throwing the towel in.....

[alexis524]

mas and evildeadman, both of you have pretty much summed up where i am at and have been in life right now. I'm a husband, a father, work full time, and have a business on the side, not to mention the normal weekly activities it takes to maintain a household, and i just don't have the time. I have falsely rationalized that if i just buy the games, that'll motivate me to push to find this block of free time to game. I've lied to myself for too long and wasted too much money under this mentality, and it's just time to let go. I will keep a very select few, but probably about 90% of my collection will go. Then again, Simcity makes me very happy and content and maybe i'll just hold on to those and rest, bye-bye. I've heard some in this thread ask what will i dump? If anyone is interested, have a look at my backloggery by clicking on my signature, or search under alexis524 on their site. My collection is currently around 400+ games over 15 or so consoles. If you see something you like, pm me to see if it's still for sale since a few have gone on ebay already, and few i will be keeping. If you want to make an offer, do so, but please no trades for obvious reasons.

[D.D.D.]

Exactly. I still collect from time to time but I'm 34 now and there's just too many other responsibilities now then when I was younger, single, and nothing to worry about other than how do I get complete the 2nd quest in the Legend of Zelda?

Exactly. I'm the same. I don't remember where I saw it but, there was a graph of earning potential w/time w/age and I think we're just passing the prime cusp. Being married with children and all changes how time is spent.

I really can't see myself ever disliking video games though. When I get the free time then I'll play my NES games for a little bit then I may jump to the Xbox 360 within that time frame. I just squeeze it in when I can and that's it. Sometimes I wonder why I collect as much as I do with video games. I think one reason may be because when I was a kid there were so many games I wanted and didn't get so when I got older and had my own money I was kind of filling a void I guess? I would go to Funco Land/Gamestop and buy tons of retro games at a time! I'm proud of my collection though and it was alot of hard work. I hope to get through these games completely one day.

Same here. I occasionally go through a short period where I'm either too busy, too tired, or want to do something else in my long list of hobbies but I always go back to games.
Since I do have a long list of hobbies and I only make so much money, I hear you on wanting to fill that void but for me, emulation does the kick for many systems (especially how near-flawless it is now) but I do understand the desire to actually own certain titles. There are some games I've played a lot as a kid, only as a rental and have emulated it a lot as well, but I've yet to take the step to actually own the game. Perhaps the significance of having it doesn't equate to the fun I have while playing it?

I also find it as a fun trip down memory lane as far as the retro games go. I love reliving those memeories as much as I like making new ones with the latest games but I also feel like alot of the games released now don't have that same replay value that the games from my days have. I can go back and play the original Super Mario Bros completely but I don't have that same interest with a great game like Call of Duty(maybe because it's overkill with that series) so I'll get rid of it but I will NEVER let go of SMB. Is it just me guys? I just can't really explain it or even understand it.

I know what you mean. There are memories associated with ones like SMB, Mega Man 2, ExciteBike, LoZ, RC ProAM, Kung-Fu, Punch-Out, and more for me that aren't clouded by those damn rose-tinted glasses. That and the true classics hold to the test of time better than say CoD or many other modern games. I loved playing the original Ridge Racer on PS1 especially how I could use music CDs as well but going back recently just doesn't hold up like playing something like SMB for 10 minutes and simply enjoying it for what it is: something that is as close to perfect as one gets without trying to be perfect. Or possibly for older games that are more simple in design or game play, the less susceptible we are to noticing their flaws (contrary to how easy it is in modern games to get stuck with a bad camera or stuck on invisible polygons etc).

[sonix]

I have about 50 games for PS2, GBA, Saturn and PC and that feels like too much. I guess that's the price for being focused on retro games, and/or being too rich. With the exception of rare, collectible games, there's so much titles you can buy for practically nothing, and every time you come across a game you always (ever so slightly) wanted to play which now costs only few bucks you just take it... and then you find yourself having a huge backlog. It's actually a good thing to have limited funds or space to keep the games (I'm almost out of it). My ultimate goal is to have a rather small collection of essential titles (for me), without unnecessary games I cling to for no reason (other than their high value).

In your case OP I would consider browsing through all the games you own and just carefully think about which of those you're actually not going to play, sell those and keep only the essential ones. And if you ever feel like playing one of those you sold, just get them back... but only if there's nothing else waiting in the queue.

I remember reading some letters in a games magazine regarding this issue. The editor suggested scrapping all new (modern) games and focusing on old school, 8 and 16 bits games exclusively, maybe combining it with taking some breaks from gaming in general. If that won't help, then it probably means the end...

[dsheinem]

I would consider browsing through all the games you own and just carefully think about which of those you're actually not going to play, sell those and keep only the essential ones.

