VGCollect Forum
General and Gaming => General => Topic started by: bikingjahuty on October 21, 2015, 12:43:46 am
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I ask this question because I've seen a lot of local collectors begin to sell off parts of their collection, their whole collections, or just throw in the towel and more or less stick with what they have. On top of that I've noticed that a to of the enthusiasm for collecting has died down significantly in here, in other sites/groups I belong to and among people I personally know who collect. If you ask me, I believe it is.
So where do you believe this will lead if you do believe the hobby is losing steam/interest?
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^ Hopefully it means more games for me. ;D
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Prices are still climbing, either way. I heard someone saying that eventually, classic game collecting will become largely unaffordable for most people, $100 games becoming the cheap end. I seriously don't doubt this anymore. Every day I learn of something new that people are paying larger and larger amounts for. Like today I realized people are getting $130 a cart for Wayne's World on NES. Ridiculously stupid IMO, but not surprising. That to me is quite telling. I can only surmise that when people throw down serious money on seriously ridiculous stuff, the hobby is getting more serious, and less casual. So maybe less populated, or at least less populated by frugal gamers, or collectors. More so now by elites and hardcore hobbyists. Where do I think it will all lead? Into the hands of a whole other level of collecting. :-X
Another factor is a lot of us who have been doing this 5, 8, 10 years now nearly have everything we ever wanted, probably a bit burnt out on the routine. Surely annoyed at how things aren't the way they used to be, and probably tired of dealers and random dudes from Craigslist and their antics of looking items up right in front of you and charging you a number based on what they find. No point in hunting anymore, if that's how it's gonna be.
I've wanted to wrap things up long ago, but just recently became somewhat enthused by my 32x of all things. The aspect of discovery has always been the spark of enthusiasm, but eventually you run out of that. Enthusiasm is also easily squashed when you continually feel like what you want to discover is always held just out of reach. :-\ At least for me, there's a lot of gilt involved in spending big on another game I probably don't need.
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Dying for who?
Seems like you need to interview a larger target audience, as it's not dying at all. I've been buying all kinds of games all month (friend referrals) and another friend I know just got a CD-i console as well as a Virtual Boy this summer.
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A lot of people I chat with believe the market is a bubble and it's on its way to bursting. Atari used to be relatively expensive for a period of time, now it's relatively worthless. People think the same thing will happen with the NES.
I don't agree, but I do think a lot of people who are collecting for nostalgia's sake will likely give up at some point, or maybe they get married and have kids and have to change their priorities.
I know I am and have been pretty burnt out lately. I took a break back in March to chill and just enjoy what I have and focus on saving money to buy a house. We bought a house, now I'm able to get back into collecting, but I just don't feel it anymore. Trading with folks online is troublesome because the people I would trade with seem to only want mint condition stuff for display rather than games to play like they used to. Buying stuff on ebay/CL/facebook is just useless because people throw ridiculous prices out there expecting nothing less because it sold for $10k on ebay VGA graded 4 years ago, so my MINT game with no label, box, or manual is worth at least that. Yes, that happened, often actually, and yes, I am bitter about it.
In a different situation I would think that the bubble theory would work, but when the big thing right now is streaming let's plays and such, no title is safe. Some day, a guy is going to do a let's play of a game like Fear Effect and people are going to go banana's and drive that price from $20 to like $50. Shenmue for dreamcast used to be a $20-30 game, now it goes for like $40-50. All because of hype. If streamers, kickstarters, and word of mouth can keep hype going for the hobby people will always be buying something.
Now if MLG and Streaming becomes a fad and nobody cares about it anymore, sure, it'll die down. But as always, people love to live vicariously through others.
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I don't think the hobby is dying down, but it's not as fun as it used be because of the Internet.
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I don't think the hobby is dying down, but it's not as fun as it used be because of the Internet.
I agree.
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I think warmsignal said it all. I agree with pretty much everything he is saying.
I'm certainly no less enthusiastic about my collecting than I was a month, a year, or five years ago. But I am at a point where while there are certainly still games I want, I am pretty happy with my collection overall. And in fact, over the last two months I have spent more on games, accessories, swag than the last two years!
Then you have to look at the ballooning prices. Even a year ago, I could walk into just about any game store or pawn shop and pick up old NES carts for five bucks. Mario, Metroid, Zelda, etc. Now, the price has artificially blew up where even copies of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt go for $25 a pop for the cart only. Similarly, the prices of PlayStation (one) games has increased dramatically. Two or three years ago, I bought a copy of Strider 2 new/sealed for $30. The recent copy I purchased I paid around $80 for used. And unless your willing to drop some serious cash forget getting good RPG's for the thing.
