Curiosity: Vacuum-sealed games for preservation?

Was just thinking randomly about my foodsaver vacuum sealer, used for vacuum sealing food, and wondered if anybody out there vacuum-sealed their games? I can see that if you had something like loose carts, memory cards, folded up boxes/inserts, or loose consoles, then you could preserve them decently with a vacuum-sealing. Based on how food sealing is, they would be impervious to water, dust, bugs, and other common killers. Maybe you could also get something that was naturally insulated as well to use as the sealing medium? Just throwing this out there, interested to see if anybody does it already.

Comments

  • Why would you want to do this?
  • Well, the naive answer is "in order to preserve it longer". Like I said, I just had the thought come to mind, and was curious if anyone had explored it.
  • I read an article about a guy that kept his games in tupperware about 10 years ago or so. I've never had any desire to do anything like that. I have quite a few VGA games but those aren't air tight. I also keep some of my more valuable games behind glass but you can still access them pretty easily.
  • Are you hoping to help future archeologists 500 years from now?
  • Here's the reality....you will die and your stuff will be either abused or kept as is. If you collect and enjoy the stuff then that's great...but if you collect for your Grandchildren then LOLLLOLLOL





    ...They likely will see your crap game collection like we do our Fathers 8-Track collections and sell them off at a yard sale. The point of collection is to preserve and enjoy the shit you have. Sealing off stuff you paid money for means you can't enjoy them anymore unlike the rest of us.
  • The data is preserved in digital form, that's what really matters. I don't need my games cryogenically frozen. I'd rather enjoy them while I'm alive.
  • I've thought about doing this just to protect the box from scuffs - reseal it and open it from the top and leave the rest on - but I dunno. It's probably a better idea to just buy box protectors.
  • Lets take boxed Nes games for example. And you put them in a bag and vacuum it. What does it do? it sucks out all air and that puts pressure the box, which does not help it too keep shape.

    If you are worried about you're collection, rather get something like unit too adjust the humidity.
  • But sealed games usually have "air holes" in them because of buildup of gases right (read that somewhere). So if you seal it...wouldn't that make the gases build up?
  • Originally posted by: Astor Reinhardt



    But sealed games usually have "air holes" in them because of buildup of gases right (read that somewhere). So if you seal it...wouldn't that make the gases build up?



    This. Even CGA graded comics are not air tight. Completely sealing something is pretty much a death sentance to a great number of things on a long enough timeline. PARTICULARLY paper products.

     
  • Its called outgassing.
  • Might be something that one could do in an emergency. Think of the recent hurricanes, id slap my carts in vaccum bags if i couldnt take them with me and there was a high chance of flooding
  • Originally posted by: Alder



    It's probably a better idea to just buy box protectors.





     
  • I don't see the point. The thing is, with mask ROMs, they don't really have issues with losing their data over time like other forms of media. Sealing it would also have no effect other than keeping "the freshness" in. Let's put it this way, the way plastic and silicon degrades, they will be around long past us so I don't see a point. On top of everything, they have been electronically preserved most lightly.



    The only thing we have to worry about right now, is protos. EEPROMs have a limited lifespan and those need to be dumped for preservation, because those won't be around forever. However, everything is variable so no one knows how long it will take for them to stop working.
  • This reminds me of that Eerie Indiana episode involving the kids who slept in Tupperware.
  • Lay off the guy. Maybe he wants to buy them and keep them preserved in a goddamned tomb, never playing a single one of them for as long as he lives, who cares. "Hahaha"...yes, hilarious stuff here, truly. Do you guys go to your grandmother's house and give her a hard time about collecting the fine china? Razz your uncle for collecting coins he won't spend? "What, you mean you spend money....on OTHER money in smaller denominations, and you don't even spend it? Do you then spend THAT money on even older, smaller quantities of money? I've got a dollar here I'll sell you for $50, you interested? Huhuhuhuhuh!!"



    How is the concept of collecting just for the sake of collecting so lost on so many members here? Do they truly just not understand the concept? It's not new, it's ancient. I collect games that not only have I not yet played, I have games and gaming items that I spent a load of money on that I have absolutely no intention of ever doing anything with other than displaying them for my own satisfaction. I'm not gonna play them, I'm not gonna let others play them, they're off the market just so I can sit and look at them, like "yep, that's where my money went, and I'm happy about that". Why are people so strongly opinionated about that? Who cares? There's no rational argument against it. Am I holding a copy you could put to better use? Tough, you should've been there to buy it when I was, or just use an emulator or find another copy.



