Why do some people lose/throw away game manuals?

[Runefaust]

I sadly can't recall where the heck my manuals and boxes went as a kid... I was too enthralled with the games to care and my parents too tidy to keep trash laying around the house...

/le sigh

[alexis524]

I always cared about my stuff as a kid.

So did I. That's why I have so many old toys that are still in such good shape. It always confused me why some of my classmates would be talking about getting a game/toy AGAIN less than a month after they got it. Sure, sometimes it was accidentally destroyed by a pet/younger sibling, but most of the time it was because they'd treated it like crap and destroyed it themselves. Me, I'd get upset if my poster got a crease in it. But then, I'm more anal than others

Michi,

you and i are cut from the same mold. Ever since i got my first game and console at around 10, i was obsessed with not only keeping games, boxes, and pack-ins all together, but they could not be handled by anyone but me since i would baby the cart, the box, but especially the manual. I would hold the manual ever so gently, almost hover-hand like, never creasing the spline, never folding, bending, eating, drinking, or writing any where near the manuals. I'd get upset if i saw oil from my fingerprints on the pages. I thought i was the only one who was this anal about my games, but i feel better now knowing that there are many who care this much about the condition of their collection.

it was almost an art or hobby in itself for me to see how pristine i could keep everything when opening the box for the first time. take SNES games for example. I would come home with my newly acquired game all plastic wrapped, and proceed to open it with an exacto knife. I would just cut enough of the plastic on one of the ends that i could open the cardboard box. Even then i was very careful to not crease the cardboard tab that tucked in along the front to hold everything together. Granted, that was not the easiest thing to do and i would get very bothered with the games that i did crease the cardboard tabs on. I never looked at the game the same again. It was almost as if the game was tainted somehow since it was not in perfect condition. Sad thing is, i tend to be that way with all my things. i wish i wasn't that way, but if one of my possessions is scratched, dented, smeared, smudged, cracked, torn, stained, i flip the f*ck out (not really but i'm very very bothered) and will not feel better until said item is replaced or repaired. Man, i feel like i need a psychiatrist now...

[Xeogred]

In a much stranger twist of fate, I once found a Genesis game for sale (Cyborg Justice) with a manual, but no case!

I've seen that happen a lot actually, lol. Well actually I even still have a lot more manuals than cases myself, sadly.

[Redifer]

Sega was really smart with SMS games. Those clamshell cases. NO ONE threw those out! They really had that part figured out. EVERYONE threw out NES boxes. Looking back you say "why?" but back then nobody kept them.

Nintendo didn't get a clue until the DS came out. What's sad is that Gamestop will throw away the box to any used DS game that comes into their store. One of about a billion reasons I hate Gamestop (and really, who doesn't?)

What pissed me off is when Sega started releasing their games in the wimpy cardboard cases instead of the awesome plastic clamshells. The official company line was something to the effect of "We're saving the world by using more earth-friendly materials and thus making it possible to hug more trees, etc etc". Yeah, right. Nobody threw the plastic boxes away, but everyone threw the cardboard ones away. Landfills were even more full as a result. Damn hippies.

[flamepanther]

Nintendo didn't get a clue until the DS came out.

So... I'm only imagining all of these plastic clamshell GameCube cases that are sitting on my shelf right now?

[BoringSupreez]

I have never been one to throw away manuals (I still have the manual from the very first game I bought), but I used to throw away the outer paper box that PC games came with when I was younger. I'd always keep the jewel case, but I threw out the paper box because it was, in my eyes, pointless to keep, plus the jewel cases were far easier to store. Also, my siblings were much younger back then, and far more likely to destroy anything paper eventually.

[Redifer]

Nintendo didn't get a clue until the DS came out.

So... I'm only imagining all of these plastic clamshell GameCube cases that are sitting on my shelf right now?

LOL, talk about a brain fart. You are correct. I deserve whatever is dished out on me for that one especially because I really enjoyed the Gamecube when it was out.

[Mechblue]

My mom was one of those that some how foresaw the importance of keeping manuals and boxes. She held on to quite a few of our original game boxes and manuals (some toys too). A few are missing or damaged and some didn't make it when my room was lightly flooded in the late 90's. For the most part I had all my manuals because I NEVER READ THEM! I thought it was weird that people needed to read the manual for a game... a few button pushes should give you the gist of a game..

Since genesis games in their cases are pretty common, I find it funny when people jack up the prices because.. "look at it! it has its original case, thats rare!".

[Haoie]

I hope there's a missing game manual heaven.

Ditto missing sock heaven.

[Redifer]

I never lose socks. I don't understand how people do. But if there is a missing game manual heaven, I would like to raid it and kidnap many of its inhabitants.