Mom & Pop shops are seeing dollar signs too. My local go-to went from selling NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. systems complete with a game for around $40 to cranking the price up to $80. eBay and Amazon prices have gone completely ape$hit and locals who advertise on buy/sell/trade pages or have yard/garage sales are looking up online prices and trying to hose you.
Condition doesn't seem to matter to these jokers either. I would be willing to pay up to $30 for a complete copy of ActRaiser for the SNES in pretty decent condition. But asshats are trying to charge that for a cartridge only with a torn off label and ratty-ass Blockbuster stickers & goo stuck all over it. No thank you.
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Maybe ill stockpile then.
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I don't personally see myself losing interest anytime soon. I'm pretty young though, I don't buy a lot of games, and I make a effort to play/beat every game that I buy: by and large I will really only buy games that I want to play. I guess that makes me less of a collector per say and more someone who only likes to play games for entertainment. (That's not a knock against people who do that, though).
Anyway, because of that mentality, I don't know if I'll ever get close to buying everything I could ever want, or playing everything that I want. I still have a lot to play and experience both old and new. Prices of things definitely affect how much stuff I can reasonably enjoy, but I would wager that there still plenty of great cheap franchises or games out there that I haven't even tried yet, and I bet that's the case for everybody on here.
Certainly buying games at some point will become exhaustive, but playing games will take a lot longer to accomplish, at least in my opinion. :)
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^ Hopefully it means more games for me. ;D
This! haha
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Im looking forward to the bubble bursting because that just means that I can go out and buy more games for cheaper and hopefully get those Great games that I have never been able to play because they are $100+. I don't know about you guys but whatever the price of a new game is is my absolute limit for buying something.
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Im looking forward to the bubble bursting because that just means that I can go out and buy more games for cheaper and hopefully get those Great games that I have never been able to play because they are $100+. I don't know about you guys but whatever the price of a new game is is my absolute limit for buying something.
That's the metric I pretty much go by unless it's something reallllly special to me. Honestly, most of the time I don't want to spend more than $20 or $25 for an older title, complete in like-new condition.
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I ask this question because I've seen a lot of local collectors begin to sell off parts of their collection, their whole collections, or just throw in the towel and more or less stick with what they have. On top of that I've noticed that a to of the enthusiasm for collecting has died down significantly in here, in other sites/groups I belong to and among people I personally know who collect. If you ask me, I believe it is.
So where do you believe this will lead if you do believe the hobby is losing steam/interest?
If anything, I think the retro game collecting scene is even worse but perhaps you're asking the wrong people this question since all of us here are collectors.
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I think it's just gotten harder. I remember when I could walk into practically any used music shop or pawn shop and find a row of old cartridge games. Nowadays you're lucky to spot them at all outside of online sources.
That has made the hobby a lot less fun. It was a joy to go to a pawn shop, and grab up an armful of games for $20-$30 out the door. But that just doesn't happen anymore. Now you usually end up coming home empty handed, or with just PS2 & above games, and end up going on eBay to find that SNES game you've been wanting.
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I don't buy a lot of games, and I make a effort to play/beat every game that I buy: by and large I will really only buy games that I want to play. I guess that makes me less of a collector per say and more someone who only likes to play games for entertainment. (That's not a knock against people who do that, though).
This is something I want to echo. One of the reasons the hobby has remained the same for me is because I don't pick a bunch of random games during my outings. There have been instances when I see a stack of games or an old console, but I don't bother with them unless there's something I have an interest in playing.
Everyone has their own method of collecting, which is great. My method results in a smaller collection, but in that collection, close to 100% of the games have been played until the end. Some of them have been played to 100% completion.
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This is something I want to echo. One of the reasons the hobby has remained the same for me is because I don't pick a bunch of random games during my outings. There have been instances when I see a stack of games or an old console, but I don't bother with them unless there's something I have an interest in playing.
Everyone has their own method of collecting, which is great. My method results in a smaller collection, but in that collection, close to 100% of the games have been played until the end. Some of them have been played to 100% completion.
While in no way do I complete every game I buy and some I have never even slid the disc into the tray (or cart into a slot), my personal collecting habits revolve around genres or series that I enjoy. That is to say, I wouldn't buy Dora games because I am trying to collect Gameboy Advance games.