    It's like anytime someone starts a thread asking about something from a purely "collecting" standpoint, their motives are immediately called into question and criticized by members of the peanut gallery. God forbid someone starts a thread asking if they should VGA grade something.
  • There is a vga thread for asking a question about should i vga this title, the vga question thread. I laugh because this would destroy a sealed game and the same for a cib nes,snes and paper box games.





    Cart only could be fine but the process might crush some brittle plastic on some snes carts, it is a poor choice way to protect some older games. Tupperware boxes will do the job fine and have done so for years.
  • As mentioned, you're probably doing more harm than good to it by trapping gases in there.



    Also as mentioned, that would be a good idea to temporarily seal stuff off that might be facing a hurricane (not so much the food sealer size, but those big ass ones you hook the vacuum hose up to).
  • Originally posted by: Quaze

    Lay off the guy. Maybe he wants to buy them and keep them preserved in a goddamned tomb, never playing a single one of them for as long as he lives, who cares. "Hahaha"...yes, hilarious stuff here, truly. Do you guys go to your grandmother's house and give her a hard time about collecting the fine china? Razz your uncle for collecting coins he won't spend? "What, you mean you spend money....on OTHER money in smaller denominations, and you don't even spend it? Do you then spend THAT money on even older, smaller quantities of money? I've got a dollar here I'll sell you for $50, you interested? Huhuhuhuhuh!!"



    How is the concept of collecting just for the sake of collecting so lost on so many members here? Do they truly just not understand the concept? It's not new, it's ancient. I collect games that not only have I not yet played, I have games and gaming items that I spent a load of money on that I have absolutely no intention of ever doing anything with other than displaying them for my own satisfaction. I'm not gonna play them, I'm not gonna let others play them, they're off the market just so I can sit and look at them, like "yep, that's where my money went, and I'm happy about that". Why are people so strongly opinionated about that? Who cares? There's no rational argument against it. Am I holding a copy you could put to better use? Tough, you should've been there to buy it when I was, or just use an emulator or find another copy.



    It's like anytime someone starts a thread asking about something from a purely "collecting" standpoint, their motives are immediately called into question and criticized by members of the peanut gallery. God forbid someone starts a thread asking if they should VGA grade something.



    So, what you're saying is you spend money on things you enjoy, and enjoy those things as you please? HOW DARE YOU?!
  • Originally posted by: Bert





    So, what you're saying is you spend money on things you enjoy, and enjoy those things as you please? HOW DARE YOU?!



    I know I know, I should "just open them and play them, geeez!"



    Congrats on 10k posts my man, we need to get you a cake!

     
  • Originally posted by: Quaze



    Lay off the guy. Maybe he wants to buy them and keep them preserved in a goddamned tomb, never playing a single one of them for as long as he lives, who cares. "Hahaha"...yes, hilarious stuff here, truly. Do you guys go to your grandmother's house and give her a hard time about collecting the fine china? Razz your uncle for collecting coins he won't spend? "What, you mean you spend money....on OTHER money in smaller denominations, and you don't even spend it? Do you then spend THAT money on even older, smaller quantities of money? I've got a dollar here I'll sell you for $50, you interested? Huhuhuhuhuh!!"



    How is the concept of collecting just for the sake of collecting so lost on so many members here? Do they truly just not understand the concept? It's not new, it's ancient. I collect games that not only have I not yet played, I have games and gaming items that I spent a load of money on that I have absolutely no intention of ever doing anything with other than displaying them for my own satisfaction. I'm not gonna play them, I'm not gonna let others play them, they're off the market just so I can sit and look at them, like "yep, that's where my money went, and I'm happy about that". Why are people so strongly opinionated about that? Who cares? There's no rational argument against it. Am I holding a copy you could put to better use? Tough, you should've been there to buy it when I was, or just use an emulator or find another copy.



    It's like anytime someone starts a thread asking about something from a purely "collecting" standpoint, their motives are immediately called into question and criticized by members of the peanut gallery. God forbid someone starts a thread asking if they should VGA grade something.

    Well said!!!  *Standing Ovation!! 



     
  • The type of plastic vacuum bags being used would also be a big concern if being used long-term. Many plastics slowly decompose over time and release harmful chemicals which could potentially damage whatever's inside. You would need to be certain the bag you are using is composed of something inert like mylar.
  • To be fair, a number of us were just concerned about the physical damage the OP would be doing to his collection under the guise of preservation, which doesnt seem to be something he was necessarily aware of.
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