Not sure if it's worth building up my collection again...

[robbievgb]

The trick is to find somewhat of a happy medium. Yeah, I know that's pretty much impossible but you have to at least come to a few realizations.

1. The more you have, the more you're going to want. Humans are just insatiable by nature. If you keep getting more and more then you'll keep wanting more, getting more, wanting more, etc etc.

2. It's OK to only own a system for a few games. As silly as it may seem, personally I have an NES and about 20 games which feels a lot better than the 100 something that I used to have and never played.

3. It's also ok to have an outlet for when you want to go all out and buy a bunch of crap. My famous example is N64 stuff. For all other systems, I keep it simple but since the N64 is my favorite system, that's the one that I buy extra goodies for and really "collect" for. Basically it's my excuse for spending lots of money and I still genuinely love and have interest in the games.

Much wisdom here. Pretty much the approach I take. Saving up for our wedding, plus other hobbies (hockey, music) have been higher priorities recently, so I purposely set a "focus" for the collection, and don't buy a game unless it it on my "wish list".

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I think if I could get over the fact that I don't necessarily need to use my collection every day (or even every week) I wouldn't have any of this trouble. Unfortunately, I also tend to be a bit impulsive, but I've been getting a bit better lately though.

As I said before, I'm leaning towards collecting again, just not nearly as fast or much as previously. Just every now and then buy a game I'm interested in playing.

I'd probably have an easier time going with the PS1/2/3 if I didn't have both a huge PS1 and PS2 collection as a kid.

[BoringSupreez]

I think if I could get over the fact that I don't necessarily need to use my collection every day (or even every week) I wouldn't have any of this trouble. Unfortunately, I also tend to be a bit impulsive, but I've been getting a bit better lately though.

As I said before, I'm leaning towards collecting again, just not nearly as fast or much as previously. Just every now and then buy a game I'm interested in playing.

I'd probably have an easier time going with the PS1/2/3 if I didn't have both a huge PS1 and PS2 collection as a kid.

Oh, I didn't know that. I can understand, as I used to have a pretty sizable PS2 collection myself back in the day. I've never had the same interest in the system since, save for a few games I didn't have back then.

Maybe you could collect again, but stay away from the pricier systems like Saturn, SCD, and SNES. Just stick to stuff that's easy to get back if you want to sell.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Seems like people who get into the "sell games/systems to buy different games/systems" routine always regret it after awhile.

My advice: don't ever sell anything gaming related unless you reach a point in your life when you're completely over video gaming in general.

There's nothing wrong with letting some stuff collect dust for awhile. I haven't used my N64 in years (sorry harper) but I'm not going to get rid of the console or any N64 games. Who knows, I may want to play it next year or the year after. I might find a deal on a great rare game (Harvest Moon 64 for instance) that makes me want to play N64 again. People go through "phases", you can't predict things like this.

So what should you do now? Start slowly. Maybe make a "wish list" of things you want to purchase during the remainder of the year. This is what I did in January and I've obtained about half of the items on it (I think there were 40). I find that it keeps me focused and goal-oriented. Plus, it keeps me away from impulse buys.

Good luck!

[shallowgamer]

This crap physically consumes all of my space. You had the guts to break free and say goodbye, so enjoy your freedom and don't look back.

Now I need to take my own advice.

[sabrage]

My advice: don't ever sell anything gaming related unless you reach a point in your life when you're completely over video gaming in general.

Wait, really? I understand having pride in your stuff, but I can't imagine being into this hobby and not accumulating some undesirable games and accessories in the process. Why would I want to bulk up my collection with things I'll never play when I can sell it for things I will? (or gas money, these days)

[Erik_Twice]

I would first ask, what do I want out of gaming? Collecting stuff obviously isn't working. What about playing, do you just want to play? Or do you just care about a bunch of games? You should think about it

[BoneSnapDeez]

My advice: don't ever sell anything gaming related unless you reach a point in your life when you're completely over video gaming in general.

Wait, really? I understand having pride in your stuff, but I can't imagine being into this hobby and not accumulating some undesirable games and accessories in the process. Why would I want to bulk up my collection with things I'll never play when I can sell it for things I will? (or gas money, these days)

Well this is why I said it's important to consider all purchases before buying.

I rarely end up with undesirable games. It usually only happens in extreme circumstances, like if I buy a lot of games from a craigslist seller I may get a few throwaway or duplicate games, or maybe I get a crappy game as a gift...... But if I buy a single game for myself I carefully consider it before walking into the store.

[sabrage]

My advice: don't ever sell anything gaming related unless you reach a point in your life when you're completely over video gaming in general.

Wait, really? I understand having pride in your stuff, but I can't imagine being into this hobby and not accumulating some undesirable games and accessories in the process. Why would I want to bulk up my collection with things I'll never play when I can sell it for things I will? (or gas money, these days)

Well this is why I said it's important to consider all purchases before buying.

I rarely end up with undesirable games. It usually only happens in extreme circumstances, like if I buy a lot of games from a craigslist seller I may get a few throwaway or duplicate games, or maybe I get a crappy game as a gift...... But if I buy a single game for myself I carefully consider it before walking into the store.

Well, even then, I'll buy an incomplete copy only to upgrade later down the line if the price is right. I don't buy a whole lot of stuff brand new, so.

[Erik_Twice]

[@BoneSnapDeez
I quite agree but only mostly.

While it's easy to purge out impulse buys, it's harder to purge out shallow buys like the ones we do because we hear a game is good or because it's a "collector's item" as we tend not to be aware of how much we really like a game. Gamers will also find rough edges in their collection as games stop being relevant or tastes change.

This doesn't justify having a hundred NES games you don't care about, tough.