I buy games with the intent to play- I do have a couple titles still sealed in my collection that will likely not be opened just because the time spent in my backlog has made them somewhat valuable sealed (Xenogears and Zelda Minish Cap to be precise.) If I found a collector who'd swap me for opened copies plus a lil' cash I'd take the deal.
I feel like games are unique in that it's their use that gives them purpose- it's not the box Mario came in that makes people nostalgic for it, it's the gameplay. If you're not giving the games a run-though, you're not understanding why people came to love them in the first place.
At the same time, I don't mind the sealed collectors from a preservation standpoint. We are not the last of the world's gamers, and using games does create wear & eventually breakage. Sealed collectors help keep the tactile part of gaming alive by keeping specimens around (although, ironically, you'll need to break the seal to get the full experience.) I also appreciate the ROM makers- by continually making older games available on newer machines, they keep the games alive & make sure the next generations can play these titles long after the originals have broken down.
I play to keep and keep on collecting just to have them because I know that physical video games are rare period. don't let anyone tell you different. Physical copies don't last forever. AND sometimes in order to have something Physical again you just gotta open a seal copy. Data is more interchangeable that Physical copies, at least some good data is free on ROM sites, also some bad and good data can be found on corrupt ROM web sites. They say that ROMS are illegal but what do you think a PS4 uses people? I guess if you PAY it's legal but even back in the 1990's hackers used to put viruses on PC video games (THAT MY PARENTS USED TO PAY MONEY FOR) and even the SONY PS1 demo disc is actually a memory card breaker i read.
This bit confuses me. Physical games in general are not rare- maybe specific titles, but most anybody can walk into a store and find games of some kind. A ROM is just a date file- whether or not it's legal depends on who owns the data & if they're OK with where and how it's being distributed. and PS1 demos don't break memory cards! There was one PS2 demo that erased memory cards, but it wasn't intentional & sony pulled them and issued replacements. They also sent free games to people affected. I actually just hunted a copy of that disc down, now I need a PS2 card with corrupt data stuck on it- I want to see if the erase glitch can blank the card. Could be a valuable repair option nowadays.
