Are you content with your collection?

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,017]

It's been over a decade since I started collecting video games and when I look at what I've accumulated, I gotta say that I'm really content with what I currently have. Of course, there's always more games that I could add but I think if I had to stop collecting retro games right now, I might be ok with it. 

There was a time where I had a sizable collection, comparable to my current collection but I never felt content. I was kinda all over the place and overall unfocused. I've committed to the consoles in my collection, the franchises and genres that before I wasn't ever set on.

Are you content with your collection? Are you rebuilding, on a victory lap, on the sidelines or somewhere in between?

[Gloves | 11,826]

If I had to stop collecting today I'd be sad about a handful of games I don't have which have skyrocketed in price. That said, I'd be content enough. I have all of the games I "must have" and over the past few years have really been collecting on the edge of what I'd consider games I'd just like to have but could live without. 

That said, I just started up with a small list of games I want to get for a smallish physical PC game collection for when I move into a house and have space for a 90's PC experience. My desire for something to chase is never sated and it means I'm always shifting my goals, expanding into new territories I never thought I'd touch before. I'd miss the thrill of the hunt if I had to stop. The Might and Magic 7 I got recently, I've been waiting for 2 years to find one in pristine condition and under $100; ended up getting it AND Icewind Dale for $60. I'm chasing deals on excellent condition copies and that's fun for me.

[a3quit4s | 4,124]

I’m pretty content with my collection. If I was forced to stop buying I don’t think I’d have any real regrets that there was something o wanted but didn’t get. I’m having a lot more fun now that I’m not chasing full sets anymore and just buying whatever I’m feeling at present. Was chasing around TG16 and now I’m on this moonshake records kick. I’ll probably always be adding new stuff since I’m a shopaholic but I am content. 

[Tabonga | 2,332]

The vast majority of my collection I have had for many years and got it at a time long before it became valuable.   (I was never in  it for the value of things but the fun I got from the games.)  Fortunately I was always one to get boxes, manuals etc for things I got used and the new stuff I kept those things.   The only exception is my gameboy stuff - I have boxes for maybe half of those and manuals for everything except Amazing Tater and Trip World.  I think the most I ever spent for a collectible game was $225 for a US laseractive of Blue Chicago Blues.  I can't say that there are any games for the older consoles I really want.

These days I am able to keep up with the switch games I want.   

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Tabonga

[goldenpp72 | 1,235]

Check my signature for more information, but kinda. What I will say is that when I first started, my goal was about 900 games and that was a distant dream, and admittedly that core of 900 games was some really good shit. Since then I learned a lot, figured out my taste and broadened a lot, and now I'm a bit over 10k games with only a dozen left to get off my expanded, expanded, and expanded again list.

What I would say is that I began collecting what I'd call my A tier, then I sunk into B tier, and then C tier. I didn't dabble much into tiers below that unless it had some personal significance to me or was part of a series set. If someone told me I could not ever get the remaining dozen games on my list, my OCD would be upset, but my personal passion as a gamer would not be impacted in any meaningful way, so I suppose I am very content.

[nrslam | 477]

Yes, I'm content with the collection, but not with the way its stored. Takes too much time an effort to find anything specific.

I've always enjoyed the hunt, going to garage sales, flea markets, and thrifts, and still get a little thrill when I find something good. It's been a great hobby, and like Tabonga, I was lucky to start collecting when stuff was cheap and plentiful.

I did try online buying back when ebay was new and it didn't feel like everbody was out for a buck, but there was no sense of accomplishment buying that way. Nowadays, even though there are plenty of retro games I don't have, I feel no urge to shell out big bucks for any of it. If I don't find it in the wild, it wasn't meant to be. That's contentment.

[Dr. Morbis | 2,091]

I'm really content with my collection after all these years.  I actually sold off a few libraries that I hadn't played in over a decade and/or had no attachment to at all in terms of nostalgia and play value.  I mean really, was I ever going to play the Odyssey 2 again?  I realized that I'm not a gaming historian and I don't have the space or enough years to live to find and play everything.  More power to all those guys who collect anything and everything, but from what I've seen it usually looks like a mess, or it's mostly "stored" in boxes or totes or whatever.  I realized that if I can't nicely display what I have, I don't need to have it.

I also don't really care for the everything collectors whose game rooms are a miss-mash of shit with no central theme that look like every other game room: like PS5 next to Atari next to Dreamcast - so the theme is like "duh, I like video games!!!"   But whatever, to each his own.

I'm only missing seven games for my CIB NES set, but if I never get them, that's okay because I already have more shit than I'll ever be able to play in my lifetime...

Edited February 13, 2023 by Dr. Morbis

[Nesmaster | 402]

Not yet. Still have some NES holes to fill, and some GBA games that are annoying as hell to get.

I'll probably continue to buy whatever I find thrifting that's cool, just for something to do. 360's plentiful there, and I like collecting for it.

