Is it a hobby, a full time job or an obsession?

[GPX | 1,374]

Everything seems to be a bit of a blur these days. With the past 12 months of crazy pandemic, crazy news headlines and crazy spending on an auction site, everything is...a crazy blur!

So keeping on the topic of crazy, the “hobby” of games collecting itself is starting to be a blur for me and I’m starting to feel it’s almost turning into a “job”. A job where I’d be spending a significant amount of time learning on so many things relating to games, understanding the conditions, the seals, the market fluctuations. Not to mention the process of buying/flipping/selling/decluttering, it’s actually no different to operating an online shop!

But then I sometimes think “hobby, job or maybe it’s an obsession?” Or maybe I’m just an overthinking weirdo, who happen to like games?

[goldenpp72 | 1,235]

It's a hobby but it's one that requires an excessive amount of insight into ones self and their personal controls and values. While it's a lot of 'work' they say it's not work when you love it, but you also have to be able to balance how much effort it's worth and how life will likely shift for you over time.

A lot of people collect without goal or real intent, usually motivated by some nostalgic reason, but they don't really do a proper self assessment of why they care and how to fit it in with life in general. Other collectors are simply hoarders who like to have things but have no clear goal, these types often times come to a conclusion it's just 'stuff' because they have no personal care for it, they just wanted to buy stuff or check boxes off.

I think what's kept me on the train for so long is that I do have a finish line, and I make sure to stick with the goals and rules I established almost 15 years ago to make sure I stay that course and do not deviate. A lot of people think once you start you can't stop, but I certainly can and look forward to it simply because I will have finally realized a personal dream, which is when I just enjoy playing, the display, and move on to other (likely healthier) habits. Though I would always like to keep in touch with communities as I enjoy a lot of the interactions with fellow collectors.

I have many reservations and opinions with collecting, things that would likely offend a lot of people, but in the end if you lose sight of the enjoyment aspect and it becomes unpleasant entirely, you've misjudged yourself and are simply addicted to the routine. I spent some time fighting a display today, it made me upset and I didn't want to deal with it, but the end result makes me very happy and I love putting that ribbon on. I've often said I hope future consoles go all digital because it would truly be my 'finish line' as a collector, but not as a player. I have no desire to simply amass what I would perceive personally as junk, and I love that I can represent my broad taste in the hobby in an expressive way that feels enriching to me. I still become an observer to the many emotionally unhealthy collectors, but that's because I do enjoy a bit of dramatic chaos from afar 

Edited March 7, 2021 by goldenpp72

[Reed Rothchild | 9,588]

Me - "It's a hobby!"

Anyone who sees my room - "That guy has an obsession"

 

It's never a job though.  I have enough of those already.  Well, almost never.  I guess listing stuff on ebay is a minor hassle.

[Richardhead | 2,825]

1 minute ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Me - "It's a hobby!"

Anyone who sees my room - "That guy has an obsession"

 

It's never a job though.  I have enough if those already.  Well, almost never.  I guess listing stuff on ebay is a minor hassle.

Just do what I do. Get risers for your bed and store extra games under there instead of listing them on eBay. It’s so much easier.

[a3quit4s | 4,126]

Hobby, except dusting everything which is a full time job lol 

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

As I approached the end of my NES collecting, it definitely felt more like a job than a hobby. After years scouring eBay, that was more of a conscious decision to go all-in and get to the end. My ability to focus and push through is the reason for my success in life, but it can definitely take some of the fun out of the hobby.

I've been doing a better job of balancing collecting with playing since moving into other systems. I now routinely take a few weeks off of eBay and it's a great feeling every time I do. Maybe I missed some amazing deals, but if I don't know about them, it doesn't matter. Ignorance is bliss!

[a3quit4s | 4,126]

3 minutes ago, DoctorEncore said:

As I approached the end of my NES collecting, it definitely felt more like a job than a hobby. After years scouring eBay, that was more of a conscious decision to go all-in and get to the end. My ability to focus and push through is the reason for my success in life, but it can definitely take some of the fun out of the hobby.

I've been doing a better job of balancing collecting with playing since moving into other systems. I now routinely take a few weeks off of eBay and it's a great feeling every time I do. Maybe I missed some amazing deals, but if I don't know about them, it doesn't matter. Ignorance is bliss!

Felt that way about N64 and getting the same feeling now that I am down to about 80 for the NES set. Taking that time off buying games really does help and sometimes buying games out of the set you are going for helps. I'll randomly buy some genesis or SNES games here and there to break it up

[phart010 | 1,708]

As long as your enjoying it, it’s a hobby. The moment you find you’re not doing it for your own personal enjoyment, then it’s starting to become a job

[Tabonga | 2,344]

Hobby/pastime - for the most part I only pick up games I think I would like to play  (even though I have to be honest and there are lots I will probably never get around to).  Never gave much thought to value since I picked up the bulk of my stuff so long ago when now really desirable items were commonplace at used game stores - but I tend to be a completist in things I keep so the vast majority of my games have boxes/cases/manuals/maps/etc.

[LeatherRebel5150 | 1,056]

Hobby/obsession. When I get an interest in something I like to go all in on it. Some times its just learning and finding new information. For exame if I find a new band I like I'll go and read up about their history, listen to all of their music even stuff considered bad etc. When I got back into wrestling I started learning about its history and progression. Same with games, but games have the added factor of acquisition. Im a complete set guy, even if I never get something like a Stadium Events, I still use it as a goal to keep going. I also bop around to different sectors of gaming, sometimes Switch, sometimes SNES, recently its been Colecovision and some paper items for N64. I really enjoy the library aspect of collecting. Having all of it to choose from. Ive narrowed myself to just cart based home consoles, so that keeps it (somewhat) restrained. 

