Life After Collecting

[bikingjahuty]

A thought has crossed my mind several times in the past few months as a result of nearing the light at the end of the tunnel for many collections on consoles that I originally got into collecting for. For example, I am only 7 games away from having every NTSC PS2 game I've ever wanted, having started with a want list well over a hundred a fifty games deep for that console just a few years ago. Likewise I am close to finishing my N64 collection, Dreamcast collection (again lol), SNES, and Wii collections. I am completely finished with my original XBOX, Gamecube, and NES collections.


So the thought I've been having is after I complete these collections, and several others I am relatively close to finishing, what will I do next? Luckily I have come up with a few answers to this question, and once I finish up a few of my NTSC/North American collections I will be working more on the following:


- start heavily collecting imports, specifically on the Dreamcast, Saturn, and PS2
- Converting select loose carts on the N64 and SNES into CIB (just the games I owned and/or played as a kid)
- collecting video game statues, poster, artwork, and other memorabilia.


Given that these other game related pursuits are much more expensive because they often require paying full retail online or at a store, I figure it will be at a pace that will be slow enough to sustain me for a long time. It is a sad thought to think of being done with collecting actual games and consoles, but it will inevitably happen, and at the rate I've been collecting, I would not be surprised if I reached this point in the next couple years.


So to everyone else, what will you do once you obtain every game on your want list or wrap up a library for a specific console you are really into? Will you just stop collecting anything related to video games, or will you transition to collecting something else, video game related or not?


I'm interested to see what other peoples plan are regarding this

[burningdoom]

I don't see that ever happening for me. Even if I eventually got to the point you're at with games (which seems unlikely since my wishlist only continually grows), I still collect plenty of other stuff to keep me on the hunt like comics, albums, and DVDs & VHS's.

[bikingjahuty]

I don't see that ever happening for me. Even if I eventually got to the point you're at with games (which seems unlikely since my wishlist only continually grows), I still collect plenty of other stuff to keep me on the hunt like comics, albums, and DVDs & VHS's.

Yeah, other hobbies definitely slow video game collecting down. Video games are definitely my primary money pit, but I also have money that goes towards my Manga and Anime habit, but at a fraction of what a spend on games lol.

[dashv]

I am right there with you man.

Actual "must have games" in my wish list right now is actually less than 25.

The 3DO and TG-16 stuff in my wish list is pretty much wishful thinking.
I even went through and removed cartridge stuff I could get more reasonably (or already have) on Virtual Console.

Of course this bit me in the ass this week when my Wii suddenly died.

[Warmsignal]

I dont have to worry, I'm not ever getting there. I've always been on a pretty strict budget and so I still wait to find the deals rather than shell out to get whatever I want. I don't see that changing, and my wish is just growing as I continue to mine for gems on various platforms. I just added like 30 Wii games. Plus new games releasing all of the time. I almost wanna say I will give up before I ever say I'm finished. I'm in for the long haul.

I do kind of wonder what I'd do with myself if I ever come to a final stopping point. Hopefully I'd move on and discover another passion, something that is not to do with material items building up to be honest. To go back to the period of not constantly wanting things might be a welcome change of pace.

I've always been interested in the idea of travelling, experiencing new places, meeting new people, instead of living in the same small town my whole life and never really leaving it.

[atarileaf]

I've been done the main part of my collection for quite a while now. I still pick up items and games now and then but very specific items. I don't think you ever really finish collecting. It might go on the back burner because of other pursuits or simply because there's nothing out there at the moment that appeals to you. I guess the question each needs to ask is - what's more important to you, the actual collecting ie the "hunt" or having a collection that you enjoy. If it's the former then some form of depression and angst may set in at the thought of not having any game related items to look for or want.

I enjoy having the collection and playing what I have and it's a much smaller collection than most, I actually sold quite a bit a few months ago. However there are still interesting items out there that intrigue me like the Atari C-380 and anything to do with the Tandy Color Computer hardware or software wise. Also branching out to other systems and games that I've never owned or played before piques my interest, specifically older systems like the Fairchild or Leisurevision/Arcadia.

Right now I'd like to find an old 486 DOS computer and get some late 80's early 90's pc games. That's going to take some time and effort for sure.

[disgaeniac]

I don't ever see myself hitting the "there's still hundreds to thousands of game that I don't own and...I don't want ANY of them" point.

But, if I ever lost my enthusiasm for collecting or (like in your case), found myself in a "What next/Now" position - my answer would be easy!

It'd be all about the backlog, baby!

By the time I cleared a 10th of it, there's no doubt that the next gen would be here and...there'd be more stuff that I'd want by then

[abe]

I'm not sure I'll ever run out of games and gaming related things to collect. Assuming I do though, I'd try to clear through as much of my backlog as I could once I finished collecting. As a rule, I don't buy any games that I have no interest in playing/finishing, so working on the backlog should be an obvious choice. My wishlist seems to grow faster than I can get games for it though, so I don't think it'll be finished any time soon.