[elprincipe | 142]

Mostly yes. There are a handful of games for a couple of systems I'd like to get to finish those off. I wouldn't mind getting NES and Genesis boxes/manuals I don't have but have the games for, although with today's prices I doubt I'll find that worthwhile. But with the way pretty much every game is drastically altered via downloaded updates/additions I just can't see it being worth pursuing a new system again, even if there are physical games available.

[YOURTURN | 1,256]

At this time? My answer is "Yes."

If you know me, you will know that I spent a good chunk of my life loving video games. With the Odyssey2 being my first console, and the Commodore 64 being the computer that got me into RPGs. But I also had days where I could not afford to buy what I needed to play a specific game. With more recent times making my then franchise otaku-level Dragon Quest fandom more of a learning curve than an experience.

I mean the downside to what I am experiencing is nowhere close to my PlayStation days. Where I would make a point to visit my local Pizza Hut just to get a demo disc that contains Final Fantasy VIII. And be excited to pick up the latest copy of the PlayStation magazine just because it included anything tied to Final Fantasy Tactics. Nor is it the same feeling when my NES copy of Final Fantasy said my save data was corrupted and had to be deleted.

Which I blame Jack on. Seeing how I was in the final part of the final dungeon. Grinding just to make sure I was tough enough to beat the final boss. Because if you know Jack, you know that he made me a... Strange of Paradise. 

But even then it has taken me a little less than 11 years and 2 months to feel contempt with what I have. Simply put...I have gone from hunting down a sealed copy of Final Fantasy VII International to owning a sealed Japanese copy of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade. With me being contempt simply because the latter received a low print run thanks to the whole PlayStation 5 shortage scenario. Thus being part of video game history that many will often overlook.

For me this meant that PlayStation 5 games, and not just every game mind you, has a similar feeling to the days Nintendo did their test market runs. As in that while those games were reissued later on, having something that was either a part of, or even impacted by, a piece of video game history is what I wanted to experience ever since I found Nintendo Age. With the bonus being tied to those who have made the idea of doing a "focus run" sound fun.

Which is what I am doing once again.

With all of the changes allowing me to focus on the "What's next?" segment of my hobby.

Thus, making me finally feel content with how things are for me. 

[guitarzombie | 927]

Yes, very.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

For the most part.  There's still a few things that I want to complete it, but they've gotten so outrageously expensive and hard to find that that I don't anticipate ever completing the collection and am thus pretty satisfied.  For the most part, anything that I want to play can be done via flash cart or some other form of emulation, so I'm not really missing out on the content, even if I don't have the physical game as part of my collection.

[phart010 | 1,708]

There’s a bunch of stuff on Switch that keeps trickling out. I’ll be happy when Nintendo ditches the Switch, then I will stop collecting. There’s some games on other systems that I would like to get, but at this point if I haven’t got them, I’m probably not going to. I have already accepted that

[CodysGameRoom | 2,008]

No. I want to finish my Genesis and Saturn sets. When that is done, I could say maybe. Although I'd love to get more of the Gamecube stuff off my list, and get more of my nes and snes stuff boxed. 

[Hammerfestus | 3,881]

Theres always going to be more to buy.  More holes to fill.  Unfortunately, must of that is too $$ and was probably never getting filled anyways.  I was always on the lookout for interesting new NES cibs but the ones I really wanted to make progress on, the black boxes, I was kind of at a sticking point price wise anyways.  The one I most regret not being able to add to my collection was Balloon Fight.  Ooh yeah, also silver Konami titles.  Need more of those.  Also,  I really would have liked to have finished the mainline Dragon Quest games.  But, those DS titles just ruin it.  Why am I paying as much for them as CIB NES Dragon Warriors?  Who are these freak shows driving up the prices on these things?  Who the hell has even heard of a Nintendo DS?  Is that like a Gameboy?  Like just call it Gameboy then.  Some bullshit.
I’m not actively buying now and if my collection sits forever as is I guess that would be fine.  

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Content, yes. 
 

Finished, No. 

[T-Pac | 7,585]

I'm just about content with my NES collection since I spent years focusing on that system in particular.

But there are still a lot of 16-bit shoot-em-ups, Famicom exclusives, and Atari 2600 titles that I'd like to get my hands on before I can say I'm content with my collection as a whole.

-CasualCart

On 6/18/2022 at 11:37 AM, CasualCart said:

[spacepup | 2,411]

In terms of a personal collection...well, honestly, I have more games than any one person ever truly needs.  Several years ago, I guess you could say I shifted my perspective and goals.  I still continued to collect, but I started selling, giving away, and letting go of some things I didn't really have much attachment to.  I felt guilty hanging onto certain games that I knew other people were after. 

Segments of my collection weren't really giving me much 'joy' but just sitting there.  The joy was re-instated when I started sharing some of these games with other people who were passionate about those systems.  I let go of most of my NES, SNES, and N64 cart collections.  And while I spent many years acquiring those, letting go wasn't actually too difficult.  Many of my games went to people in this community, and that gives me much joy and appreciation.

