I had to pay for the game. Having real copies of old games just help solidify and remind me of some of my most enjoyable memories. Because at the end of the day (at least in my philosophical view), people are entirely made up of their memories. Besides the instantaneous moment we exist in, everything in our life that we base ourselves on is in the past. Everything you just read in this post is now in your memory. I'm taking over your mind.