Dunking on rookie collectors

[Link | 2,752]

4 hours ago, DarkKobold said:

 the SomethingAwful forums were insanely strict on any sort of negativity. The forums were massively popular, so for anyone to be noticed, they'd have to post a lot and most of it was in this sacchrine sweet, overly flowery posting style. It was gross to read, tbh, because it was clearly complimentary for the sake of attention to the one posting it, not to the content they were responding to. 

Were you on the same SA forum that I was? I have no idea what you're talking about here.

I was there frequently in 2002-08 or so. After getting some handle on the place I mainly stuck to SH/SC, then YOSPOS / YCS, lurking FYAD, and occasional forays elsewhere.

[Gentlegamer | 174]

3 hours ago, Tabonga said:

We need some official greeting rituals!

 

Edited March 22 by Gentlegamer

[Hammerfestus | 3,900]

5 hours ago, fcgamer said:

I don't think it's necessarily a matter of people having fun dunking noobs, rather it's a matter of people being sick of dealing with idiots, though sadly we live in an age where everyone prefers to have someone take them by the hand rather than do some research, take a look around, explore, and then ask.

 

Oh don’t be so cantankerous.  You were a new guy once too you know.  When someone is new they are going to have no idea where to look or what is a reliable source of information.  You also have to take into account that someone with no background in game collecting is not going to even consider that their question or topic is going to have already been discussed into the ground.

[fcgamer | 4,767]

5 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

Oh don’t be so cantankerous.  You were a new guy once too you know.  When someone is new they are going to have no idea where to look or what is a reliable source of information.  You also have to take into account that someone with no background in game collecting is not going to even consider that their question or topic is going to have already been discussed into the ground.

Strongly disagree about most of this. I got dunked on plenty of times, but that was for acting like an idiotic teenager rather than for being a new guy. Then again, we were pioneers too, so we were literally doing the leg work to collect and piece together the information that is now available. 

I guess that's my issue on the whole thing: take ten seconds to do an ebay search before asking the value of something, do a Google search and read about how to do a battery replacement, etc. So much of the information is now out there and readily available via a quick search, so at least put in a little effort before asking someone else to do your homework for you. Such effort makes people see that you may be new, but at least you want to learn a bit about whatever.

Edit: or if you're a guy who brings something new to the table with your first post, you're also going to avoid the dunking.

 

 

Edited March 23 by fcgamer

[JamesRobot | 5,842]

Dunkin' on noobs is the best.  I love slapping on some NBA Jam bighead mode and dunkin' on that noob @Richardhead  All.  Day. Long.

He's on fire!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!

[Richardhead | 2,841]

17 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

Dunkin' on noobs is the best.  I love slapping on some NBA Jam bighead mode and dunkin' on that noob @Richardhead  All.  Day. Long.

He's on fire!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!

Wow! 
 

[Tulpa | 3,538]

11 hours ago, fcgamer said:

Strongly disagree about most of this. I got dunked on plenty of times, but that was for acting like an idiotic teenager rather than for being a new guy. 

You're still a teenager?

 

[fcgamer | 4,767]

4 minutes ago, Tulpa said:

You're still a teenager?

 

As a noob collector in 1997 or so I was. Guess it sucks that no one wants to hold your hand and do your homework

[Mega Tank | 974]

11 hours ago, fcgamer said:

I guess that's my issue on the whole thing: take ten seconds to do an ebay search before asking the value of something, do a Google search and read about how to do a battery replacement, etc. So much of the information is now out there and readily available via a quick search, so at least put in a little effort before asking someone else to do your homework for you. Such effort makes people see that you may be new, but at least you want to learn a bit about whatever.

It can come off as lazy, but over time I've realized sometimes it's not so easy for some to look stuff up. Some people may find Rarity Guide, which was a thing some time ago. If someone is looking to sell and price their games according to that site, they are going to price too low. Also, there's a lot of information out there that is just simply wrong or can be misleading, so it doesn't hurt to ask a community that may know the answer.