I see games all the time when I'm out perusing, but if it's not something I want, complete and in good condition I won't bother with it. A few exceptions over the many years of gaming for something like Rugrats for the PlayStation, still sealed for a dollar. Why not?
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Condition doesn't seem to matter to these jokers either. I would be willing to pay up to $30 for a complete copy of ActRaiser for the SNES in pretty decent condition. But asshats are trying to charge that for a cartridge only with a torn off label and ratty-ass Blockbuster stickers & goo stuck all over it. No thank you.
Oh, this one I have to gripe about. Gotta love the double standard many sellers go by, knowing that most of their clientele collect these things, but not considering that condition even matters? If it's just the game, people would download it. It's the item as well, so condition matters. Cosmetic issues = less value than average. My local game store stopped considering condition, ugh. They have $35 on a Streets of Rage 3 cart that looks like it's been through the streets of rage. It's no wonder they don't care anymore, go online and you'll see a good cart for one price, and then another beat up cart for even more?? Nobody evaluates condition anymore.
Im looking forward to the bubble bursting because that just means that I can go out and buy more games for cheaper and hopefully get those Great games that I have never been able to play because they are $100+. I don't know about you guys but whatever the price of a new game is is my absolute limit for buying something.
Pretty much. $60 most of the time was MSRP and games like anything else depreciate after launch. So the equation becomes how in demand or popular is the game? Is it being snapped up like it's new? Are there not enough to meet the demand? If so, $60 seems fair, maybe a bit more if the game is truly rare. About $80 is my usual limit, give or take a little. Otherwise, it goes on my list of repro carts I plan to buy.
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^ I'm that guy that buys that blockbuster-covered cartridge because I buy to play, not to fill a shelf. And I'm gonna find the cheapest copy to play.
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^ I'm that guy that buys that blockbuster-covered cartridge because I buy to play, not to fill a shelf. And I'm gonna find the cheapest copy to play.
Everyone has their own methods, criteria or whatever for collecting. If you are fine buying a crusty cart for cheap because you just want to play the game, there is nothing at all wrong with that. As a collector, I have my own set of criteria for the games I buy and if it is going to cost me more than a McMeal Deal, I'm going for quality.
At this very moment, I have probably 20-30 games that are disc-only copies. I don't list them in my collection because they don't meet the criteria I have set out for myself with my personal collection. I also will not buy a PlayStation game that does not include the manual. Mainly because the manual doubles for the cover art. The only acception is if it is a cheaper, dual-jewel case that the manual sits in the middle of and is not used for the cover art. I have one or two of those, but am always on the lookout for the manual.
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^ I'm that guy that buys that blockbuster-covered cartridge because I buy to play, not to fill a shelf. And I'm gonna find the cheapest copy to play.
If it's just purely to play, why not emulate? Most of the original developers aren't going to make a cent on these anymore, if it's not on eShop or PSN. So if you can't go that route, why not? If it's the feel of the original hardware, why not go with an everdrive, or some repro carts or something that gives you more for your money?
I carry the same philosophy not just for game carts, but everything, shelves too. When I went to get a bookshelf, I keep checking the condition of the parts and some were pretty beat up. I didn't want the beat up ones. I wanted the good one. When I start looking for another car, I don't want the scratched and dented one even if it runs well, I want one that is in good shape. But I'm crazy.
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If it's just purely to play, why not emulate? Most of the original developers aren't going to make a cent on these anymore, if it's not on eShop or PSN. So if you can't go that route, why not? If it's the feel of the original hardware, why not go with an everdrive, or some repro carts or something that gives you more for your money?
I carry the same philosophy not just for game carts, but everything, shelves too. When I went to get a bookshelf, I keep checking the condition of the parts and some were pretty beat up. I didn't want the beat up ones. I wanted the good one. When I start looking for another car, I don't want the scratched and dented one even if it runs well, I want one that is in good shape. But I'm crazy.
I'm in the same mindset as you. I guess we are both crazy. :P I prefer to fill my shelves with "Cadillac-quality" games that are complete instead of crusty turds. If it's just a game I want to play and don't care about it's physical quality, I emulate it.
Like you, I follow the same method for everything I purchase.
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Well obviously if I can get better for the same price, I'm going to (or if it's barely a difference). But when I have Contra for $10 because it's cart-only and has a rental sticker, vs. a complete boxed copy for nearly $100, I'm going for that $10 cartridge. (A car is hardly the same thing as a game. A car is something you rely on.)
