Are you a game collector or do you sell finished games? (1 Viewer)

[Andrew s wells]

Just curious, as i seem to notice more and more, when people finish a game they sell it or trade it in towards a new game. I was just wondering, if its not going to be a "keeper" why not just rent the game a copuple of times, finish it, and then move on to the next one? wouldnt this save alot more money in the long run? Just curious to hear some opinions.

 

[BrianB]

I have a personal 'library' of games. I don't collect per se - 'collection' seems too sterile, too clinical to me. I buy games because I want to play them - they're bought to be used, not kept behind glass doors. I've sold off games frequently in the past & regretted it - to get decent value, you have to trade it in so quickly... And if you're doing that, you really should have rented.

Of course, in these days of DC cheapness, I frequently buy games for the price of a rental... Games I'd have laughed at buying for $40, I'll happily pick up for $4 or $5.

On a sidenote, the secondhand trade is pure profit for the likes of EB - that's why they push it so much.

 

[Frederick]

I hold on to mine for the most part. I've given away a lot of my older ones to friends and family, but I've kept the vast majority of my PS1, PS2, Dreamcast and N64 games. Can't seem to part with them after speding $50 a pop .
Freddy C.

 

[ChrisV]

I keep mine, I generally don't buy games unless I'm sure I'm going to want to play them again. I'll make an exception if the game is cheap and I'm reasonably sure I'll enjoy it (one of my favorites was found this way, Rez!).

If I've heard a game is short and lacks replay value, or I'm unsure of whether I'll like it or not I'll give it a rent.

 

[JoshF]

I'm an addict with a problem. As such, I buy games on release day for full retail (some I didn't even intend to buy). I play them, and I put them in my library and never sell/trade them. I do, however, let friends borrow them for months & years on end. I'm known as the guy in the city with the videogame "library." A free Blockbuster, if you will.

Makes for a good collection, but sometimes a too-big one in an embarrassing "Josh the geek" sort of way.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

I never sell them.

Wasn't this mentioned in a previous thread?

 

[Kevin Alexander]

I'm a collector until system dies.

 

[BrianB]

I'm a collector until system dies.

That's something I no longer understand. I've 'sold up' in the past, and regretted it every single time. A new generation doesn't make the "last" generation of games instantly worthless play-wise. I can understand the cash argument... But even then, in the long-run, it's probably not worth it.

In fact, when the system "dies" is frequently the time to get aboard - look at the amount of people who bought a DC when it & the software dropped in price. A very good bargain.

 

[JasonK]

I usually pick up games I want the week they come out, at full retail. For the most part, I play all the way through the game in a matter of a month or two. Then, I decide on a per-game basis whether or not to keep it, or sell it and buy a new game.

For instance, I know I'll play Super Monkey Ball from time to time as long as my Cube is hooked up. But I didn't touch Luigi's Mansion after I finished it. So I sold Luigi.

I do this not only because of the $$$ issue, but also because of time. I hate seeing my games on the shelf that I haven't played in months, knowing that I'll never play them again, especially if I got my money's worth out of them. A lot of games nowadays take much more time to play through again and again. (IE, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X, etc.)

But, I still have a HUGE collection of old 8-bit NES games. And a decent collection of SNES games, too. And Genesis. I like playing Contra for 15-20 minutes from time to time. And my bro' and I still play RBI Baseball quite frequently.

 

[Brad Grenz]

I used to sell, when I was young and stupid. The only SNES game I have left is Chrono Trigger, I never sold Final Fantasy II, but I lost it. All my other Super Nintendo games are long gone. It's tragic, really. Putting a collection back together is such a pain in the ass. Every priced a copy of Final Fantasy III these days?

I've held on to all my PSX games. Don't want to do something I might regret one day. Plus I don't buy anything I'm pretty sure is good. Bad games I return for full price, so I'm never looking to "unload" something I don't want.

 

[Jason Borchers]

I'm definitely a collector. I very rarely sell games; in fact, I've only ever sold two: Stunt Race FX and Top Gear for the SNES. (I kind of regret getting rid of them -- I think I might've enjoyed them if I'd stuck with them a little longer.)
I couldn't imagine ever giving up good games, let alone entire systems. My favorite NES games are still as fun as they were 15 years ago, and that goes for every other system as well. Not to mention all the classics I've missed out on -- how could I sell my DC when I haven't even played Jet Grind Radio yet?
I plan to enjoy all of my old systems until either they or I stop working, whichever comes first.

