Question of the Month for January 2014

[htimreimer]

we all love collecting games for many reasons, from experiencing new games to preserving history of a form of media that we love but there is somethings about collecting that just suck, what is something about VG collecting that you hate

cleaning: just like any other collectors item, the people who bought the console/computer in the past didn't think there was gonna be a collectors market for the console/computer they just bought and because of this, consoles/computers are neglected and need some attention, this is for me is the worst part of collecting because you don't know whats under the hood and don't know what hell you have gotten your self in to until it's too late

so far i have experienced spider,spider,dust,cobweb,spider, spiderweb and mysterious sticky brown mold (at lest i think its mold) that smells like a cross between BBQ sauce and wet dog that also burn a hole in to the label

[turf]

Was there a question to the "Question of the Month"?

[disgaeniac]

Was there a question to the "Question of the Month"?

 

[Oheao]

Was there a question to the "Question of the Month"?

I think it was "what is something about video game collecting that you hate?"

[disgaeniac]

Was there a question to the "Question of the Month"?

I think it was "what is something about video game collecting that you hate?"

Questions of the month about what I hate 

[bikingjahuty]

we all love collecting games for many reasons, from experiencing new games to preserving history of a form of media that we love but there is somethings about collecting that just suck, what is something about VG collecting that you hate

cleaning: just like any other collectors item, the people who bought the console/computer in the past didn't think there was gonna be a collectors market for the console/computer they just bought and because of this, consoles/computers are neglected and need some attention, this is for me is the worst part of collecting because you don't know whats under the hood and don't know what hell you have gotten your self in to until it's too late

so far i have experienced spider,spider,dust,cobweb,spider, spiderweb and mysterious sticky brown mold (at lest i think its mold) that smells like a cross between BBQ sauce and wet dog that also burn a hole in to the label

Glad I'm not the only one who cleans their games :p. I have cleaned some pretty gross games over the years including spiders webs, food, what looked and smelled like poo (was on a good game, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered), and a variety of other things. I have a friend who probably had it the worst; he bought a N64 off Craigslist, took it home, powered it up and about 5-minutes into testing it roaches started coming out of it. Lol I draw the line at insects :p.

But the one thing I hate about collecting, right now at least, is how difficult it has become to collect on the cheap. I started collecting around 4-years ago and at the time very few people were doing it. Now everyone and their mom is doing it, and businesses and people have started taking advantage of retro collectors. I used to be able to walk into virtually any thrift store and buy any gamer older than 6th-gen(PS2,Gamecube,XBOX) for no more than $3 each, good stuff too. Now all there are is a bunch of sports games. There are also a ton, A TON, of resellers in this hobby that have made it hard to find games for a good price. Don't get me wrong, I still find a lot of stuff, but I have to work for it 50-times harder than I used to and get fairly creative to find the deals.

[sin2beta]

I actually don't think there is too much about the hobby that I hate. I actually rather enjoy cleaning the consoles and games. In fact, my consoles that are in use get cleaned inside and out every couple of months. This really started with the XBox 360, as modern consoles require it. Anything with a fan needs cleaned. I now open everything, give it a once over with compressed air and clean the casing. It's somewhat relaxing to do with a movie on in the background.

The only thing I hate is the pricing that some things have. Now, there are certain high profile games that deserve to be that high due to extreme rarity. NWC carts are an example of something that has a pricing I at least understand. However, Surprise at Dinosaur Peak, Earthbound (which is coming down in value), and several others have a price that is artificially ramped up by speculation. Sure, Surprise at Dinosaur Peak is rare. However, there is no doubt that the recent (within 5 years) jump was artificial. Every console has this in some way. However, Nintendo and Sony are filled with those. I stay away from these markets completely due to the scene that surrounds them. Which is disappointing as I had fun collecting for the NES in the 90s and wouldn't mind doing it again. It's just not fun anymore.

[htimreimer]

another thing i hate, RF boxes because they don't work and doesn't matter how old or new the TV you are using is

[burningdoom]

Things I hate about video game collecting (well, "hate" is a strong word, more like pet-peeves):

-Sellers that think just because the game says "Final Fantasy" or "Mario" on it, that it must be worth $50 or more, even if it's not rare, is a Greatest Hits edition, or disc only.

-Individuals that aren't professional sellers, but sell or trade from their own collection and decide that they want $30 for their $5 copy of Super Mario Bros. due to "personal value". That's great that people love their games and all, but in the real world that doesn't add monetary value to anything.