I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
And where did I call anyone crazy? I just said I'm that guy buying the sticker covered cart.
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I guess we are both crazy.
Nah, not at all. I'm right there with y'all. All of the games I buy need to be complete, which is probably another reason why the hobby hasn't died down for me. I always ensure that I buy things complete. Aesthetics are very important to me in nearly aspect of my life, and my video game collection is no exception. Shoes? All lined up by color. Watches? All lined up by color?
Video game collection? All lined up in a specific way that would be thrown out of whack without boxes, manuals, etc.
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Well obviously if I can get better for the same price, I'm going to (or if it's barely a difference). But when I have Contra for $10 because it's cart-only and has a rental sticker, vs. a complete boxed copy for nearly $100, I'm going for that $10 cartridge. (A car is hardly the same thing as a game. A car is something you rely on.)
I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
And where did I call anyone crazy? I just said I'm that guy buying the sticker covered cart.
I'm just saying I'm crazy, so don't go by me. :P
If a car has some nasty cosmetic damage, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't rely on it. It could still run well, and be dependable. But I still wouldn't want that one, I want the one that is in good shape overall, including the stuff that shouldn't matter, like the body and the paint.
As for emulation, I don't understand who you would be stealing from if the game in question is no longer on the market, the developers no longer attempting to gain anything from their work and they're the only ones entitled to reap the rewards. I don't quite grasp the concept of victimless crimes.
Ah, the collecting aspect. So it's not purely just to play the game. ;) I get it, sometimes price influences a purchase, but, if it's effed up I'll just pass and look for another opportunity.
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones.
Masturbation is a sin too. The bible says you should not spill your seed, better to fill the belly of a whore. :P
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I don't think it's dying, but a lot of people have slowed down. There are a mixture of reasons, but I'd point mainly to a lot of people getting older and completing certain collection goals, high prices on certain items forcing people to pace themselves more, and general tightening of the belt due to economic factors outside of gaming.
In my case, I'm 35. Plenty of stuff I still want out there, but I have to take into consideration that my cost of living has been going up, a lot of the high priority stuff I want is in the $100-200 range now, etc. I'm still enthusiastic, but I'm also trying to PLAY the games I have and not worry so much about what I don't have, and I've never been the type to collect games I don't want to play or have any specific affection for.
TLDR: Quality over quantity!
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones.
Masturbation is a sin too. The bible says you should not spill your seed, better to fill the belly of a whore. :P
Stop it before it starts. No religion talk.
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Stop it before it starts. No religion talk.
Party pooper. :P
BTW turf...aren't you down to needing 21 NES games now? Gotta change your tagline. ;)
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If it's just purely to play, why not emulate? Most of the original developers aren't going to make a cent on these anymore, if it's not on eShop or PSN. So if you can't go that route, why not? If it's the feel of the original hardware, why not go with an everdrive, or some repro carts or something that gives you more for your money?
I carry the same philosophy not just for game carts, but everything, shelves too. When I went to get a bookshelf, I keep checking the condition of the parts and some were pretty beat up. I didn't want the beat up ones. I wanted the good one. When I start looking for another car, I don't want the scratched and dented one even if it runs well, I want one that is in good shape. But I'm crazy.
Oh, certainly I would rather play the actual game as it was released as much as the next guy. That's a part of the gaming experience that I miss out on when I do play emulated games. And I really do enjoy searching for a game that I want to play even though I don't do it that often. That part of me is very much rooted in the collector's mindset.
Otherwise I will definitely never buy a game that I have no interest in playing. I just can't do it, even if it's the bottom of the bargain bin. Unless it's free, I will never bite, no matter what the price, because those things add up over time. And come to think of it, I'm not even someone who is pressed to find a complete pristine copy of a game either. It highly depends on the medium (CD vs Cart), among others, but other than making sure it has the CD case it came in, it's not something that I'm too dedicated towards. It's interesting how those things are different for different people, and no one way is better than the other. :)
At at the same time, you have a point that I'm not someone who will shy away from a digital copy of a game given the circumstances. I have no regrets buying Suikoden II on the PSN for $10 compared to the physical release for $150; for me I'm willing to make that sacrifice if it means I can play the game and enjoy it at least somewhat authentically. That's probably a double standard, but that's just how I like to play games. :P
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Well obviously if I can get better for the same price, I'm going to (or if it's barely a difference). But when I have Contra for $10 because it's cart-only and has a rental sticker, vs. a complete boxed copy for nearly $100, I'm going for that $10 cartridge. (A car is hardly the same thing as a game. A car is something you rely on.)
