Dunking on rookie collectors

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,020]

About a decade ago, I felt the hobby was overly hostile towards new collectors and dismissive of inquiries from those new to the hobby. Has the tide changed? Any new collectors feel particularly welcomed into the hobby?

I don't go on collecting social media groups and stay away from the collecting Reddit pages, so I really don't know. It seems like VGSers are welcoming. Anyone admittedly dunk on new comers?

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,057]

It’s not any better at least on reddit. Often times individual subs have rules against posts that generally would be asked by newcomers and naturally those kind of posts become tiresome/repetitive to “veterans.” The “is this game fake/how do I start collecting/what’s your desert island games.” etc

But as a hobby gets older it naturally becomes gatekeepy in that way just because veterans are tired of the same old same old.

I don’t think I actively dunk on newbies I either skip over they’re posts entirely or I end up in an argument with someone else in the thread that’s been at it for a while and gives what I believe to be bad advice. (Specifically using abrasives of any kind to clean a pcb, I’ll argue against that until I die)

Edited March 19 by LeatherRebel5150

[Splain | 2,608]

I hope I've never come across as hostile to new collectors. A common thing, in lots of communities, is seeing a newcomer show up and ask some basic questions, and then kinda pick-n-choose what things to listen to, and not 100% heed the advice of the experienced old timers, and then disappear after a week or two. Then another noob appears. I don't really see that happening here, but that's what makes a lot of other places start to feel "toxic." The newcomers don't like that the veterans get huffy about their way/ideas being the only way/ideas, when really it's that they've answered the same questions a hundred times. Staying friendly and welcoming is the challenge all online communities face.

[fox | 1,684]

Seems like the kinda thing that would happen and maybe even encouraged on the old site

[Splain | 2,608]

I'm guilty of keeping my mouth shut at questions like "I'm going for a full set! What games are you missing?"

[Reed Rothchild | 9,600]

God I hope not. Dunkers are the people at the party who try to one-up everyone's story. 

"Oh, you ate at Thai Lemon?  That's rookie stuff, let me tell you about a real restaurant."

Yeah, you may not know it, but no one likes you guy.

[DarkKobold | 196]

56 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

About a decade ago, I felt the hobby was overly hostile towards new collectors and dismissive of inquiries from those new to the hobby. Has the tide changed? Any new collectors feel particularly welcomed into the hobby?

I don't go on collecting social media groups and stay away from the collecting Reddit pages, so I really don't know. It seems like VGSers are welcoming. Anyone admittedly dunk on new comers?

I feel like Reddit in particular is pretty newbie centric. The majority of people say things like "I wouldn't spend more than $70 on a game!" which feels like a very newbie centric mentality. Any decently rare, fun game is gonna be over $100 at this point.

The worst part of Reddit is more the myopic version of collecting that most new people have. WATA is garbage, but they all watched the Karl Jobst video, and just say "sealed collectors are evil" rather than "WATA is evil." Also, they'll claim literally any post these days is "fake for karma." The worst is when I see someone post a haul I wouldn't have even gotten excited for in 2015 as fake. 

Reddit itself lends itself towards newbie content. There's only so many pictures of Earthbound and Conker's Bad Fur Day you can look at. There's no depth to reddit, it's all just transient content, meant to draw your attention for short bouts. 

[Hammerfestus | 3,900]

I mean, I’m no meaner to new people than I am to you guys .  I try to be nicer when I cross paths with newer members.  There’s a great core of voices here but I am aware that we are like pandas and someone’s gotta get to makin babies.  Or not.  

I’ll browse r/gamecollecting sometimes but I very rarely contribute.  Those people can be like vicious pack of dogs.  Every once in a while I’ll add something when I see a topic with few responses where OP isn’t getting their question answered correctly.  It’s a younger demo over there though and I don’t really care about most of what’s being collected.  

[RH | 4,990]

I try to be nice to everyone old or new, and I’m often happy to answer newb questions. That said, I know I can be blunt and since you can’t convey tone-of-voice over the internet, I might have come across as abrasive from time to time.

(Sorry if I ever came across that way to any of you guys.)

