VGcollect nostalgia

[hexen]

A few days back I decided to just take a rare look at my profile and I realized that not only did I pass my 10 year anniversary on the site, it was already closer to 11 than 10. Really got me thinking back to VGcollect's early days and the general difference in life, and how I've had this account for 1/3rd of it.

I started looking up some of the old regulars from that time, and sadly (but not unexpectedly because of the amount of time) the majority haven't been active in many years. It really was an interesting time when I was wishing for a good collection tracker that wasn't sub-par with options that an acquaintance from another, lesser tracker site named Nightowljrm (also long inactive) brought VGcollect to my attention. That first year or two of frantically scanning every item I had to do my part of filling in the database while Matt & Scott were super active in building the site's features was a time. I was never as active as then, and have been very minimally posting in the forums over the years... so a big shout out to the regulars, especially the 2011-2012 OGs who are still about!

It's sad that as time went on the over-saturation of the hobby basically priced me out of it and drove me to less site activity. Heck, the last time I added anything that wasn't a Switch game or Amiibo was in 2016... a time I already considered too expensive. I filled the remaining gaps in my GBA/DS/Gamecube Pokemon collection and between then and now all I bought has at least doubled in price and in one case increased about 8x... which just shows the problem all too well. The ridiculous increase in my collection's value is theoretically nice, but I would much prefer to still be able to expand it than sit on it. Sometimes it's utter stagnation makes me consider selling, but there are too many memories in the experience of acquiring it. I sometimes wonder if this is also why other OGs have been gone for years, but a decade is also a long time and taste changes.

Anyway, old man reminiscing aside, it's been interesting to watch the site and it's prominent forum users change over time. I didn't even notice the new feature where your collection shows the cartridge pic if you have your item marked as cart only and that is pushing my autism to wanting to go through and mark all my games correctly (so many years ago if I only had the cart I checked nothing, and that still shows the box image) as well as fill in the database gaps that now cause games that didn't used to to show up as the dreaded "no image" box. I appreciate the work the devs are still doing - big thanks to Jason in particular, as well as those who chisel away at perfecting the database item accuracy.

That's probably enough boomer rambling on the topic for now. I'd love to hear other OG perspectives and that of newer members. I'll stick around in the background as long as VGcollect exists even if I never again obtain another NES or SNES game and maybe in another 10 years I'll complain about Wii shovelware going for thousands in another nostalgia post. Until then, I'll see you guys around now and then!

[leonefamily]

Been here since 2017. I was still a teenager at that time. VGcollect is an important part of my life.

[mrkonasoni]

Thank you for the stories.
I have been here just a couple years or something but I actually enjoy everyone company and it always make me smile when I see most familiar faces.

It remember me that feeling of community that I have always loved, thank you everyone, I truly wish the best for everyone.

[bikingjahuty]

I'm definitely not OG, but I've been here since September 2013 which currently feels like a lifetime ago, not just in terms of the collecting/gaming scene, but just life in general.


I can't remember how I originally found this site, but prior to coming here my primary video game forum site was Gamespot who at the time had a pretty crude collection tracker that I used to keep track of what games I had. As for Gamespot's forum it was more or less pure shit. It was full of trolls, the worst fanboys you've ever seen online, and moderators on a constant power trip just waiting for the most minor infraction to temporarily suspend or ban you. But at the time it was the best way I knew how to track my collection outside an Excel spreadsheet. Oh and fun fact, I actually knew Burningdoom from my Gamespot forum days before joining VGcollect; we were both regulars on the Legacy gaming forums which were one of the least toxic places back then, but it still wasn't great.


But one day Gamespot decided to nuke the collection tracking feature and with that I had no reason to remain an active user on that site so I went looking for a better collection tracker. I forget whether I found this site through just a google search or because of a Metal Jesus Rocks video where he name dropped it *shudder*. But either way I found it and I was blown away at how much better the collection tracking and cataloging was on here, but also the amazing user base. To this day I don't recall ever having to deal with any fanboys on this site and outside several troll accounts that I'm 90% sure is the same person or two, this site has remained a great place to discuss video games and collecting.


Probably the things I miss the most about this site was how much more active it used to be. I remember coming on here daily and there was always several new, interesting threads to reply to and discuss. Over the past two or three years I've literally gone two weeks without logging on only to find not a single new thread created and only a handful of new replies to about 5 or 6 threads in the General discuss forum. It bums me out since I really enjoy and value most of the people on this site and enjoy discussing video games and collecting with them. However, I completely understand why the drop in activity has happened.


Video game collecting is probably 10x more expensive now compared to when I first joined this site and about 100x harder and less accessible than it was back then too. I used to post fairly big hauls and crazy scores in the monthly recent purchase thread weekly, as did many others on here. By the end of the month we'd be 10+ pages into one of those threads. Now I feel like they're lucky to break 3 pages. On top of that modern gaming has continued to suck more and more, mostly due to the absolute greed and hubris of the video game industry. I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, but gaming and collecting is kind of in a dark place right now, as is the world in general so it's hard to want to come to a place like this and chitchat about how awesome video games and collecting are.


I've tried fighting against this by attempting to create threads that will interest and inspire people to post, as well as contributing regularly to the Monthly Pickups thread and the annual 52 Games Challenge. Speaking of the 52 Games Challenge, this reoccurring thread has become my favorite part of VGcollect for several years now and it has been incredibly rewarding to chip away at my massive backlog. That thread is honestly a big contributor to why I'm definitely way more of a gamer now than a collector, which is kind of ironic since when I first joined this site I was way more into the collecting aspect; I was probably beating under a dozen games a year back then compared to the 60+ I generally beat now.


