Considering a Backlog Cleansing

[prfsnl_gmr]

Quality over quantity.

I had the pleasure of perusing Bone's collection recently, and this is definitely the case! The guy has an amazing, consistent collection of high-quality titles.

[noiseredux]

The current-gen wishlist is on Amazon, where I usually buy current-gen games - so stuff gets removed automatically when purchased.

yeah I do that too actually, but on the GS website. The real reason being that it's a good way to keep track of release dates. You can add games to your wishlist months before they come out. So for me, I like just logging in and seeing all the new releases I'm interested in, and it'll show if they're on sale or whatever.

But you guys def got me thinking about working on a solid Want List. Maybe limiting it to 10, 15, 20 titles at a time so that it creates some kind of high priority focus.

And I think I really like the suggestion of just trying to actually play more of my backlog. Basically, just start working through games that are collecting dust to find out if they deserve to remain in my collection or not.

I've honestly thought about this before but in a slightly different fashion. I wasn't going to score them but definitely give them the ol' college try, then write down all the reasons I should keep it versus why I shouldn't and make a final decision. I'd keep that writing somewhere easily accessible (such as a blog like yours) and when I start pissing and moaning to myself about why I dumped it, I can re-visit my notes. Same goes for reading it again when I see a game and wonder why I kept it

Funny you mention that. When I first started my blog it was more like a "this is what I've been playing lately" journal kind of thing. Whereas I've noticed that in recent months it's actually become motivation for me to start playing more of the games that I had previously been ignoring. In a sense, forcing myself to write about my impressions has definitely pushed me to start working on backlog a lot more.

[Xeogred]

Limiting the wishlist might be a good idea for me... got one on Amazon myself and it just keeps piling up (EDIT: 120 items, haha...). Granted it's got games across all consoles, so yeah. Luckily a lot of it is Wii/PS3 stuff that's gotten really cheap by now.

Can't remember the last time I went into a store and bought a game haha, especially after getting Amazon Prime this year. I buy pretty much everything there.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Quality over quantity.

I had the pleasure of perusing Bone's collection recently, and this is definitely the case! The guy has an amazing, consistent collection of high-quality titles.

Thanks.

I do have some "soft spots" though. I will buy any SMS, Atari 2600/5200/7800, Intellevision, Odyssey 2, TI-99/4A, Commodore 64, or Tandy Color game I find in the wild.

[8bit]

PLEASE EXCUSE THE FOLLOWING WALL OF TEXT.

1. The Series Problem

I have this issue too a little bit. I really want to finish up my Working Designs collection and I am starting to eye all of the original Mega Man's. The WD collection is going to happen although will I ever play Iron Storm, probably not, so there inlies the problem. Even worse the idea of starting to hunt the Mega Mans is kinda stupid as I've got both the anniversary and x collection for the gamecube and ps2 and a few of the titles for the nes,snes,ps1 and more. Do I really need to spend $130+ on X3 for the snes... again probably not!

2. The Genre Problem

This one I don't have as much since I don't vote with my dollars on new games, not unless I know I will play it immediately and enjoy it. However it's strange but I think I do this for new console releases. I know that I am such a collector that I will inevitably have just about any system, the life of the thing should be at least 5 years from the time comes out and there is bound to be something great on the system to enjoy. So my thinking is why not buy it right away as close to day one as possible? In this way my genre is video games in general and it is expensive.

3. The Re-Release Problem

Do I need re-releases of games I know I will never find the time for? Many many great handheld RPGs come to mind including FF, Lunar, and more. I've usually got these on their original consoles and I treasure owning those way more but still won't make enough time to play more than two hours of any of them, so why rebuy them? Sure it makes the collection look nice with quality titles but it's a pointless money sink for the most part.

4. The History Problem

Yup, I still go through IGN, EGM, Gamepro and other guides with their top 25, 50, 100, whatever of all time and sift through to see what I don't have and look to fill in those blanks. My broswer usually has an eBay tab open while I do this.smart spending I think not.


