Whats the point of keeping a game sealed strictly for collection purposes?

[Rozz]

I can understand if you want a sealed version of game so its mint when you open it and play it or if you want to re-sell it, but whats the point of keeping a game sealed strictly for your collection? I dont understand whats so great about keeping a game in plastic for no reason....

[MadFlava]

lol, this reminds me of when comic books came prebagged with cards and crap and people would buy them but wouldn't open them to read them. Defeats the purpose of the comic book.

[Number83]

Simple...None.

Now Star Wars Action figures are another story...

[smaaug]

If I want a sealed copyI will usually have two copies of the game, one opened for playing.

I have two Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, one opened one sealed
I have like 30 NES Super Mario Bros and I keep one sealed
and on and on

[BustaUppa]

If I want a sealed copyI will usually have two copies of the game, one opened for playing.

I have two Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, one opened one sealed
I have like 30 NES Super Mario Bros and I keep one sealed
and on and onYou still didn't answer the OP's question. :D

[RegalSin2020]

At least when people browse your place they could say this is what go's on inside this persons mind or this is what they like in terms of Fiction.

Like people have miles and miles of books I have miles and miles of games.

[Mookyjooky]

I get you a 100%... seriously...

I remember this issue during the days of the comic book (like the 2nd poster)

The difference; some people need to fill the gap in their life with things of worth because their life is worthless. And some people enjoy these works of art for what they are.

[Puffa469]

A sealed game is usually worth more than an opened game when/if you sell it.

Whats soo hard to understand about that?

Any bias or animosity you may have about collectors, or collecting doesnt change that fact.

[Rozz]

A sealed game is usually worth more than an opened game when/if you sell it.

Whats soo hard to understand about that?

Any bias or animosity you may have about collectors, or collecting doesnt change that fact.

You didnt understand the question. I stated that I understand if you would want to re-sell it or have a nice mint copy for you to play, but theres some that keep it sealed on their shelf for no reason at all other than the fact that plastic is on it. What the hell is the point of that?

[Puffa469]

You didnt understand the question. I stated that I understand if you would want to re-sell it or have a nice mint copy for you to play, but theres some that keep it sealed on their shelf for no reason at all other than the fact that plastic is on it. What the hell is the point of that?

Well theres many different reasons.

Even if you never plan to sell an item, its nice to have it in pristine, mint condition, no? I never 'plan' to sell my collection, but if I ever hit upon hard times, Im out of a job, and I need to pay the rent, my collection will be worth more because some of the items are sealed. Some people love new sneaker smell, or new car smell. Maybe others love new game smell? lol

Having a collection thats valued highly makes some people happy. Even if you never plan to sell a thing, perhaps that sealed Radiant Silvergun worth hundreds brings you joy.

Who are we as nerds (and we are all nerds) to judge different aspects of nerddom? People should do what makes them happy. If someone is anal enough to want all their items to be sealed and mint, more power to them. I love how a bunch of Star Wars nerds will goof on Larp'ers as if being a SW nerd is somehow cooler.

A comment like "some people need to fill the gap in their life with things of worth because their life is worthless. And some people enjoy these works of art for what they are." is just ridiculous. It just shows ignorance imo.
How can you tell someone how to enjoy their 'art'. Some people collect first edition books... that they encase in glass and never read. Does that make the book any less 'art'? Is that persons life worthless because they have something of worth that they enjoy on a different level than you?

Im arguing the case of game collectors, but I dont treat my own collection that way. I personally keep a game sealed until Im ready to play it. But the fact that its sealed wont stop me from playing it. But to each their own, I wont judge anyone for enjoying a hobby however they like.

[TheBigR]

perhaps a quick comment from a new CAG?



ive been a collector for 20 years. Been collecting video games & systems for 15yrs. Bought 2 N64 systems at launch originally for the "one to play, one to keep in case it breaks" and bought 2 copies of pretty much every game since SNES due to the fact the battery died in my NES Ultima cartridge after a few months (of hardcore playing!) and stopped doing it around 2002-2003- way too much $$$.

Last 2 years sold all of the sealed games & most of the systems.

while yeah, i did get $$$ for those old Dragon Warriors (and SegaCD! who knew you guys still rocked that or cared!) everything else sold for $20 or less. so for every Golden Egg you're saving as an investment, expect to have 10-20 rotten ones. I would say out of 150+ sealed games, i probably lost $300 al together versus the original price.