 

[Dave E H]

I've given up my N64 and all the games - and will do the same for my GB color. I'll hang on to my Dreamcast and my GBA (soon with afterburner!) until they start measuring me for a casket. I just wasn't that into the N64 (disappointed by it really, but no flames please) and the GBColor is pretty much obsolete. The DC is a great system and with some darn good games. I plan on waiting a year or two and replaying skies of arcadia. that's going to be a great 40 hours or so of RPG goodness! Maybe i'll wait until the release of a sequel is imminent (praying daily...)

 

[Chris Bardon]

Haven't sold anything, and proud of it. I was just keeping stuff around since I still play it, but starting to find out that some of this stuff is actually rare... Saw a copy of Metal Gear (the NES original) at microplay the other day for $80 cart only-I've still got it with the box and manual. All 42 NES games, 24 SNES games, 6 N64 games (wasn't too into that one) 31 Game Boy games, and 40 Psx games (can you tell I made a list) are all there right next to my Xbox games.

 

[Joseph Young]

I'm also not a collector per se, but I do not sell games generally. If I buy a game, it's for keeps, and if I get rid of a game, I won't sell it to the likes of EB or the FuncoLand Empire; instead I'll give it away to a best friend or something.
Share the wealth with friends instead of adding wealth to stores that turn around and sell a scratched disk for -$10 MSRP. The disproportionate number of PSX and DC titles sans packaging reflects a disturbing trend. Gamers burn copies of their games, keep the original packaging, and stores like Gamestop, et al. buy just the original disc and place it in generic packaging, selling it back for a ridiculously high price. In the real world of collecting, packaging goes a long way in determining value. Not in this instance.
Some gamers play a game to beat it. Once the game is beaten, there is no reason to play it again. Mission accomplished. Next!
Other gamers play games for the experience of playing, and if a game has replay value, they can 'beat it' multiple times (not consecutively of course) and not tire of it. I love games and I buy them for the opportunity to play them again at some later point, find things I might not have noticed the first time around, find a new strategy or improve on an earlier one.
Joseph

 

[Steve Y]

I want to emphasize BrianB's distinction between collection and library. I try to purchase games that will be pulled out of my shelf often enough to merit said purchase. Most of my games can be played more than once; I am such an avid gamer that I find value and fun in games that, for the majority of the population, are rented for a Blockbuster weekend and then forgetten.
The fact that I actually spend (a piddling amount of) money to transfer all my used Dreamcast games' packaging, instructions and discs into shiny new cases just means I want a ... presentable library. I really do prefer having the original packaging and shiny new-looking cases. But that's a neurosis of mine that stretches from my DVDs to my CDs and books, and lies apart from the above distinction.
"Trading Up" works fine for a lot of people, usually on the (essentially inaccurate, IMO) assumption that better graphics and sound equals "funner" games. Some people live just fine under this assumption, though, so who am I to say how other people enjoy their videogaming?
Steve

 

[Jeff_Standley]

keep

 

[BrianB]

The fact that I actually spend (a piddling amount of) money to transfer all my used Dreamcast games' packaging, instructions and discs into shiny new cases just means I want a ... presentable library.

Heh. I just did the same thing - 11 games used DC games arrived thanks to EB's recent s/h online deal, 9 games were transferred into shiny clean boxes to replace the mangled, dirty, overly labelled boxes they came in.

Sad, mad & addicted.

Side-note: 11 games for $36 shipped. Not bad. Only 2 out & out duds, Centipede & Dinosaur, both of which were bought for my wife anyway. Terrible games.

 

[Andre F]

I sold a bunch of NES games way back when and I still regret it. As such I keep all games now (unless it's a really bad purchase). In fact I've been getting an itch to organize my collection and pull out some old school games.
-Andre F

 

[Paul_D]

I only keep my Nintendo games.
In fact, I haven't picked up a GameCube yet. I think I'll pop out a get one this afternoon. :p)

 

[Iain Lambert]

Go on Paul, you know you need to play Monkey Ball...

I never trade in games; the money you get for them just doesn't seem enough to make it worth it. Besides, I'm not that great at games, so rarely complete them and love 'arcade' type things, so a 'completed' game is rarely devoid of further replay value.