[fcgamer | 4,767]

11 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

It can come off as lazy, but over time I've realized sometimes it's not so easy for some to look stuff up. Some people may find Rarity Guide, which was a thing some time ago. If someone is looking to sell and price their games according to that site, they are going to price too low. Also, there's a lot of information out there that is just simply wrong or can be misleading, so it doesn't hurt to ask a community that may know the answer.

Oh I totally agree with this; however, at least do a minimal amount of homework beforehand. For some folks, it's like wanting to make a quiche yet not knowing one of the main ingredients is eggs.

[Tabonga | 2,354]

Dunking by ducking!

[DarkKobold | 196]

19 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

Oh don’t be so cantankerous.  You were a new guy once too you know.  When someone is new they are going to have no idea where to look or what is a reliable source of information.  You also have to take into account that someone with no background in game collecting is not going to even consider that their question or topic is going to have already been discussed into the ground.

The thing that gets me is that you're never forced to read or participate in threads. When you see a thread titled "Why come gold Zelda NES? Is Rare?" you can scroll right past it. It's being treated like it's some sort of obligation to read and contribute to every forum post, whereas ignoring and moving on with your life is always possible. 

[Tulpa | 3,538]

3 hours ago, fcgamer said:

As a noob collector in 1997 or so I was.

Well, I guess you got past the teenager part.

 

[docile tapeworm | 4,204]

There are Still elitist and gatekeepers 

[Tabonga | 2,354]

25 minutes ago, skinnygrinny said:

There are Still elitist and gatekeepers 

 

[RH | 4,990]

I’m going to give noobs a big allowance for obvious questions if they seem to get involved in the hobby.

A large part of many hobbies is getting involved in a community.  It feels different on the web, but imagine you had a young kids who wanted to get into old cars and restoration so you took him to a car show.  If he spent half his time, walking from car to car, talking to the owners, but asking “obvious” questions about makes, models, engines, etc. and other simply questions, sure, he could just Google search some questions but by engaging the community, he’s networking, making new friends and might meet someone who live close by and could help him get started.

When young people pop in and ask the obvious questions, sometimes it’s not to get us to “do their homework” but instead, it’s their way of walking in and being like “hey, I’m interested in this stuff but I’m young and don’t know where to start.”

I am like this and my son is 10x more than I am since he’s a mega-extrovert.  I would much rather ask someone in an establish community obvious questions because sometimes you bump into experience that also understands nuance where those early guides you find online miss details every one else wishes they knew when they started a new hobby or skill.

Getting a knowledgeable community is far superior than good Google-fu but, unfortunately, that often starts with a string of “dumb” questions.

I mean, take even that “why no? Gold Zelda rare?” joke.  If it’s a really young kid, that could explain the bad grammar.  Annoying but let’s give it a pass to start.  However, you can give a canned answer of “because all original cartridges were gold, and a lot of people bought it, so it’s common but it does look cool.  The grey carts came out much later.  They aren’t rare but are less common.”

That’s the standard answer, and is fine.  But if someone wanted to throw the kid a bone and see if they are interested in more, they could continue the conversation talking about the nuance to label seals, box types, maybe region variants and after sprinkling a few additional facts, see if the kid asks more questions.  If someone is inquisitive, there’s a small chance you’re talking to a 10 year old that in 20 years could be as passionate about this stuff as you are today, but if you treat him like an idiot he’s not going to stick around long enough to probably ever get there.

[AirVillain | 492]

Good talk all around.... very well said by RH above.
 

23 hours ago, JamesRobot said:

Dunkin' on noobs is the best.  I love slapping on some NBA Jam bighead mode and dunkin' on that noob @Richardhead  All.  Day. Long.

He's on fire!

BOOMSHAKALAKA!

Extra points for the emphasized "Boomshakalaka!"