5. The "Rarity" Problem

I am not really pressed for money so I don't usually look at my rare games to sell but on the flip side I am still always looking to buy the rare or expensive. I frequently look on ebay for that rare decent deal for Tron Boone, Battle Garrega, Saturn Bomberman (US), Panzar Dragoon Saga, Snatcher and many more. Will I probably play and enjoy all of these, yes, but will I get their dollar value in entertainment out of them... most likely no. But yet I am still looking to spend my hard earned dollars on them... This is something I really need to reconsider because what's the point of collecting just to collect, especially when it gets to $100-$300 per game. I guess I've run out of most of the affordable stuff I want to collect and now this is all I have left to go to next.


6. The Curio Problem

I dont do this one... with the exception of Superman 64. I keep that one just for giggles.


7. The Everybody Likes It Problem

This goes back to my looking at old Top 25 lists and trying to fill in the gaps. If others have said it's the best, it probably should be on my shelf... In reality I should probably just own the games that I personally have an interest in and want to play. I don't consider myself a follower in other aspects of life so I don't know why I do it so badly with collecting games.


Conclusion (if there is one)
Right now I have it set in my mind that my collecting is going to be limited by simply having a nice clean, organized, inviting place to enjoy my collection. Within the next year or so I plan on being a home owner and with it will come a nice size upstairs game room. Inside this space there will be a clean, clutter free, organized collection of consoles, games and maybe an arcade or two. If my game collection starts to spill out everywhere, look disorganized, or simply is too overwhelming for the space, the trimming will begin! I will go through each consoles collection and trim out the games that I do not intend on ever playing, are redundant, or simply do not fit the space well. I will not have games in the closet, guest bedroom, in boxes in the attic, or elsewhere. I am not dedicating my whole house to games, just the gameroom, and it will be a place that any friend, family, or guest can walk into and I can show with pride.

The main thing that help me sleep better at night when I think I've gone too far with my collection is knowing that I truly love gaming! I don't collect because I have nothing better to do or don't have an otherwise well rounded life. I love the history I've had with it, the nostalgic feeling I have when I pop in an original copy of a game, and most importantly the time I've spent playing with friends. When my collection wow's the kid inside me, wow's a friend, or I actually make time to enjoy something I've owned for a while but never played before, it feels all worth it!

[Retrogamer0001]

I plan on skipping the next generation in gaming and focusing entirely on my playing my enormous backlog as well...stop buying and start playing.

[noiseredux]

so I found this other thread that has some kind of oddly familiar echoes:

Prepare for a long rambly post.

Likewise, things like Final Fantasy drive me nuts. Take IV for example. On PS1 it's bundled with Chrono Trigger. On PSP it's got After Years. On PS1 I can play it upscaled on my nice big monitor. On PSP it looks even better than the PS1 version, and RPG's are quite excellent on PSP. If I were to just buy it on PSN instead I wouldn't have a nice physical thing to put on my shelf -- but I would be saving room. And I could play that single game on both my PS3 and PSP. But no CT and no After Years. Decisions.

Do I want to collect more for a single console? Do I want to collect more for genres spread out over consoles? Are PSN games really the devil? Sure there's nothing to collect, but the convenience of sharing them between PS3 and PSP is so nice. And there's hard to find PS1 imports for like $6. Do I really need Puzzle Fighter on every console I can find it for? How many times will I end up re-buying Street Fighter II?

http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... collecting

[CavZee]

I also share your "Series problem".

I plan on skipping the next generation in gaming and focusing entirely on my playing my enormous backlog as well...stop buying and start playing.

My personal goal is to hold out on a PS4 purchase for as long as I can. Not sure how long I'll make it but we'll see. XD

[dsheinem]

so I found this other thread that has some kind of oddly familiar echoes:

yeah, dood, it's like a meme for you

[Hazerd]

It's so easy to get sucked into the politics of collecting, that one can forget that all games' sole intent is to provide fun. If you're not getting enjoyment out of a title, then ditch it. Rarity, and series completion be damned.

Until you actually want to play it someday, but its so rare, youll never see it again!