Collecting days coming to an end?

I think my game collecting days are sorta coming to a head. Im 7 games away from 1000 which has me feelin pretty content and satisfied with my collection. Not a ton of games i still wanna add as i have most of what i would want or like to play.

I've felt really lackluster about Xbox One and PS4. Only a handful of games that are comin out for em even interest me. Nintendo is the only thing im really excited about still. I had alot of fun with 3DS and Wii U and im really looking forward to the Switch! But thats about it. I dont feel the urge i once did to search for older titles and im not the kind of person to drop cash for rare stuff just cuz its rare.

Has anyone else been feeling this way or are you as excited as ever about hunting for games or adding that new rare item you've been wanting or even modern gaming? What keeps you comin you back?

I feel i will always be a gamer. I grew up with games in the home since i was 3 and dont feel that side of me will ever go away. Im sure that if new consoles continue to be released i will get excited & probably pick em up. Maybe im just getting older or somethin. Moving outta my 20s mentality and into a 30s state of mind. Whatever that means. *Cracks Beer*

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  
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Comments

  • Originally posted by: DQ187



    I think my game collecting days are sorta coming to a head. Im 7 games away from 1000 which has me feelin pretty content and satisfied with my collection. Not a ton of games i still wanna add as i have most of what i would want or like to play. I've felt really lackluster about Xbox One and PS4. Only a handful of games that are comin out for em even interest me. Nintendo is the only thing im really excited about still. I had alot of fun with 3DS and Wii U and im really looking forward to the Switch! But thats about it. I dont feel the urge i once did to search for older titles and im not the kind of person to drop cash for rare stuff just cuz its rare. Has anyone else been feeling this way or are you as excited as ever about hunting for games or adding that new rare item you've been wanting or even modern gaming? What keeps you comin you back? I feel i will always be a gamer. I grew up with games in the home since i was 3 and dont feel that side of me will ever go away. Im sure that if new consoles continue to be released i will get excited & probably pick em up. Maybe im just getting older or somethin. Moving outta my 20s mentality and into a 30s state of mind. Whatever that means. *Cracks Beer* Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  

    That is quite an accomplishment, congrats! To me, I am happy with my collection, but it always feels good to keep adding more. 



    I do not like dropping a lot of cash for games, so this makes it more interesting/exciting I suppose. Going from sale to sale is still exciting, but of course with more people looking to buy to resell and everyone scanning everything with a bar code it becomes harder to pick up great finds. 



    Sometimes we need a break from it all and evaluate our position about our collections. I thin my collection out every so often with games and systems I know I will not ever play again... it helps declutter and gives someone an oportunity to enjoy a system they have been wanting to play.   Happy thanksgiving! 



     
  • Pretty much exactly where you are. Only collecting retail/Wii U things for the most part. Still pick at eBay once in a while but rarely buy. Between having most of what I want and there being so little out there to buy I don't miss collecting like that at all. It definitely felt more like work than a fun hobby a year or two ago. More time to play games and appreciate my collection now though  
  • I collect when I can afford it, which is almost never (maybe once or twice a year?) The collecting is still fun for me because its rare when it happens. I look at thrift shops, rummage sales, flea markets but nothing ever comes up where I live, but the hunt is still fun. Most good deals I get are from some cool people here or once in awhile I get lucky and get a good score off of Ebay. I don't think I will ever have a full collection but for me as long as I am "working towards it" that will have to be enough  
  • I'm kinda taking a break from collecting myself because we're not in a good financial situation that'd allow it. I do have all those Everdrives so I can play whatever games I want but I do still want to collect games, and cards, and books, and UK stuff when and if I'm able to.
  • The only new stuff I collect is Nintendo. I have lots of PS4 games but I don't really consider it a collection, but more games I want to play. This keeps the quantity down and frees up more money and space for cart games.



    Hopefully you don't give up the hobby, you always have a good taste for awesome games.
  • Enjoy your games.
  • Fine! Get out, we don't need you! *cries*



    Haha, just kidding man... I think maybe you've realized that 993 games is enough to quench your gaming thirst. You have enough games to keep you busy so you don't have to go crazy and spend all your money & time buying more.