I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
And where did I call anyone crazy? I just said I'm that guy buying the sticker covered cart.
I'm just saying I'm crazy, so don't go by me. :P
If a car has some nasty cosmetic damage, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't rely on it. It could still run well, and be dependable. But I still wouldn't want that one, I want the one that is in good shape overall, including the stuff that shouldn't matter, like the body and the paint.
As for emulation, I don't understand who you would be stealing from if the game in question is no longer on the market, the developers no longer attempting to gain anything from their work and they're the only ones entitled to reap the rewards. I don't quite grasp the concept of victimless crimes.
Ah, the collecting aspect. So it's not purely just to play the game. ;) I get it, sometimes price influences a purchase, but, if it's effed up I'll just pass and look for another opportunity.
Personal decision. Everyone's morals and religious views are gonna differ. But in my case, I feel if I have to question if what I'm doing is wrong or right, then I probably shouldn't be doing it, whether or not someone gets hurt by it.
And yeah, it's not JUST to play games. But at the same time, I'm only gonna get ones that I am actually going to play. You won't find any traditional sports games on my game shelf, or a lot of stealth or fighting games. Because I'm just not into those.
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It's definitely not dying down, people always end up selling their collections later in life for some reason or another it seems, It could be because prices are at an all time high now that people are doing the smart thing and are selling them. I know a lot of you probably don't want to believe it but Nes and Snes collecting is in a bubble and it will pop withing the next couple decades... It happens with every hobby and Video games are no exception. Once the Snes and nes generations approach their senior years the desire to keep and collect these games will diminish greatly, and im not saying they will become worthless because of this, but their value will lower drastically. Anyone who thinks the prices can only go up forever is rather foolish, no offence.
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It's defenitely become more difficult to find games; even some of my wants on 7th generation have already started to become hard to find and jump in price. I feel like that I sometimes have to jump on the stuff I really want or else it will become a lot harder to find in the future. This is especially true with imports, since most purchases are limited to online, and stuff like ps2 shmup imports are pretty expensive and range from $50-200 for each game.
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If local prices are anything to go by, it's not dying down in my area. Personally it's slowing down for me a bit simply because I've been collecting for a long time and am running out of items I am really after.
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Well obviously if I can get better for the same price, I'm going to (or if it's barely a difference). But when I have Contra for $10 because it's cart-only and has a rental sticker, vs. a complete boxed copy for nearly $100, I'm going for that $10 cartridge. (A car is hardly the same thing as a game. A car is something you rely on.)
I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
And where did I call anyone crazy? I just said I'm that guy buying the sticker covered cart.
I'm just saying I'm crazy, so don't go by me. :P
If a car has some nasty cosmetic damage, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't rely on it. It could still run well, and be dependable. But I still wouldn't want that one, I want the one that is in good shape overall, including the stuff that shouldn't matter, like the body and the paint.
As for emulation, I don't understand who you would be stealing from if the game in question is no longer on the market, the developers no longer attempting to gain anything from their work and they're the only ones entitled to reap the rewards. I don't quite grasp the concept of victimless crimes.
Ah, the collecting aspect. So it's not purely just to play the game. ;) I get it, sometimes price influences a purchase, but, if it's effed up I'll just pass and look for another opportunity.
Personal decision. Everyone's morals and religious views are gonna differ. But in my case, I feel if I have to question if what I'm doing is wrong or right, then I probably shouldn't be doing it, whether or not someone gets hurt by it.
And yeah, it's not JUST to play games. But at the same time, I'm only gonna get ones that I am actually going to play. You won't find any traditional sports games on my game shelf, or a lot of stealth or fighting games. Because I'm just not into those.
I can identify with a lot of folks here.
Like Burningdoom I am also a Christian. (we can leave the religious aspect of the discussion at that. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone on here :) )
While I do view emulating to avoid paying for games I enjoy that are available by other means (virtual console, psn, etc) as stealing, I don't have a problem emulating stuff I already own. Or emulating stuff that is still unobtainable and ridiculously overpriced.
I play burned discs (for stuff I already own) on my CD-i because the originals are too brittle and actually come apart while playing due to their age.
I won't try to claim my emulation preferences are based on any kind of moral high ground. For me it's a case of "don't piss where you sleep."