Edited March 20 by RH

[Tabonga | 2,354]

  The burning question is who do you choose at Creed's - Eric, Karna, Randolf or Tyrin.......

[spacepup | 2,412]

I've never liked the "dunking on newbies" situation or the fact that collectors would sometimes be blunt or outright rude to new folks getting into the hobby.

This is something that was very important to me and the whole team when we launched VGS.  We know some of the complaints about NA and other groups revolved around it feeling like a "clique" in some ways, or people being rude to new members.  Rather then deny this, I can share that I did observe this on numerous occasions.  Some of it is sort of natural with a longstanding group of people with similar interests, especially when they get tired of seeing the same questions.  However, that doesn't really make it 'ok' to treat young or new people negatively.

I think it's exciting when young people are interested in retro gaming and collecting.  Or when new members join with enthusiasm.  We all started somewhere.  Additionally, as existing members of a community change interests, go elsewhere, etc., a community can sort of "die off."  Getting new interest in something, and expanding the diversity of members and perspectives, is healthy and positive for any community / hobby. 

New members have much to learn from us, who have been around the scene for years.  But we shouldn't be closed off to the fact we can learn things from them too, or embrace new perspectives.

It is extremely important to me that VGS remain a place that welcomes new people into the hobby, and I feel like we've done pretty well in that regard for the most part, and the community feels mostly welcoming to new people who join.  I think that is vital to keeping this place strong and encourage people to always bring a little bit of extra patience if someone new joins the fray.

 

[Gentlegamer | 174]

I dunk on all collectors.

[wongojack | 229]

I'm generally coming at retro gaming from a "pre-crash" perspective.  I am exactly the right age for the NES, but it was the last console I had until college, so I "hang out" a lot with folks who are older than me and have different tendencies.  When someone young approaches the pre-crash era(s), the response can be exactly as others have described on this thread or a vacuous silence, so I try to pitch in with helpful advice - but a guy can only respond to a hidden gems question so many times.

Most rookies who find their way to AtariAge seem to either get the info and stick around for the scenery or disappear after a few posts.  I honestly think the registration and login keeps younglings away at this point, but every time there is a new Atari thing released there is an influx of new people.  There is a very active recent thread over there filled with new folks collecting for the 2600+ which is interesting.

I rarely post on Reddit, but I do participate in many groups that are classic-gaming centric on Facebook.  They have the same problem as Reddit where the info is all transient and nobody really establishes the on-line connection that frequent posters on a forum site have.  It's good for "How do I hook this up to my TV," but bad for "I've failed at an AV mod can you help?"  And there are plenty of hurt feelings in the comments.

I suppose that I am also in a pseudo newcomer status here on VGS.  My acquisition days are pretty much over, so I'm not really a collector who is on the hunt for new stuff, but I'd say that I've felt welcome here.  Doing transactions in the marketplace is a little intimidating, and you guys are stingy about using that "Like" button, but I really enjoy the discussions about a diverse selection of games and systems.  Credit to @Reed Rothchild whose polls and backlog challenge have been very easy to connect with and participate in.

[T-Pac | 7,613]

[DarkKobold | 196]

1 hour ago, wongojack said:

I rarely post on Reddit, but I do participate in many groups that are classic-gaming centric on Facebook.  They have the same problem as Reddit where the info is all transient and nobody really establishes the on-line connection that frequent posters on a forum site have.  It's good for "How do I hook this up to my TV," but bad for "I've failed at an AV mod can you help?"  And there are plenty of hurt feelings in the comments.

 

I think the transient nature of all hobby content is a major loss. If you look at something like the Arcade hobby, the ability to repair stuff is a fundamental part of the hobby, but there's no chance to get an actual conversation going about a difficult repair on something like reddit, instagram or facebook. Not to mention, searching facebook for posts is laughably bad. 

When KLOV shutters it's doors, a lifetime of knowledge will be lost. 

[fcgamer | 4,767]

I don't particularly dunk on newcomers, and I am always trying to be encouraging towards people online or IRL; however, I feel it all comes down to attitude of the newcomers at the end of the day. 

