Has anyone every given up collecting?

[AppleQueso]

I've seriously debated selling off a huge chunk of my own collection actually. I just rarely ever play my games. When I'm not at work I'm usually watching movies or on the internet...

I've thought back and forth about it, especially since my collection would help a LOT towards getting a car.

[RBT]

I'm more of a gamer than a collector, I like to build up a collection of around 25 keepers for each system that I own after that I use the one in one out rule. This works well for me and it also frees up money for my other hobbies etc.

[SkyLlama]

I'm not the type who stops collecting, I collect things because I can most of the time.

It's gotten to the point where I'm having trouble with physical space to put things. I really need to sell some stuff at some point, and will likely list things like my SMS which I don't use on ebay or even this site.

[coastercrazy10]

I've been a collector all my life, and my interest in collecting was fostered when I was in preschool. I collected hot wheels like my dad for about 6 years because they hadn't begun releasing 100 FEs every year at that point and it was fun because of how truly rare some of the cars were. I have also been collecting K'NEX (reasonably consistently) for about 15 years. I've collected cards of varying types, Rubik's cubes & related puzzles, and have recently started "collecting" colognes (i just buy one here and there since they're so expensive).

Collecting is in my blood and I'll never be able to give up the spirit of collecting because I enjoy the hunt for things, learning about a new culture or product line, and (as with any collector) I enjoy putting items on display. But the most important criteria for a collection for me is usability. If I collect just to collect, it loses purpose. I want to be able to use the things I have purchased to some extent. I will never, *ever* be able to play all the games I own and I continue to purchase new ones, but I do play games consistently and enjoy the games I do play. The same rationale applies to all of my previous collections, with the exception of Hot Wheels of course. I have been building K'NEX for 15 years now (see sig) and I still really enjoy buying sets, sorting the parts, and building things.

tl;dr - I collect because I like to collect, but I only collect things that are usable, even if I don't use everything I collect. I probably sound like a hoarder but I'm too organized to be a hoarder, at least for now lol

-Ben

[isiolia]

Like some others, I've never really given up on collecting since I'm not (and have never been) a particularly zealous collector. A lot of what I have are games I bought when they were relatively current, and intend/ed to play. A fair chunk of the rest are reacquisitions from childhood, or things I was interested in back then (IE, why I own a 3DO).

I've had slower periods for buying, but I've not hit the point of getting rid of stuff (not just games, movies, CDs, books, etc too).

[fvgazi]

I've only ever bought games I was interested in. If anything, I always try to get my hands on shmups and fighting games (and lots of castlevania!).

I sell stuff now and then, but only stuff I would never play again.

[Inazuma]

My problem is I buy more games than I can play. When I actually get free time, it tends to go into Dungeon Fighter Online.

Thankfully, I don't spend as much money I used to. I have pretty much gotten all of the consoles I want, and most of the games I want. I also don't buy anything modern from Sony or Microsoft. I am secretly hoping for Nintendo to go DLC crazy so I can stop buying modern games altogether. I already have more than enough games for my lifetime. I need to draw the line somewhere.

Despite buying so many games over the years, one good thing has been my method of forced savings. I set up an automatic monthly money transfer, so I will always save money, even if I don't want to.

Sometimes I think I should stop collecting, or maybe sell some of it but I really enjoy doing it and I know I would regret it later. As long as I pay my bills on time, and save money every month, it's OK.

[Evildeadmanwalking77]

I have the same problem where I buy more than I play. I am EXTREMELY thankfull though for digital media, emulation, etc. Being that I am married and live in an apartment I really don't have the physical space for games anymore so this technology has just been great for me and I can still enjoy collecting. The problem is also trying to get rid of what I am not playing anymore since the only option is online to sell anything and forget Game Stop, they won't even look at you if you walk in there w/ anything that isn't PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, or DS. I miss Play and Trade but they have mysteriously shut most of their stores down around where I live.

I could never stop collecting though, it's just too deep of a passion for me.

[alexis524]

i have too. although i never sold off ALL i had, my collection was pretty light a few times. It's horrible cycle. In the end i always end up buying again what i sold off, so i promised myself that i would never sell from my collection unless i absolutely hated the game, or was convinced that i will never ever ever ever ever play it. At one point i was all digital via emulation (whole other topic) but felt disconnected from gaming as if i was cheating (i really was) and owning physical copies just makes me feel better (which is only my opinion, to each his own) I know i will never get through a fraction of my backlog, but yet i continue to buy buy buy, thus the conundrum continues...

[env963]

I am starting to move towards the digital releases as an option, but im worried about my digital copy and not being able to redownload something 5 - 10 years from today. What IF i wanted to play infamous (that i downloaded for the welcome back program) or any other digital release, for my ps3, 5 years after the ps4 comes out? Will i be able to?