[turf]

Even after I finish my NES set, I think I'll still buy NES games.  I'm in it for the hunt.  I love digging and looking for deals. 
For example: I bought an NES this weekend.  Why?  Because it was cheap, came with 2 dogbones, and I need stuff to sell at Retropalooza 2015.

I like going out an looking.  There's tons of stuff to be found and I'm just the dude to find it.  If I do finish my NES collection, there's still SNES, Gameboy, GBA, N64 (this is probably where I'll go next), GameCube, and Wii.  I'm even considering dabbling in PS3 when it gets cheap. 

My other money pit could easily be Arcade Cabinets.  I would love to get the know-how and experience to buy these things and referb them.  Have you ever watched John's Arcade on youtube?  It fascinates the shit out of me.  I know how I operate though.  I'd just horde the things up.  I'd get them, repair them, and keep them; even if there's no room. 

[DreamsDied13101]

My video game collecting doesn't have limits on it. I just keep collecting any and all items. There are some parts of my collection that I buy multiples of too (own a handful of the same system).

The thing that worries me more is that digital distribution is getting so big and I don't have the time or resources to buy all the digital games. There have been too many games that have already come and gone and I was never able to get them. So I focus more on physical goods in my collection which I fear will become less and less common. 

[evilnick]

I don't think I'm going to run out of stuff to collect.  I have a few immediate goals and things that I'm actively looking for, but this changes frequently or as the collection grows.  Lately, I've been looking for shmups, for instance.  But there are always items I'm looking for, particularly TG-16 and Virtual Boy games.

[bikingjahuty]

I don't ever see myself hitting the "there's still hundreds to thousands of game that I don't own and...I don't want ANY of them" point.

But, if I ever lost my enthusiasm for collecting or (like in your case), found myself in a "What next/Now" position - my answer would be easy!

It'd be all about the backlog, baby!

By the time I cleared a 10th of it, there's no doubt that the next gen would be here and...there'd be more stuff that I'd want by then

I've thought abou going for complete library sets on some of my favorite consoles, but honestly I have no desire to own crappy sports titles and horribly made budget titles. I try to keep my collection as high quality as possible, which isn't to say that every high quality game is in my collection or will be, but I only want to obtain games that personally interest me. I'm reaching my limit with that. Even after that point, I'm sure I'll still run across games that I overlooked at one point, but decided to give them a chance. This has happened with several XBOX and Gamecube games after I finished these collections.

[Bwigdahl]

Even after I finish my NES set, I think I'll still buy NES games.  I'm in it for the hunt.  I love digging and looking for deals. 
For example: I bought an NES this weekend.  Why?  Because it was cheap, came with 2 dogbones, and I need stuff to sell at Retropalooza 2015.

I like going out an looking.  There's tons of stuff to be found and I'm just the dude to find it.  If I do finish my NES collection, there's still SNES, Gameboy, GBA, N64 (this is probably where I'll go next), GameCube, and Wii.  I'm even considering dabbling in PS3 when it gets cheap. 

My other money pit could easily be Arcade Cabinets.  I would love to get the know-how and experience to buy these things and referb them.  Have you ever watched John's Arcade on youtube?  It fascinates the shit out of me.  I know how I operate though.  I'd just horde the things up.  I'd get them, repair them, and keep them; even if there's no room. 

You should keep collecting and send all the games to me

[atarileaf]

I've thought abou going for complete library sets on some of my favorite consoles, but honestly I have no desire to own crappy sports titles and horribly made budget titles. I try to keep my collection as high quality as possible, which isn't to say that every high quality game is in my collection or will be, but I only want to obtain games that personally interest me. I'm reaching my limit with that. Even after that point, I'm sure I'll still run across games that I overlooked at one point, but decided to give them a chance. This has happened with several XBOX and Gamecube games after I finished these collections.

I started out as a "buy anything and everything" collector but I found that to be an empty endeavour at least for me. I really began to hate the idea of shelves and shelves of "filler", games I knew I'd never play. My collection is now much smaller but contains all games I really love and play. It's different for everyone but it seems to me that eventually, most collectors come to the same realization sooner or later and purge the filler in their collections.

[maximo310]

Personally, I feel like the collecting aspect won't stop for me. Instead, I'll keep working my other collections while working/completing other sets of stuff. I personally think having different collections of stuff really enhances your overall library, as long as you are selective on what to buy and what you like. For example, I started collecting soundtracks since the last year, and I really like comparing different OST's and their overall quality, especially for some of the video game soundtracks and it helps give some creative ideas for music arrangements/transcriptions/etc.

I've always enjoyed collecting stuff and I don't forsee a future where that will really slow down to a  complete halt.