    Sounds like you're reaching your peak collection capacity. To everyone is different. Some people are happy & content with 20 games, some with 993. Doesn't mean you're not a collector or that you're getting out of the game. Just means you're happy where you're at.



    Don't want expensive stuff just because? That's cool, too. That's actually logical and fiscally responsible. Aka "being an adult", haha.
  • Originally posted by: ne$_pimp



    Enjoy your games.





    To emphasize this point, I only collect to play. I've been a collector of many things (mostly sports related cards figures but random others too) and I have to agree with many others in saying you should collect games for your own enjoyment. The most random and arbitrary things I've collected over the past few decades are worth either $1 or $1000 for no apparent reason. By the way, after inflation, most things you buy in the gaming world are worth much less than where you started, making it one of the worst "investments" imaginable, if you think of it that way. So, if you are trying to decide on whether to buy something, ask yourself what value it has to you at this moment today and compare that to the asking price. 
  • Almost all of my most valuable games have been sold. I'm focusing now on game development (making simple games for starters) than buying. I did buy DuckTales Remastered on PS3 because it was so cheap and a short-but-sweet kind of game. For the most part, though, I'm enjoying creating rather than consuming. Besides, most games I've collected or owned weren't worth playing more than once, anyway. The amount of games that really meant a lot to me over the course of my lifetime could probably be counted on one hand.
  • I find there's just always new games to discover, even if it's not nintendo
  • I've felt like this for the last year, I've trimmed down my collection to the essentials, which is probably still around 1000 games. I feel really good about it now. It's more about enjoying the games I've collected, and sometimes coming across the odd discovery but there's no longer the need to go out searching for things anymore. It's more rewarding IMO to look at a set of games that are all games you want to play again, instead of a wall of sports games and other things that are there for completion sake.
  • I've sorta reached that point as well. Only problem is I now want boxes and manuals for all those games  
  • 1,000? Well congrats! I'm having a hard enough time trying to reach 600. What I've found is over time there's always that one game that sits in the back of your mind. And you'd be just as happy selling it and picking up something else. And finding anything cheap in todays market isn't easy, but eventually you'll find something.
  • Originally posted by: Jeckidy



    Almost all of my most valuable games have been sold. I'm focusing now on game development (making simple games for starters) than buying. I did buy DuckTales Remastered on PS3 because it was so cheap and a short-but-sweet kind of game. For the most part, though, I'm enjoying creating rather than consuming. Besides, most games I've collected or owned weren't worth playing more than once, anyway. The amount of games that really meant a lot to me over the course of my lifetime could probably be counted on one hand.



    Making games is a joy 1000 times better and more intense than playing them. When I first started making them, I also neglected to play for about 4 years. I recommend still playing the best of the best, while focusing your efforts on creating. You need to keep playing to stay in touch, even if you are primarily creating new games. 

     
  • I can relate to the OP. My game total is right around 650 physical games and I think it's too much. I can't imagine what hitting the 1,000 mark is like.



    I have most of what I want but I'm always discovering new games here and there. I only plan on actively "collecting" games for another 2 years and then take a long break to enjoy what I have. There's only 2 or 3 different systems I still buy for at this point because I'm content with everything else. For me personally, somewhere around 500 - 700 games seems most comfortable where it's not too much or too little but just right. When you factor in a few Everdrives into the mix, there's hundreds or thousands of more games in the mix.



    If you're feeling content at the 1K mark, maybe you should take a long break and see how you feel in six months, a year, etc... You certainly have enough games to keep you busy. Sit back, enjoy your games and roll that beautiful bean footage.  
  • Originally posted by: john

     
    Originally posted by: Jeckidy



    Almost all of my most valuable games have been sold. I'm focusing now on game development (making simple games for starters) than buying. I did buy DuckTales Remastered on PS3 because it was so cheap and a short-but-sweet kind of game. For the most part, though, I'm enjoying creating rather than consuming. Besides, most games I've collected or owned weren't worth playing more than once, anyway. The amount of games that really meant a lot to me over the course of my lifetime could probably be counted on one hand.