Ive recently found a way for me and the girlfriend to play together as well. She's usually easily frustrated by hard games but we found that she has alot of fun reading me walk throughs and helping find stuff while I play the game. That's helped me drop the buying a little bit and focus on playing with her

[Estil | 1,265]

Interesting you mention video games (especially the collecting part) as a hobby...as one of the most famous video games, Techno Super Bowl has the famous super powered Bo Jackson...who famously said football was his hobby.  No Bo, football is not a hobby; stamp collecting is a hobby.  And football is not a sport; fly fishing is a sport.  NO FEAR.  

 

[sp1nz | 615]

Few years went in a blur of crazed scouring and buying when I started but nowadays I buy only a few things per month or so. So from an obsession into a hobby I suppose, though getting most of my stuff organized and inventoried still awaits me, so that'll be a job and a half 

[DarkTone | 988]

Hobby for me. I know my limits. 

[SilverspoonGaming | 334]

Full-time job for me.  Became full-time in 2013, then I took 2014-2018 off for the most part, then went back in head first.  My profits always go right back into my collection.  At this point its my legacy, so I need to keep moving forward.

Edited March 7, 2021 by SilverspoonGaming

[Hammerfestus | 3,890]

Hobby.  I’ve gone through phases where I’ve went a little berserk though.  When I was full on PSX collecting I definitely was a little intense about it for a while.  Always actively searching and reading and researching with my free time.   
Last summer was a good time for me because I was a little more active with the hobby; I was selling a bunch of stuff for the first time and using most of the proceeds to buy new stuff .  It was actually a really enjoyable time but also pretty involved. 

 Whatever the pace I’ve been posting in the “what’s new in your collection thread” is the pace I’ve been collecting recently. It’s pretty leisurely.  I basically scroll ebay at night when I want some mindless zombie time and snag whatever deals really smack me across the face.  I’ve actually taken to every once in a while just chucking out lowball offers at stuff with a best offer available for shits and giggles.  It’s actually surprised me a couple of times.  Snagged some nice items at steep discounts.  

[GPX | 1,374]

5 hours ago, phart010 said:

As long as your enjoying it, it’s a hobby. The moment you find you’re not doing it for your own personal enjoyment, then it’s starting to become a job

The main issue how I see it is that the definitions are no longer clear cut. I still get a hell of a buzz when I receive something mint or new, and likely this feeling will recur again and again.

However, with the hobby, it’s now become a period where repros, scammers, rip-off resellers, huge rising prices and among probable market manipulation at an all time high. What is there to like about any of the aspects in this paragraph? Not to mention all the learning aspects we all have to go through in order to be more safe with our spending, it’s a lot of time spent and feeling mentally exhausted on occasions...like a job! 

[fcgamer | 4,754]

Well taking inventory of my collection was a full-time job, same with trying to find a way to fit my entire collection in a space entirely too small, same with reselling or trading extras, same with ...

So recently I've been trying to take a break and step back from all that for a spell, to focus more on actual gaming itself.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

It started as a fun thing to do and a little after a very helpful escape.  From that grew an obsession of sorts, what I had pre-2005 was stunning in quality and volume.  After that broke my will to keep anything near as much, the obsessions waned other than getting some key items back, paced mind you, which took years.

And these days, a fun distraction but also at times a burden of more than having time to deal with it.

But one thing is certain it was always a hobby, just the focus and intensity changed.

[OptOut | 8,892]

Very much a hobby for myself, and certainly a big one. It's my main interest and passion outside of family and work, and it's also very therapeutic and relaxing for me. I never feel more content and at ease than after my work is done, my family is happy, and I get an hour or so to myself to just play a damn game, lol!

As I've said here many times, I am more of a gamer than a collector anyway, so I don't spend very much on games (at least relative to my income), I don't often sell things, I'm not too picky about condition, and my goals are super focused and leisurely pursued. Not to mention, by and large Taiwan has been shielded from a lot of the crazy price increases and speculation bullshit you see elsewhere, so that doesn't really infringe on my enjoyment either.

Other than that, I also get great enjoyment out of talking with you lovely chaps too, reading about games and watching YouTube videos, and even just browsing online for games with no immediate intention to buy.

All in all, I would say that I've got a very well rounded, healthy relationship with my hobby. It DOES occupy a lot of my thoughts, there's no doubt there. But, they are happy ones! Even though I have well over a thousand games by this point, I still feel like I did when I had 200!  

[Hybrid | 429]

Obsession who said I was obsessed *scratches*

[GPX | 1,374]

5 hours ago, Hybrid said:

Obsession who said I was obsessed *scratches*

Says every collector, before they reach the point of no return...

[GPX | 1,374]

13 hours ago, SilverspoonGaming said:

Full-time job for me.  Became full-time in 2013, then I took 2014-2018 off for the most part, then went back in head first.  My profits always go right back into my collection.  At this point its my legacy, so I need to keep moving forward.

Plot twist: your selling was actually the hobby, and your collecting was actually the job!

Edited March 8, 2021 by GPX

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

Mine was a hobby of gaming which turned into an obsession of collecting which started to feel like a job. I spent more time buying/selling than gaming by a wide margin. I turned it back into a hobby of gaming by selling a bunch and not focusing on collecting. Selling also feels like a job so it's slow going but I've made pretty solid progress over the last year and have been gaming way more than the time I put into that. Also a lot nicer on the bank account.

Edited March 8, 2021 by Andy_Bogomil

[guitarzombie | 927]

HOBBY.

[goldenpp72 | 1,235]

8 hours ago, guitarzombie said:

HOBBY.