I work in the software/tech industry. If people don't buy the products of my labor I end up being told to look for another job. It's kind of a double standard for me to expect other people to pay for utilizing the fruits of my work if I'm not willing to pay for their efforts.
Mighty Final Fight nes cart fetches over $100 on ebay. It's $5 on WiiU VC. Hardly a bank breaker to emulate legitimately. Duck Tales 2 is also over $100 for a cart. Only other option on that one is non-legit emulation or miss out entirely.
As far as being a completionist I can identify with Kashell in that I want as much of the full experience as I can get. For Disc based stuff I go complete or not at all.
For cart based stuff I want a decent looking cart with a manual that's still intact. I don't care too much about a fragile box.
At the end of the day I only get something if it's stupid cheap or I plan to play it.
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
So then I assume if I were to peruse your collection I'd find no violent or supernatural titles eh. All puzzle games, sports games and family friendly games I'd assume ;)
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I can identify with a lot of folks here.
Like Burningdoom I am also a Christian. (we can leave the religious aspect of the discussion at that. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone on here :) )
While I do view emulating to avoid paying for games I enjoy that are available by other means (virtual console, psn, etc) as stealing, I don't have a problem emulating stuff I already own. Or emulating stuff that is still unobtainable and ridiculously overpriced.
I play burned discs (for stuff I already own) on my CD-i because the originals are too brittle and actually come apart while playing due to their age.
I won't try to claim my emulation preferences are based on any kind of moral high ground. For me it's a case of "don't piss where you sleep."
I work in the software/tech industry. If people don't buy the products of my labor I end up being told to look for another job. It's kind of a double standard for me to expect other people to pay for utilizing the fruits of my work if I'm not willing to pay for their efforts.
Mighty Final Fight nes cart fetches over $100 on ebay. It's $5 on WiiU VC. Hardly a bank breaker to emulate legitimately. Duck Tales 2 is also over $100 for a cart. Only other option on that one is non-legit emulation or miss out entirely.
As far as being a completionist I can identify with Kashell in that I want as much of the full experience as I can get. For Disc based stuff I go complete or not at all.
For cart based stuff I want a decent looking cart with a manual that's still intact. I don't care too much about a fragile box.
At the end of the day I only get something if it's stupid cheap or I plan to play it.
I apply my own set of scruples to my buying/gaming/viewing habits. I've never believed in bootlegging. I don't put myself on some pedestal, but I believe that if people spent their time, money and passion to create a product that I want to use, they should be compensated by me buying it.
That being said, I'm more than fine running emulators for old games that are no longer available for sale physically and/or through an official e-store. I also have no qualms about running emulated games when I own the game in one form or another.
For example, I own Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black on the original Xbox. Locked away on these two discs are the entire original NES trilogy as well as the arcade game. I've got these games downloaded on an emulator on my phone. In my mind, I already "own" a licensed copy of this copyright work so emulating it is just running a copy for personal use.
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
So then I assume if I were to peruse your collection I'd find no violent or supernatural titles eh. All puzzle games, sports games and family friendly games I'd assume ;)
Christian or not, is it really that unreasonable to try and have morals? (It is still illegal) Just because someone doesn't see you doing it, doesn't make it any less wrong. A kid shoplifts a candy bar at a store; the company really won't miss that $1, and no one is hurt by it, but it's still stealing. Like I said, personal decision.
And the Bible is one of the most violent books in human history. Reading (or playing) something is a lot different than doing that thing for real.
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although I do not emulate, doing so to an older game is not technically wrong. The reason That I say this is because the originator of the game is not receiving any money for it anyway because the only way for them to receive money is to continue to make more physical copies to sell or to translate it into data and sell that data. lets take an example... mobile light force 2 for the ps2 is a game that is no longer being produced so it is no longer being sold from the publisher, It has not become available to purchase online so there is no revenue stream there. so it is technically not wrong to emulate it. now ducktales (nes) on the other hand Is no longer being physically made so no revenue there that I know of, But it got transferred onto psn so It exists as a revenue stream for someone. so technically if you were to emulate ducktales It would be wrong.
The reason I say "wrong" and not "moral" Is because "wrong" by my definition is according to the law and "moral" is just a code of personal conduct that varies from person to person and as such a morally ok thing for someone may actually be an illegal thing. as an extreme example someone may find It to be morally ok to run over a pedestrian who is j-walking because they weren't in the designated cross walk but as we all know that action is very highly illegal.
also please refrain from bringing religion/politics into conversations please. It always seems to spark unnecessary conflict.