-Shady sellers on eBay and Amazon that leave things out of descriptions or are purposely deceptive about their condition.

-Those same shady dealers then demanding that I pay for the shipping back, meaning I'm out of money for their deceit.

-The obvious trolls that populate so many online gaming communities. Thank you VGCollect for not being one of them!

-People that make fun of you for not playing GTA V or the latest Call of Duty. Do they realize that's like a developmentally-delayed person calling another developmentally-delayed person a retard? We're all gamers, the games you play doesn't make you anymore or any less geeky than the next gamer.

-Sega CD and Saturn game cases. Could they make these things any freaking easier to damage?!

-Poor selection of retro-games in my local area.

[ffxik]

Things I hate about video game collecting (well, "hate" is a strong word, more like pet-peeves):

-Sellers that think just because the game says "Final Fantasy" or "Mario" on it, that it must be worth $50 or more, even if it's not rare, is a Greatest Hits edition, or disc only.

-Individuals that aren't professional sellers, but sell or trade from their own collection and decide that they want $30 for their $5 copy of Super Mario Bros. due to "personal value". That's great that people love their games and all, but in the real world that doesn't add monetary value to anything.

-Shady sellers on eBay and Amazon that leave things out of descriptions or are purposely deceptive about their condition.

-Those same shady dealers then demanding that I pay for the shipping back, meaning I'm out of money for their deceit.

-The obvious trolls that populate so many online gaming communities. Thank you VGCollect for not being one of them!

-People that make fun of you for not playing GTA V or the latest Call of Duty. Do they realize that's like a developmentally-delayed person calling another developmentally-delayed person a retard? We're all gamers, the games you play doesn't make you anymore or any less geeky than the next gamer.

-Sega CD and Saturn game cases. Could they make these things any freaking easier to damage?!

-Poor selection of retro-games in my local area.

Quoted simply because I would pretty much post the same verbatim.

[htimreimer]

speaking of ebay sellers, don't you love how they slap the word rare on every fucken game they sell as if it matters

[pacpix]

so far i have experienced spider,spider,dust,cobweb,spider, spiderweb and mysterious sticky brown mold sauce (at lest i think its mold) that smells like a cross between BBQ sauce and wet dog that also burn a hole in to the label

FTFY

For me it is finding a place to put all my games!  I bought way to much crap when I got into the hobby, I wish I had been more selective at the start.

[MJMaranan]

speaking of ebay sellers, don't you love how they slap the word rare on every fucken game they sell as if it matters

It is a good selling point to someone willing (gullible?) enough to buy it.  Not saying I'll do the same indiscriminately, it's a marketing plug.

-Shady sellers on eBay and Amazon that leave things out of descriptions or are purposely deceptive about their condition.

-Those same shady dealers then demanding that I pay for the shipping back, meaning I'm out of money for their deceit.

-People that make fun of you for not playing GTA V or the latest Call of Duty. Do they realize that's like a developmentally-delayed person calling another developmentally-delayed person a retard? We're all gamers, the games you play doesn't make you anymore or any less geeky than the next gamer.

-Poor selection of retro-games in my local area.

This.

As a collector who wants to have games to be complete, as in game, case, manual, and/or applicable inserts...  It's a love/hate relationship.

[bikingjahuty]

speaking of ebay sellers, don't you love how they slap the word rare on every fucken game they sell as if it matters

This is an enormous pet peeve of mine, especially when you take into account that 98% of all games would never fall into the genuinely "rare" category no matter how you spin it. Even a game like Panzer Dragoon Saga which received a print run of about 30k copies I think is pushing it slightly. Valuable maybe, but not rare. It's especially annoying when "rare" is attached to anything with Mario, Zelda, Sonic or any other popular video game franchise. Even Price Charting is guilty of arbitrarily branding many games as rare when they are not at all.

[disgaeniac]

speaking of ebay sellers, don't you love how they slap the word rare on every fucken game they sell as if it matters

This is an enormous pet peeve of mine, especially when you take into account that 98% of all games would never fall into the genuinely "rare" category no matter how you spin it. Even a game like Panzer Dragoon Saga which received a print run of about 30k copies I think is pushing it slightly. Valuable maybe, but not rare. It's especially annoying when "rare" is attached to anything with Mario, Zelda, Sonic or any other popular video game franchise. Even Price Charting is guilty of arbitrarily branding many games as rare when they are not at all.

Truth.

I remember FF VII prices being pretty inflated some years back & tagged as "rare" -and- there were only what...7 - 10 *Million* copies sold, or something