 

14 hours ago, skinnygrinny said:

There are Still elitist and gatekeepers 

Yeah... probably like people who think Super Mario 2 was a fake Mario game.... wait, what?....

Back to noobs.

I'm fine with "noobs" in the sense of people WANTING to get into a fun hobby and enjoy what they love. People who jump in for a cash grab or because it's "cool" can kick rocks for all I'm concerned, though. I don't think it's too hard to tell the difference, so whatever.... that person can do whatever they want, annoying as it can be sometimes. The inflation of the sealed/graded games has been particularly annoying, though.

Another thing that burns my ass is... I notice label "upgrades" (aka putting a new, FAKES-ASS BULLSHIT, sticker, on the NES cart that is a copy of the OG label) it on Reddit alot.... I want to dunk on them so bad, but nobody seems to care anymore. It hurts. It hurts so bad.

Edited March 24 by AirVillain
Additional context...

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,020]

1 minute ago, AirVillain said:

Back to noobs. I notice label "upgrades" (aka putting a new, FAKES-ASS BULLSHIT, sticker, on the NES cart that is a copy of the OF label) it on Reddit alot.... I want to dunk on them so bad, but nobody seems to care anymore. It hurts. It hurts so bad.

Man I feel this. I always point of that the original label on any condition is more valuable than a sticker and move on. 

But to @RH point, those are likely rookie collectors who just want to participate in the hobby and have nice things. When enough of us inform them that the sticker actually decreased the value of the game then they may have a change of heart. 

[Mega Tank | 974]

5 minutes ago, AirVillain said:

Another thing that burns my ass is... I notice label "upgrades" (aka putting a new, FAKES-ASS BULLSHIT, sticker, on the NES cart that is a copy of the OG label) it on Reddit alot.... I want to dunk on them so bad, but nobody seems to care anymore. It hurts. It hurts so bad.

What gets me is people removing blockbuster and rental store stickers. To each their own, but there's people that appreciate those too, look around before removing them!

[fcgamer | 4,767]

48 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

What gets me is people removing blockbuster and rental store stickers. To each their own, but there's people that appreciate those too, look around before removing them!

I prefer the stickers too, helps when trying to verify whether it's a legit item or not. Then there's also historical reasons.

[Mega Tank | 974]

7 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

I prefer the stickers too, helps when trying to verify whether it's a legit item or not.

[Mega Tank | 974]

@fcgamer Not sure why you would think it helps verify a game being legit. Care to explain?

[fcgamer | 4,767]

5 minutes ago, Mega Tank said:

@fcgamer Not sure why you would think it helps verify a game being legit. Care to explain?

Where I live, we don't go throwing stickers on a repro to make it look legit. Same with less than mintyness factors. Therefore, if there's a sticker or two and some wear, it's not a repro or a modern fake.

Now in the West it might be a totally different situation, but that's pathetic if it's gotten to the point of people throwing stickers on repros to make them seem legit. Sure it's happened before, but at that point everyone should be looking inward and reflecting.

[Mega Tank | 974]

29 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Where I live, we don't go throwing stickers on a repro to make it look legit. Same with less than mintyness factors. Therefore, if there's a sticker or two and some wear, it's not a repro or a modern fake.

Now in the West it might be a totally different situation, but that's pathetic if it's gotten to the point of people throwing stickers on repros to make them seem legit. Sure it's happened before, but at that point everyone should be looking inward and reflecting.

People do what they do to make money. It's shell, label and board. If there's a sticker on a game, so be it, but it doesn't do anything to help mark it as a legit copy. I don't rely on a sticker to help identify a real game from a fake.

We are talking about collecting as a whole... I have not seen a sticker on a fake game, but to say it helps is misleading.

[RH | 4,990]

I like really clean games.  I definitely will remove price tags and stuff but I am getting to the point where that if I find a game with a rental label, I’d rather put it in the FS/FT pile rather than clean it off and put it on my shelf.  I may want sticker free games, but I appreciate the history and would rather pass it off to you guys who like those things.