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Seriously, why do I have to keep defending my position? Is it hurting or offending anyone?
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Christian or not, is it really that unreasonable to try and have morals? (It is still illegal) Just because someone doesn't see you doing it, doesn't make it any less wrong. A kid shoplifts a candy bar at a store; the company really won't miss that $1, and no one is hurt by it, but it's still stealing. Like I said, personal decision.
And the Bible is one of the most violent books in human history. Reading (or playing) something is a lot different than doing that thing for real.
Well said.
That aspect aside, you are 100% correct that reading a book, watching a movie or playing a game that contains violence is not the same as perpetrating acts of violence, committing theft, etc. In gaming, I would be considered a mass murderer on par with Adolf Hitler for all the kills I have made in video games over the past 30+ years.
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although I do not emulate, doing so to an older game is not technically wrong. The reason That I say this is because the originator of the game is not receiving any money for it anyway because the only way for them to receive money is to continue to make more physical copies to sell or to translate it into data and sell that data. lets take an example... mobile light force 2 for the ps2 is a game that is no longer being produced so it is no longer being sold from the publisher, It has not become available to purchase online so there is no revenue stream there. so it is technically not wrong to emulate it. now ducktales (nes) on the other hand Is no longer being physically made so no revenue there that I know of, But it got transferred onto psn so It exists as a revenue stream for someone. so technically if you were to emulate ducktales It would be wrong.
The reason I say "wrong" and not "moral" Is because "wrong" by my definition is according to the law and "moral" is just a code of personal conduct that varies from person to person and as such a morally ok thing for someone may actually be an illegal thing. as an extreme example someone may find It to be morally ok to run over a pedestrian who is j-walking because they weren't in the designated cross walk but as we all know that action is very highly illegal.
also please refrain from bringing religion/politics into conversations please. It always seems to spark unnecessary conflict.
Like you said, emulating a game that is no longer being produced, sold or available for sale in any form is not stealing or wrong in my eyes. It's a gray area in the law, but as far as I am concerned, if none of the above applies and you aren't trying to copy and resell the game(s) yourself, it's no big deal.
I also don't have a problem running an emulated game as long as I have one legally owned copy of it, in one form or another as I stated before with the Ninja Gaiden titles.
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I hate resellers who just jump into the retro game scene for the money without ant knowledge of the games.
The only thing they know is the highest eBay price and add 15 bucks to the price.
Hope the prices crash and they all go bankrupt then all would be in balance.
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I hate resellers who just jump into the retro game scene for the money without ant knowledge of the games.
The only thing they know is the highest eBay price and add 15 bucks to the price.
Hope the prices crash and they all go bankrupt then all would be in balance.
Bubbles have a habit of bursting. I was an avid comic collector from around 1981 to 2006, give or take. Around 91-92, the "chromium bonanza" was in full swing. Comics were getting more and more ridiculous variant covers made out of wacky crap and speculators were running prices through the roof. Recently released stuff like Spider-Man #1 (the Todd McFarlane series), X-Force #1 and X-Men #1 (best selling single comic of all time) came out guns blazing. Shortly after, all the "all-stars" artists left to make Image comics. It wasn't long after that people realized that the prices were artificially rising and like the housing market, it popped and died.
I too hope that the greedy bastards hoarding up copies to sell above online prices regardless of condition choke on their inventory (not literally, figuratively). A game like Klonoa or Tomba being valuable and expensive because it is rare with few copies out there is understandable. But these jokers have the prices of old NES carts that you could buy for under $5 two years ago through the roof now. There are a bazillion copies of all the Mario, Zelda and Metroid games out there. But now they are being hoarded like Smaug's gold stash in the Lonely Mountain.
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
So then I assume if I were to peruse your collection I'd find no violent or supernatural titles eh. All puzzle games, sports games and family friendly games I'd assume ;)
Christian or not, is it really that unreasonable to try and have morals? (It is still illegal) Just because someone doesn't see you doing it, doesn't make it any less wrong. A kid shoplifts a candy bar at a store; the company really won't miss that $1, and no one is hurt by it, but it's still stealing. Like I said, personal decision.
And the Bible is one of the most violent books in human history. Reading (or playing) something is a lot different than doing that thing for real.
Just having a bit of fun, hence the ;)
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
So then I assume if I were to peruse your collection I'd find no violent or supernatural titles eh. All puzzle games, sports games and family friendly games I'd assume ;)
Christian or not, is it really that unreasonable to try and have morals? (It is still illegal) Just because someone doesn't see you doing it, doesn't make it any less wrong. A kid shoplifts a candy bar at a store; the company really won't miss that $1, and no one is hurt by it, but it's still stealing. Like I said, personal decision.
