Why do you collect?

[urbanchaos]

I think I collect for multiple reasons. One of them would be nostalgia. I grew up playing NES & SNES. I used to have a Genesis with a couple of games, but never really cared much for this one. I recently decided to get back to NES collecting when I found on kijiji a NES system with 2 controllers, 1 zapper, 1 RC adapter and the RF thing with four games for only 30$. That's what really started it again for me. Christ, it's only been 2 weeks that I've bought that NES, and I have up to 20 games now (including the original 4 ones).

The other reasons why I collect would certainly be for sentimental values. When I buy something like a game or a movie, it's because most of the time, I have a particular feeling or memory attached to the object in question. Be it a bad movie or a bad game, I simply want to own them because they bring back such good memories. As an exemple, I just recently bought on eBay for only 4$ The Simpson's: Bart Nightmares. It not a really good games, but I remember the fun I had playing it as a kid.

[madmax]

I think for me it started with nostalgia and the want to play all the final fantasy games and then it just grew into an addiction.

[hexen]

My general collection habit started with the first system I ever owned - the Intellivision. My dad had it from when from when it first came out, and while we waited to get an SNES we had it. I got a chance to experience old-style graphics and highly point based gameplay even though by the time I was able to play, it was the SNES/Genesis generation.  Every now and then he'd bring home new games from the flea market, and me and my brother would play Frog Bog, Night Stalker and Astrosmash for hours. I got my SNES eventually (Which, to be fair, also contributed a large part to my urge to collect) but the Intellivision always fascinated me. From then on, older systems where always a mystery to me. For example I could never get much NES playtime due to my daycare's NES constantly blue screening and that has been a major contributer to my NES collecting.

Also, my family has always been one of collectors. My dad collected all sorts of things, we have a two-story garage packed to the brim with random stuff, but mainly he collected coke bottles, and had a room full of them equivalent to what I have to games today. I was always collecting something (Pogs, Beanie Babies, Pokemon Cards, etc.) but Video Games is the one I stuck with.

I also really love the functionality of a video game. It is more then it's physical appearance compared to most knick-knacks. For example I have Earthbound, which is (annoyingly) becoming a collectors item, but I bought it because it was Earthbound (luckily before it became as pricey as it is now.)

Anywho, that's perhaps a little too comprehensive, but there is my answer.

[empovyle]

To be honest, I'm not sure. It all started with the original Spyro, and then Pokemon came along. I don't know if its nostalgia or what, because nostalgia is the only real game feeling I've ever had.

Even though the games aren't worth very much used, it just seems necessary to say they're worth something altogether & buy every single copy in the store (is that just me?).

[kaizlu]

Some years ago I actually used to trade-in a lot. My excuse was "what matters is the experience, not the physical game". At some point I realized that some of the games I traded in were actually somewhat valuable or at some point I wanted just to have them or play them again.

I will never forget that I bought a black label Final Fantasy VII for 20 bucks (YES 20!) and in mint condition.....I traded the game for ... [can't remember]

So yeah, I decided that if I buy a game, I'll keep it no matter what. I don't want to experience another "WHY DID I SELL IT?" shock again.

And also all my physical games have a value that no digital game will ever have. It's been around 16 years since I got my first console/game (original Gameboy - it's damaged, but still works!) and I still love reading the manual, the box and admiring the game itself. Every time I get a new game I feel like a kid again. I wonder if buying digital will ever give me that feeling one day.

Other "WHY DID I SELL IT" items:
- My Nintendo 64 + some games
- Pokemon Yellow Version
- Resident Evil 2 (N64)
- Resident Evil 3, Code Veronica X (GC)
- Baten Kaitos (GC)
- Metroid Prime 2 (GC)
- Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories (GBA)

(most of them are not really valuable in terms of money, it's mostly a personal value)

[desocietas]

Yeah, there's nothing worse than buying a game that you had already purchased ages ago.  I've never traded in games, but have sold one or two off if it was something I was pretty confident I'd never play again (ex: Touch Detective after completing it fully).

I don't really collect in the sense of needing to have every game ever made.  I just want to have a nice collection of "good" games and usually have a desire to go back and play something, even if just for a few minutes.  Sometimes, it feels like re-reading a book that I never finished but finally want to know how it ends.

[pceslayer]

I collect because I'm bat shit crazy... lol

[jonathonstriker]

Back in the day, it started out that I would collect RPGs because those were my "books" on my bookshelf. Now though, I have found games that I felt would later have nostalgic replay value, as well as games that may be a history lesson to my future gaming children. Many of my own friends don't even know that back in the day, there was no strafing in FPS. They would cry if they tried to play old-school Doom or Zero Tolerance. And I got games myself like Target Earth that the difficulty was like a joke and you only questioned how you were supposed to beat the game without cheat codes. I have learned some gaming history from my dad, and wish to pass it on to my children. If they can't play Robotron, they really shouldn't be playing a dual-stick game period.

[ffxik]

Why Do I collect.  It's mainly for nostalgia.  I grew up with the them, and have been very fond of video games all my life.  However there were also alot of games and systems I never got a chance to have a go at.  I realize that alot of the games I really want to play is available on XBL, PSN, or the Wii.  For me though there is nothing that takes you back better than firing that original system up, grabbing a controller and just going nuts.

Another reason is that alot of my friends are of the newer gaming generation.  They really have no concept of anything before the Xbox/PS2 time.  So it's always a sight to see them gaze in wonder at it, and realize that great games have been around forever.

[desocietas]

If they can't play Robotron, they really shouldn't be playing a dual-stick game period.

What about Katamari Damacy?  Geometry Wars?

[forte]

When I was a kid, we didn't have much money, so when I was a kid I only had the pack in games for my consoles for the longest time (Mario/Duck Hunt, Super Mario All Stars + World, Tetris, etc) because game cartridges were like 70 bucks. Now that I have a high paying job, I can afford to get all the games I wanted when I was a kid and could never have. Mega Man was always my favorite series, which is why I collect those, but anything else I wanted is in play too.

[amauriel]

You know, you bring up a good point...I paid $50 for The Little Mermaid for the NES when I got it (first game I ever bought with my OWN MONEY!)

I complain when my husband wants to purchase a $60 game, in this day and age. We really do get a lot more game for our money now, for about the same price...and if you consider inflation over the last 20-25 years, really it's cheaper than what we paid back then. Hrmm.

[ffxik]

Think about it like this.  Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger retail was $99.95 and $89.95 respectivly.  So it's definatly cheaper now days.  I still complain about the prices though.

[desocietas]

It is funny though that some of the 3DS games that retailed for $40 have dropped to $8 at Best Buy...  It's a tricky game to play with game pricing... Buy it now for full price? Wait for the price to drop or risk it going out of stock and shooting up in price on eBay?

[amauriel]

If it's Atlus, I just go ahead and buy it. I've gotten burned too many times, trying to find them later, and those games never come down in price. (Exception: The Dark Spire. I wasn't sure I wanted it, got it for $10, whoo hoo.)

Indie/Small Developer games, I get from the get-go if I know I want them (Example: Bit-Trip Saga and Retro Game Challenge). I want to support the companies that are doing the things I want to see. If they're smaller companies, they rely on those first few days/weeks to know if they have a hit.

If it's a big release, I generally hold off, depending on the franchise (Layton/Zelda are Day 1 buys for me, but most of the others, not so much). There will always be another store that might have it in stock.