But to wrap this up, I love this site and plan on sticking around as long as the site remains active. Even if only a handful of us are using it regularly and all we do is post in 52 Games I don't even care. I will use it to track my collection and count myself lucky to be a long time member of this gem of a website, even if few others know about it or care about collecting video games anymore.

[leonefamily]

As for Gamespot's forum it was more or less pure shit. It was full of trolls, the worst fanboys you've ever seen online, and moderators on a constant power trip just waiting for the most minor infraction to temporarily suspend or ban you.

I used to double-track my collection on both VGcollect and Gamefaqs at the same time in the beginning, but I stopped going on Gamefaqs and do exclusively VGcollect because the way we classify individual game releases is way better than Gamefaqs. And yes, I saw how much of a mess the forums were, it was a jungle.

[burningdoom]

As for Gamespot's forum it was more or less pure shit. It was full of trolls, the worst fanboys you've ever seen online, and moderators on a constant power trip just waiting for the most minor infraction to temporarily suspend or ban you.

I used to double-track my collection on both VGcollect and Gamefaqs at the same time in the beginning, but I stopped going on Gamefaqs and do exclusively VGcollect because the way we classify individual game releases is way better than Gamefaqs. And yes, I saw how much of a mess the forums were, it was a jungle.

I never got banned or reprimanded or anything, but I mostly stuck to the Legacy Forum. I remember trolls running rampant there.

[tripredacus]

It is hard to remember from back then, as it seems being on here is more of a (relatively) recent thing. I was not on video game forums much in the 2000s at least not the collector forums. Only on Gamespy ForumPlanet for FPS and Diablo. I say it had to remember because I know I was on the Sega Saturn UK forum for a long time before showing up anywhere else, but the verifiable timeline doesn't match up to my memory. Since it says that I joined SS:UK (and KLOV) a year earlier than here. I think it may be because I didn't use this site as much at the start.

Probably the oldest real memory I have of here is that one time I was bored and added all of the Puyo Puyo games that were missing including the international ones. And Badatchaos sent me a PM saying I must really like Puyo Puyo. 

[Warmsignal]

I'm nearing the 10 year mark as well. Of course there is some nostalgia for that era. Game collecting was a lot of fun in those days, and it was actually possible, and affordable to do. It seems like the discussions then were a lot of focused on the retro side of things, and I enjoyed that, as well as seeing what everyone was picking up for past-gen consoles. Now that it's impossible, most have turned to modern game collecting and discussion, or given up on collecting pretty much. I'm not as interested in that, and what little I am, my interests are quite niche I would say. I feel like I don't have as much in common with other active members now, as I used to.

For those reasons, I'm not really as chatty here as I used to be. I let my cataloging lapse a few times, and now it's all out of whack. Game collecting is a dying hobby, I'm afraid. I do occasionally like to pop on over to Reddit just to see what the novice collectors are getting into these days, or what they might find. It can be like a gimps into the past of those former glory days. Reddit is sort of the default forum of the Internet now, so I doubt that a place like this will see a surge with the younger crowds any time soon.

"It is what it is", as they say. Fun while it lasted.

[matt]

You all are making me feel old! I still lurk from time to time and do really miss the old days. Wish I had more time to still contribute.

[marvelvscapcom2]

It doesn't feel like it was already half a decade almost since our interview and meeting the mayor of VGcollect himself

VGcollect holds a special place in my heart. This post is a refreshing sight and makes me feel like were at a family reunion BBQ. Good feels.

[soera]

Its been a while for sure ... and this thread made me realize something. This will be the 10th year of the VGCollect Secret Santa!

[sworddude]

I joined in 2014, came here because of the database, that I've probably seen because of some meta jesus vid, but I stayed for the fun chats. Database wise, stuff like gamefaqs or retrocollect where not that great imo, meanwhile this tracker is amazing in comparison it also looks nice. it's quite a mess on other data bases.

Also participated more in them talks overtime, because allot of active members in playstation age moved on so the site became quite inactive sadly and with the buyout of nintendoage also playstation age is no more in this day and age so all the conversations are lost. fun times over there aswell really. although I've seen some members of playstation age come over here aswell so that's always great.

I don't think less people are collecting in this day and age, moreso that forums are a thing from the past, reddit discord or twitter are them sources where quite some folks communicate these days because conversations are instant there instead of forums in which they can take hours or days. It's just a different kind of animal.

I will say less retro topics compared to the past and less talk about variations and such, it's more modern gaming these days, nothing wrong with that, those chats can be great aswell but I won't lie that I do miss such talks. Time change it's a different era. plus I'm also quite guilty in participating less in them conversations, there are just less topics on the forums atm that interest me currently.

You do have allot more of these past retro talks on discord/reddit but it's definitely a different experience compared to a forum.

I'll definitely stick around while it lasts as it's definitely a fun place to hang out at. Let's hope the site goes on for at least the next 10 years I'd say.

[tripredacus]

People always say that forums are a thing of the past, and have been saying it for over 10 years. I don't think that is the case. Instead people just move on to something else in their life. I don't think all of the people who stop using forums are doing the same thing but on a different type of online community.

[turf]

I don’t log on here as much as I used to.

Man, I love this site. I’ve met some legit friends through this. I’ve hung out with a handful of y’all in real life. Had phone conversations with a few of you. Done online hangouts with a bunch of y’all.
We started a podcast. That turned into 2 podcasts. That turned into no podcasts.  I still think we had real potential, we just lacked the polish. That and life gets in the way.
We had fun though. It was a great time.

Y’all are good folks. I promise to check on you more.