And the Bible is one of the most violent books in human history. Reading (or playing) something is a lot different than doing that thing for real.
Just having a bit of fun, hence the ;)
Canadians. Always causing trouble. ;)
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What the hell happened to my thread?!
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What the hell happened to my thread?!
Unnecessary drama.
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I don't emulate for moral reasons. I'm a Christian and stealing is one of the 10 commandment ones. That and I still enjoy the collecting aspect of it.
So then I assume if I were to peruse your collection I'd find no violent or supernatural titles eh. All puzzle games, sports games and family friendly games I'd assume ;)
Christian or not, is it really that unreasonable to try and have morals? (It is still illegal) Just because someone doesn't see you doing it, doesn't make it any less wrong. A kid shoplifts a candy bar at a store; the company really won't miss that $1, and no one is hurt by it, but it's still stealing. Like I said, personal decision.
And the Bible is one of the most violent books in human history. Reading (or playing) something is a lot different than doing that thing for real.
Just having a bit of fun, hence the ;)
Canadians. Always causing trouble. ;)
I try :D
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What the hell happened to my thread?!
Unnecessary drama.
(http://33.media.tumblr.com/17b81a0814996e6feeda015a47513f84/tumblr_mnovsi7QNX1qbaxlqo1_400.gif)
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What the hell happened to my thread?!
(https://i.imgflip.com/t2ytu.jpg) (https://imgflip.com/i/t2ytu)
Also, Getting us back on topic, I don't think collecting is dying out but I am noticing that by and large the mom and pops here in the Bay Area are closing up shop. Inventory is getting too expensive for them as more and more yard salers, ebayers, and craigslisters start going for the jugular pricing wise. Turf pointed out on our show inventory is at an all time high. But demand and rarity is still pushing prices north.
I saw an eBay post the other day for a "Vintage" PS3.
It's madness!
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There's bound to be drama surrounding this kind of topic anyway, because stuff is getting so ridiculous. There's a lot of reasons why a hobby like this might 'die down'. If you couldn't tell, we're about all sick of the ridiculosity of vintage PS3s and shovelware NES titles fetching a small fortune, opportunist sellers with lazy methods and poor service, and the overall floodgate of late comers making competition for scraps quite fierce.
If things are dying down it is not because its gotten stale, or because it's not a cool thing to do anymore. If it's not as fun anymore, its because it has been made that way as of the past several years it seems.
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Its more the feel of topic starter. This topic pops up every few months.
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I skipped to the current page after reading the first. I'd love to read the start of the drama, but I think that'd make it less fun. You guys are weird. :P
IMO, I think every collector goes through burnout at least once. I know I have. The internet makes things a lot easier to find, but it also tends to drive prices up because so many more people are exposed to online auctions and sales. LPs and streams are also giving exposure to a number of games and making them more valuable due to increased demand. It's great that good games are getting some attention, but that can mean trouble for collectors like us. /first world problems
For me, I tend to avoid burnout by thinking of my game collection as more of a series of small collections. I've got individual collections for games or series I love and a larger separate collection for games I just like to play. If I get bored with one, I can switch my attention to another. I can see the value in owning every game for a given console, but I think I would get bored with that very quickly. It also helps that a lot of the stuff I'm seeking isn't readily available or outright impossible to find in my home country, so I can still have fun surfing the internet for an item or seven.
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What the hell happened to my thread?!
(https://i.imgflip.com/t2ytu.jpg) (https://imgflip.com/i/t2ytu)
Also, Getting us back on topic, I don't think collecting is dying out but I am noticing that by and large the mom and pops here in the Bay Area are closing up shop. Inventory is getting too expensive for them as more and more yard salers, ebayers, and craigslisters start going for the jugular pricing wise. Turf pointed out on our show inventory is at an all time high. But demand and rarity is still pushing prices north.
I saw an eBay post the other day for a "Vintage" PS3.
It's madness!
Vintage...LOL.
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For cart based stuff I want a decent looking cart with a manual that's still intact. I don't care too much about a fragile box.
Those universal game cases with a nice color printout look super nice. I get the covers printed at OfficeMax on their color laser printer with cardstock paper. Unless you look at them with a magnifying glass, they look pretty much just like the original retail boxes.