Bizarre, Strange, & Twisted Aspects of Retro Game Culture

[MrPopo]

The only kind of sealed collecting I can understand is when someone purchases two copies of a game; one to stay sealed and one to play. And even then it feels like a waste to me. Sealed games are like the decorative towels in your mom's bathroom; you've taken a previously useful object and have set it aside to no longer be used.

I think Ack makes a good point regarding separating furries from regular video game porn. Which doesn't diminish the size of the game porn category much. Peach, Zelda, the Final Fantasy cast, it's all had a mixture of very good and very bad naked art drawn.

[Inazuma]

The only kind of sealed collecting I can understand is when someone purchases two copies of a game; one to stay sealed and one to play. And even then it feels like a waste to me. Sealed games are like the decorative towels in your mom's bathroom; you've taken a previously useful object and have set it aside to no longer be used.

That is an excellent analogy and I completely agree with you. Games are for playing. If you buy a sealed game and keep it sealed with 0% intention to ever play it, it's a shame. I know you could probably sell it to a collector many years later for a profit, but it is still a big waste to me.

[Ivo]

I do not collect sealed games but I do not see why it is so hard to understand for you guys. Most things used for collections are "useful" for their intended role, and when collected become useless other than being a collection piece. That seems to be the status quo.

Is it just games as collection items that bother you so much, or all collections?
Stereotypical collections are coins or bills (it is hard to get more "useful" than money), or something like stamps. I fail to see much of a difference when looking at it in those terms.

Sealed games in "mint condition" are harder to acquire, therefore more valued as a piece of a collection. This is pretty similar to what happens with "mint condition" stamps or "mint" coins (the "mint" terminology may be coming precisely from the coins).

For adult "members" of a subsection (retrogaming) of a hobby/interest (gaming) that is often negatively discriminated upon by many in the mainstream, some of you guys are being rather judgemental...

Ivo.

[J T]

While searching for some info on Masq, I came across this odd little bit of cyberspace...

Red Light Center (warning: very NSFW)
http://www.redlightcenter.com/

It is advertised as being like Second Life, but with much more sex. It even has this clever little ad (work safe): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nPOcL7bTho

What shocked me was that they claim to have some 6 million users. This is a game I only heard about by accident and they have 6 million users!?! That's huge!

This makes me think that there is a huge market out there interested in having virtually enacted cyber sex. I wouldn't have imagined that to be such a big number. Does 2nd Life even have that many users?

Speaking of 2nd Life, how are we 3 pages in without anyone mentioning "furries" yet?

[dsheinem]

Speaking of 2nd Life, how are we 3 pages in without anyone mentioning "furries" yet?

I mentioned them in the first post, and Ack had some interesting thoughts a page or so ago...

[MrPopo]

Is it just games as collection items that bother you so much, or all collections?
Stereotypical collections are coins or bills (it is hard to get more "useful" than money), or something like stamps. I fail to see much of a difference when looking at it in those terms.

For people that collect coins that are currently useful (so colonial coins are ok) it's strange to me. Pretty much any object that's being collected for the sole purpose of being displayed when in someone else's hands it would be used for its original purpose feels like a waste to me.

[Limewater]

For people that collect coins that are currently useful (so colonial coins are ok) it's strange to me. Pretty much any object that's being collected for the sole purpose of being displayed when in someone else's hands it would be used for its original purpose feels like a waste to me.

Shoot. Collecting anything at all doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I can't think of too many collections that aren't completely frivolous. Actually, I can't think of any at the moment, but I'm sure there must be some.

I only have a few sealed games, and that's mostly just because I haven't gotten around to playing them yet, but I also have a crapload of games I've barely played and likely won't spend a lot of time with in the future. What difference would it have made if some of those were still sealed? They're really no more useful to me opened as they would be sealed, and there are hardly any games at all I really play on anything approaching a regular basis.

[MrPopo]

See, I've purchased sealed games myself, but that's because I want to ensure it has all the stuff inside. As soon as I get them I crack them. My collection is huge but it's all there to be played, and I am trying hard to get through all of it.

[Ack]

For people that collect coins that are currently useful (so colonial coins are ok) it's strange to me. Pretty much any object that's being collected for the sole purpose of being displayed when in someone else's hands it would be used for its original purpose feels like a waste to me.

Shoot. Collecting anything at all doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I can't think of too many collections that aren't completely frivolous. Actually, I can't think of any at the moment, but I'm sure there must be some.

Do you include things like museum collections in this? I figure collections related to historical value or relevance are important, if only to keep a record of human "achievement."

[J T]

Speaking of 2nd Life, how are we 3 pages in without anyone mentioning "furries" yet?

I mentioned them in the first post, and Ack had some interesting thoughts a page or so ago...

Oh right. I suppose I was a bit delirious. I posted that on little sleep.