    Making games is a joy 1000 times better and more intense than playing them. When I first started making them, I also neglected to play for about 4 years. I recommend still playing the best of the best, while focusing your efforts on creating. You need to keep playing to stay in touch, even if you are primarily creating new games. 

     



    True. I was unsure what platform to produce for and was contemplating a retro one. However, I can't invest in either flashcarts or new consoles to do that, because it's expensive. Then I remembered that I owned the GamePark Wiz, the South Korean handheld that's an open source device. Has a touch screen function, and certainly more legal and less embarassing than the trashy chinese ones. It may not have a big user base, but since my current work is for study, it is a great platform for practicing game development in the style of Game Boy or DS, while not paying an arm and a leg for development hardware. I've enjoyed mine for what it offers.  

     
  • Originally posted by: Jeckidy

     
    Originally posted by: john

     
    Originally posted by: Jeckidy



    Almost all of my most valuable games have been sold. I'm focusing now on game development (making simple games for starters) than buying. I did buy DuckTales Remastered on PS3 because it was so cheap and a short-but-sweet kind of game. For the most part, though, I'm enjoying creating rather than consuming. Besides, most games I've collected or owned weren't worth playing more than once, anyway. The amount of games that really meant a lot to me over the course of my lifetime could probably be counted on one hand.



    Making games is a joy 1000 times better and more intense than playing them. When I first started making them, I also neglected to play for about 4 years. I recommend still playing the best of the best, while focusing your efforts on creating. You need to keep playing to stay in touch, even if you are primarily creating new games. 

     



    True. I was unsure what platform to produce for and was contemplating a retro one. However, I can't invest in either flashcarts or new consoles to do that, because it's expensive. Then I remembered that I owned the GamePark Wiz, the South Korean handheld that's an open source device. Has a touch screen function, and certainly more legal and less embarassing than the trashy chinese ones. It may not have a big user base, but since my current work is for study, it is a great platform for practicing game development in the style of Game Boy or DS, while not paying an arm and a leg for development hardware. I've enjoyed mine for what it offers.  

     





    That's really interesting. It is a unique choice. Since you know that it has a small potential audience for hands-on play, be sure to document it well. For instance, record full video of the gameplay and make a short trailer. Those types of things will make your work noticeable on a larger scale and you can easily point people to a video as part of your portfolio. I do this with everything I make now and wish I would have in the early days. 
  • Definitely going to be doin some serious gaming in 2017! Im not planning to sell anything since i've really already sold off what i was ok with parting with. Mainly sealed games and doubles. I guess i have some fluff for ps3 but i really loved that system last gem. Had bought a ton of games for it over the last year since they were so cheap so im hopin to play some of those that i havnt. Will probably dive more in DS also. Alot of games i would still like to play through on that. And i want to play through the ps1 & ps2 rpgs i have that i havnt played yet. Im sure i will pick up a few games here and there, like i have a handful of games for ps2 and things i wanna get like The Red Star but feel i have already slowed way down during the 2nd half of this year. Even my pre orders this year have been way down compared to previous years. But yeah   no plans to sell, just going to enjoy!
  • I sometimes get little waves of that feeling, but then I realize it's because if I could have seen my current collection on the first day of my collecting life, I'd likely have passed out realizing exactly how deep down this rabbit hole I would venture. What I've built now is not what I set out to build at the beginning. I started out wanting to build a "car", and I accidentally started working on the Large Hadron Collider instead. I've got so many more games than I ever thought I would, and have branched my collecting out in so many ways, that...yeah, every once in a while you stand back and look at it all and go, "holy shit". You start thinking about how much money this has all cost you and how much room it takes up in your house, and what it might be like to have all that money and all that space back.