To put it into perspective a bit, we've all been in situations in the workplace, I am sure, where a new hire is brought on board (or perhaps we were the new hire). Some people you can just instantly connect with, others you instantly dislike for one reason or another. Some folks you jibe with, others you don't, and there's nothing wrong with that. No need to be rude, but no need to be insincere with pleasantries either.  

[a3quit4s | 4,128]

I’m chill on newcomers, I was one once and sometimes when I learn something I didn’t know before I still feel like one. People who create accounts and ask what the value of something is so they can sell it on eBay though, go away. 

Edited March 20 by a3quit4s

[wongojack | 229]

26 minutes ago, DarkKobold said:

I think the transient nature of all hobby content is a major loss. If you look at something like the Arcade hobby, the ability to repair stuff is a fundamental part of the hobby, but there's no chance to get an actual conversation going about a difficult repair on something like reddit, instagram or facebook. Not to mention, searching facebook for posts is laughably bad. 

When KLOV shutters it's doors, a lifetime of knowledge will be lost. 

Yep - Used to be such a great community at BYOAC.

[Tabonga | 2,354]

15 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

 

I’ll browse r/gamecollecting sometimes but I very rarely contribute.  Those people can be like vicious pack of dogs.  Every once in a while I’ll add something when I see a topic with few responses where OP isn’t getting their question answered correctly.  It’s a younger demo over there though and I don’t really care about most of what’s being collected.  

I am not super fond of reddit and when I post it is always to contribute to the topic rather than ride some one else's case.

That being said sometimes new collectors/players  bring it on themselves.

1) I like "X" game - what else to you recommend?  For starters what formats can you play? 

2) I just got a *insert random console* - what games should I get?  For starters what type of games do you like?  Lot of genres out  there keem-o-sabe. If no genre preferences what criteria are you looking for?

3)  *Puts up picture of small lot of, say, Genesis games that seem to have no discernible theme.*  What else should I get?   Given this any Genesis game not pictured apparently would fit the bill.  Give us something to work with here.

 

 

[Tabonga | 2,354]

15 hours ago, RH said:

(Sorry if I ever came across that way to any of you guys.)

This song is for you!

 

[The Count | 536]

 

[The Count | 536]

I try to be nice to new collectors. I hope we all realize that we need them in order to grow, remain accessible, and retain value. 

That said, I did enjoy a good laugh on NA when we tricked that guy into thinking his Zelda cart was rare because it had the word caution underlined on the back, haha.

Edited March 20 by The Count

[Hammerfestus | 3,900]

1 hour ago, Tabonga said:

 rather than ride some one else's case.

 

This is such a major deterrent from me giving that forum any modicum of respect.  The other day a post showed up in my feed where @Rdools posted a bunch of pics of some really pretty sealed graded stuff and the comments were just a wall of unthinking venom.  It was comically like a stereotypical mob calling for Frankenstein‘s head.  Holy crap man.  

[Tabonga | 2,354]

5 minutes ago, Hammerfestus said:

This is such a major deterrent from me giving that forum any modicum of respect.  The other day a post showed up in my feed where @Rdools posted a bunch of pics of some really pretty sealed graded stuff and the comments were just a wall of unthinking venom.  It was comically like a stereotypical mob calling for Frankenstein‘s head.  Holy crap man.  

 

[TDIRunner | 2,781]

I never deliberately try to dunk on new collectors, but at the same time, I can understand why some people can get annoyed by it.  If you've been collecting long enough, it can become tiresome to see the same first time collector questions over and over again.  They obviously don't mean any harm by it, but you can only answer those same questions so many times before you start to lose interest.  But in those cases, it's better to just ignore the questions rather than act hostile.  

One possible exception is new collectors who are actively causing harm to the community.  I specifically remember a thread at the old PC Engine forums (before it imploded) about a new collector who had a long introduction explaining how he had started at zero and purchased about 95% of the US TG16 set over the course of about 6 months.  He then explained that once he realized that he would never be able to own every game in the set, he immediately decided to sell his collection and wanted to unload it on the forum for top dollar.  That forum was already well known for being fairly hostile towards new collectors, but they really went off on this guy.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little entertained by the backlash.