This is kind of what I have done, which has led to me getting rid of good games in genres I just don't really spend much time with. For retro gaming, my focus has shifted primarily to arcade genres (shmups, fighting, racing, run-n-gun, some platformers, etc.) primarily because there is wonderful pick up and play quality to those kinds of games - so I don't mind having even some middling releases in those genres.

On the other hand, I'll happily part with some well regarded adventure games, RPGs, third person shooters, or other genres that I just simply don't want to invest the time in. Doing the Games Beaten 2010 thread helped me plow through a chunk of my backlog, but it also made me realize that there was another chunk of old games I probably won't ever get around to. No reason to keep them around just to have them look pretty on a shelf.

What I have "issues" with is getting rid of a game I have beaten even if I doubt I will go back to it. Holding on to it is like a trophy of sorts...I know there's no good reason for me to hang on to something I beat last year like like Gears of War, Bayonetta, Assasin's Creed, The Conduit, ZOE2, Astro Boy Omega Factor, or Outrun 2019 since It's doubtful these will get playtime from me again. Yet because I beat them I feel I need to retain them

[env963]

But isn't that what the "trophy", "achievement" system is for? You have your trophy, now you can sell it and show off your trophies like i have. LOL

[ejamer]

It's interesting - I'm in a similar stage of life as the OP, but have taken a slightly different approach.

I've focused on building a nice little Wii collection over the past few years, and am calling that my "retirement" from gaming. There are a handful of titles I would still pick up, and am waiting in line for at Goozex... but for all intents and purposes I'm done.

This collection provides me with as much gaming as I can handle for years (decades?) to come and gives me a sense of pride to look at - especially since I really sought out bargains and built the whole collection for a reasonable price. It doesn't take up much space, has a nice mix of retro and modern gaming genres, and includes plenty of party-focused games.

Gaming will always be something I enjoy, but just not something I can indulge in very often.


Obviously you (ie: the OP) have more gaming fatigue, and a much bigger collection, than I do though... so your decision makes sense too. Hopefully it works out well for you!

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

I have about 50 games for PS2, GBA, Saturn and PC and that feels like too much. I guess that's the price for being focused on retro games, and/or being too rich. With the exception of rare, collectible games, there's so much titles you can buy for practically nothing, and every time you come across a game you always (ever so slightly) wanted to play which now costs only few bucks you just take it... and then you find yourself having a huge backlog. It's actually a good thing to have limited funds or space to keep the games (I'm almost out of it). My ultimate goal is to have a rather small collection of essential titles (for me), without unnecessary games I cling to for no reason (other than their high value).

In your case OP I would consider browsing through all the games you own and just carefully think about which of those you're actually not going to play, sell those and keep only the essential ones. And if you ever feel like playing one of those you sold, just get them back... but only if there's nothing else waiting in the queue.

I remember reading some letters in a games magazine regarding this issue. The editor suggested scrapping all new (modern) games and focusing on old school, 8 and 16 bits games exclusively, maybe combining it with taking some breaks from gaming in general. If that won't help, then it probably means the end...

Yeah that's kind of what I have been thinking about as of late as far as going through my collection and selling whatever I don't think I'll play or want anymore. The problem with that is just finding the time to go through a LARGE collection of games. Last I checked I'm close to 1,000 games, if not more, total combined for all my consoles (NES to Xbox 360) so as you can see it would take some time to sort it out but I will get to it since I would like to make space.

My next problem is how do I determine the value of what I want to sell? I don't want to cheat myself or epecially a potential buyer out of money on a game. Once you know the value of the game you then have to determin the condition of the game, does in come with the box & manual? That also plays a role in what the game is worth too. How much do I charge for shipping & handling? I was thinking of selling on this site actually but I need to understand how to determin what my games are worth and how to go about selling first. Some of my games that I would sell are carts and others are discs so it's kind of frustrating and almost too frustrating to bother with going through with trying to sell games.

[skyknight]

It will not be an easy process to look through all the consoles and games that you have (same for me), I do think you could spend at least 10~15 minutes everyday to determine what games you can part without any regrets - could be that crappy that game was on sale for USD $3 that you bought just to add to your collection; or that game that was overly hyped and turned out to be a pile of crap wrapped in a fine box...

Be sure to keep us up-to-date with your decisions.

[izdead]

watercoloring is one of my favorite things to do, have fun with that. you could always paint some characters or scenes from your favorite games

[Dude]

I have been in and out of gaming for a long time too. I own several independent handhelds and only recently bought a GB Advance SP. I decided for the meantime that if I was going to go back into gaming that I wasn't going to be doing the console route simply because it's another "big" item to store. I decided on handhelds and pc games for better or worse. I have no desire to own an Atari 2600 again, but I may find some old pc versions. I love puzzle games and sports primarily because they're strategy/thinking oriented. I guess I'm quite different to a lot of gamers here since many like the action/adventure, RPG, shmups, etc genres. To each their own. But I can sympathize with what you're saying. Best wishes.