Around the same time, I also realized that I had acquired a wealth of games and knowledge that I could put to...idk, better use?  So I began seeking out ways to give back to the community at large, and dove deep into the realm of media preservation, documentation efforts, restoration efforts, etc.  I had long been collecting imports, but really ramped up those efforts, and there is definitely no shortage of unique content that we never received in the west.  I've been working with a number of ad-hoc groups and formal organizations, to research and document more and more content, and that has been extremely fulfilling for me over the past few years.

Honestly, I'm very happy with where I am in this hobby.  I have a large collection of many games I can enjoy, I have a ton of projects I can work on where I feel like I'm making some small difference, and perhaps most importantly, I've continued to build lots of connections, relationships, and sometimes close friendships, throughout all of the above.

People lament and complain about the price of older games, and I completely understand those complaints, but I also feel like there is SO much to explore in the realm of gaming, and even collecting.  If you have the passion, I legitimately believe there is still room for anyone to participate in some way.

[Tanooki | 4,950]

Yes and no.

I'm content with what I've kept all along over the last 20-35+ years, grew up with and enjoyed them and like to return to the stuff too, but if they age out, now they'll go out than just sit.  Also content when I find local stuff the last 18mo~ now because if it is good and I want it I'll actually play/read/use it, but if the price sucks I just don't care as it gives me more time.

I'm NOT content when I think of how much I have around that still, having too many unfinished games is a mental burden, but not a physical one really since it doesn't eat up much space.  Also not content when I want to look for something because now bootlegs, pirates, and everdrives are more economical and online is utterly toxic so I basically cut that off .

[fcgamer | 4,753]

6 minutes ago, spacepup said:

In terms of a personal collection...well, honestly, I have more games than any one person ever truly needs.  Several years ago, I guess you could say I shifted my perspective and goals.  I still continued to collect, but I started selling, giving away, and letting go of some things I didn't really have much attachment to.  I felt guilty hanging onto certain games that I knew other people were after. 

Segments of my collection weren't really giving me much 'joy' but just sitting there.  The joy was re-instated when I started sharing some of these games with other people who were passionate about those systems.  I let go of most of my NES, SNES, and N64 cart collections.  And while I spent many years acquiring those, letting go wasn't actually too difficult.  Many of my games went to people in this community, and that gives me much joy and appreciation.

Around the same time, I also realized that I had acquired a wealth of games and knowledge that I could put to...idk, better use?  So I began seeking out ways to give back to the community at large, and dove deep into the realm of media preservation, documentation efforts, restoration efforts, etc.  I had long been collecting imports, but really ramped up those efforts, and there is definitely no shortage of unique content that we never received in the west.  I've been working with a number of ad-hoc groups and formal organizations, to research and document more and more content, and that has been extremely fulfilling for me over the past few years.

Honestly, I'm very happy with where I am in this hobby.  I have a large collection of many games I can enjoy, I have a ton of projects I can work on where I feel like I'm making some small difference, and perhaps most importantly, I've continued to build lots of connections, relationships, and sometimes close friendships, throughout all of the above.

People lament and complain about the price of older games, and I completely understand those complaints, but I also feel like there is SO much to explore in the realm of gaming, and even collecting.  If you have the passion, I legitimately believe there is still room for anyone to participate in some way.

I stopped collecting games years ago, the first time around, but then became interested again once moving abroad. In the span of about three or four months, I managed to become illiterate, get fired from a job, and finally wind up at a new post located in the rural areas of Taiwan. Outside of my work, I had little social life, and so I ultimately began reminiscing about things from my childhood, including movies and of course games. Learning that so many games had been made in Taiwan brought me back into collecting, though to an even larger extent than the first time around.

With each passing year, I feel my interest waning. A lot of my friends got out or just disappeared due to personal reasons (one was being harassed, another sold got out to fund gender affirmation surgery, etc), and the hunt has basically dried up here. It hasn't, but instead of hunting buffalo (i.e. Famicom / GB / Sega) I'm instead shooting at pigeons (i.e. xbox, PS2, etc), and while it's still fun from a collecting perspective and I still have goals and what not, in my heart I probably won't play much of the modern stuff, which sort of takes away from it a bit.

I own more games than anyone could ever play or enjoy in a lifetime, so I'm more than content with what I've got. There's a few items I would like to get yet, but I can count them on one hand. I've even started thinking about letting go of some of the stuff, but that comes if I start a family.

[MegaMan52 | 2,459]

Yeah, I'm content with my collection. Doesn't mean I'm done, though.

Edited February 13, 2023 by MegaMan52

[guitarzombie | 927]

@MegaMan52 the OP said if you were happy, not to ask to show your collection and post 55 pics of your stuff.

[Gloves | 11,826]

@MegaMan52 Yeah if you're gonna post a bunch of photos please use the Spoiler feature in the future. I've added your images to spoiler tags for you.

As @guitarzombie said, this is a discussion thread, not a show off thread; no need to post a ton of photos. 

Thanks!

[MegaMan52 | 2,459]

Yeah, and I still stayed on topic by answering that question at the beginning of my post.

Edited February 13, 2023 by MegaMan52

[Gloves | 11,826]

2 minutes ago, MegaMan52 said:

Yeah, and I answered that at the beginning of my post.

Appreciate your understanding!