    There's no set path forward, do whatever feels best to you. Maybe keep a solid 1,000 game collection, and that's your collection. Maybe you'll realize in time that you only really "need" 200 of those games, and the rest will go towards the equity in your house. There's no right or wrong way to do it, and like all things, you can get burnt out on it. Time is not of the essence, take your time and think about it, and do whatever feels best. Just don't sell Rocket League or Mario Kart 8 so we can still play 'em!
  • I've lost a lot of interest in collecting lately. I basically have most of the games I want to play. Anything else after either just feels like a waste or it's just a nice extra. I'm trying to get N64 and SNES manuals to go with the games I have. A lot of it has to do with not so much losing interest in collecting itself or playing games, because I'll always play them. But I've gotten married last month, bought a house over the summer, and soon will be planning for kids and such, so different life priorities are taking over, and it's great. So my money has been going to savings and other more important things like new appliances and furniture and such. I'm still keeping the majority of what I have and I still play games almost daily, even if only for a half hour, but I just don't buy much anymore.
  • I got bored with collecting back in 2013.
  • I have pretty much everything I need to play just about any game I want on the platforms I own, and a few more flash carts coming out will fill any gap left over. About the only exceptions are the Saturn and GameCube, and modded systems are out there if I really want one.



    There are a few 8-bit computers I'd like to have, and occasionally I'll buy a game that really benefits from having the manual at hand, or spend money on a homebrew. Otherwise, though, I'm content to play what I have, flash or burn what I don't, and keep an eye out for any now-rare deals that are out there. Retrogaming has become a high-dollar business, and that takes the fun out of collecting for me.



    No worries, though -- I got in just in the nick of time to build the collection I wanted, and I was always far more of a gamer than a collector anyway.
  • I haven't given up collecting, but it has certainly has slowed to a trickle. I am more focused on playing what I already have. I frequently contemplate selling off portions of my collection, but I am too lazy.
  • saw a dk competition cart in a store for 1,500 today. It was pretty depressing to finally see one for sale somewhere and its just not feasible to get right now.





    but i did get a kawasaki superbike challenge for snes for 4 bucks. Collecting is still fun to go out and look. Just have to temper expectations more than in the past.
  • Not yet. I've just slowed down a lot.
  • I think I'm at a point where everything slows down due to

    A) I have most of the commons

    and

    B) Prices went up



    Still picking up games almost every week though. Pretty rare ones too (GB Felix the Cat for 5 bucks), so we're definitely not at a point where it's impossible to get new games, and even some rares.
  • As with any hobby, eventually you get burned out on it a little, and it might need a break. You can try to find things that might rekindle the interest, but you can't force it either(or you burn out even faster). I've got too many hobbies myself, so I'm figuring out a cycle as to when I can stay invested in certain ones. For my life, it's simply impossible to find the time to tend to every activity I consider a hobby, so I stay active in a few at a time, and occasionally rotate one out to start a different one up.



    For example, when I took a break from playing music, I took up bead-spriting. When my D&D groups took a break, I switched over to Magic: The Gathering. Now that I'm back playing music, I have lost interest in most bead spriting(I've only got so much creative "juice" in my brain at one time). D&D is back on the upswing with a group that has lots of table chemistry, so I don't play much Magic anymore. OP might just need to focus on something different and let the retro batteries recharge a little.
  • Collecting comes in phases and seems to be part of a slow cycle for me. It helps to keep burnout from happening and goes like this:



    1.) Desire to play games...

    to

    2.) Collecting games...

    to

    3.) Desire to make games...

    to

    4.) Finding better games....

    to

    5.) Back to #1...



    I'm pretty much stuck between #1 and 2,

    But only after going 1-4 haha.
  • This is how I *know* I'm losing interest in collecting... I just sold a small portion of my collection (as I do from time to time to trim the fat) and I have money sitting in my PayPal and have NO idea what to spend it on. Typically I have something in mind that I want when I sell things, and that money is gone within a day.
  • Originally posted by: KrakenSoup



    This is how I *know* I'm losing interest in collecting... I just sold a small portion of my collection (as I do from time to time to trim the fat) and I have money sitting in my PayPal and have NO idea what to spend it on. Typically I have something in mind that I want when I sell things, and that money is gone within a day.



    This has been the case with me too, Kraken. I actually used a good helping of it to pay for gifts this season for my closest relatives, and saved the rest for shipments for recent clients I've sold items to on forums. I'm actually glad to be able to refrain and not go on a spree. I'm also exploring other hobbies like reading, studying kanji, and a whole ton of other stuff. It feels better to focus on obtaining what will make you happiest first and not just things that you might need every now and then but only have potential to make you happy, though unnecessary as a whole.

     
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