...right now we're seeing a current-running trend: vintage video games, and oop games. Before the end of the decade the retro video game collectible market will crash just like the sports card & comic book market did, and that minty NES you threw hundreds on will be worthle$$.

value is a fickle thing. demand = value, not love = value. i love ZeldaI but does that mean its worth money? of course not.

collect for love, you will never make $$ collecting unless all you care about is $$, and then, its so little $ that you might as well get a job. cheers!

[Puffa469]

I agree 100%.

Collecting sealed games & systems as some kind of 'investment' = foolish.
Collecting sealed games & systems cos it makes you happy = priceless.



perhaps a quick comment from a new CAG?



ive been a collector for 20 years. Been collecting video games & systems for 15yrs. Bought 2 N64 systems at launch originally for the "one to play, one to keep in case it breaks" and bought 2 copies of pretty much every game since SNES due to the fact the battery died in my NES Ultima cartridge after a few months (of hardcore playing!) and stopped doing it around 2002-2003- way too much $$$.

Last 2 years sold all of the sealed games & most of the systems.

while yeah, i did get $$$ for those old Dragon Warriors (and SegaCD! who knew you guys still rocked that or cared!) everything else sold for $20 or less. so for every Golden Egg you're saving as an investment, expect to have 10-20 rotten ones. I would say out of 150+ sealed games, i probably lost $300 al together versus the original price.


...right now we're seeing a current-running trend: vintage video games, and oop games. Before the end of the decade the retro video game collectible market will crash just like the sports card & comic book market did, and that minty NES you threw hundreds on will be worthle$$.

value is a fickle thing. demand = value, not love = value. i love ZeldaI but does that mean its worth money? of course not.

collect for love, you will never make $$ collecting unless all you care about is $$, and then, its so little $ that you might as well get a job. cheers!

[Mookyjooky]

A comment like "some people need to fill the gap in their life with things of worth because their life is worthless. And some people enjoy these works of art for what they are." is just ridiculous. It just shows ignorance imo.

So True, cause when you create something, what you really want is for someone to enjoy it being sealed, instead of read/heard/played. I'm a musician, and you know I'd rather people worry of the resellable value of my CD than actually hear it.

Here's big issue, items are only worth, what someone will pay for it. It's insane to hang on to something based on value alone, because one day, it will be worth nothing. And in the world of gaming, a rerelease is always right around the corner, and then your one of 10,000 becomes one of unlimited download.

[wubb]

Why would a collector want a sealed game? Seems pretty obvious to me. You are going to want the stuff in your collection to be in as good condition and as 'rare' as possible. (At least many collectors would.) Sealed is the best possible condition and pretty much any game is more rare sealed than opened.

As far as the point of collecting... Either you are a collector or you aren't. Collecting video games is the same as collecting anything else.

[Puffa469]

So True, cause when you create something, what you really want is for someone to enjoy it being sealed, instead of read/heard/played. I'm a musician, and you know I'd rather people worry of the resellable value of my CD than actually hear it.

Here's big issue, items are only worth, what someone will pay for it. It's insane to hang on to something based on value alone, because one day, it will be worth nothing. And in the world of gaming, a rerelease is always right around the corner, and then your one of 10,000 becomes one of unlimited download.

To address your first point: you assume that all games are created as 'Art' to be enjoyed. When in actuality, games are created to make money. Sure some games are 'art', but most are really not. For every Ico, or Katamari, there are twenty Street Racing games, or WWII shooters. Think of mainstream games as manufactured pop music. Is boyband, or britney-simpson-aguilara music art? Its debatable at best.

So if games are created to make money, once you buy it, do you really think the publisher cares what you do with it? Im sure the developer cares, but all the publisher cares is that you were happy enough with your purchase that you buy the inevitable sequel.

I still think your completely wrong for placing value judgements on 'how' people enjoy their purchases. Who are you to judge the merits of collecting something? Your a musician? Great, Im a comedian. My goal when I tell jokes is to make people laugh. If I put out a CD of my standup, my goal is to sell as many copies of that CD as possible. I dont care if you use em as coasters to put your drink on, or throw them at the mailman. Its none of my business how you enjoy my CD.

As for your second point, I completley agree. It is insane to hold onto a videogame purely as a financial investment. There are much better ways to create wealth for yourself. My point was that there is nothing wrong with keeping a videogame sealed if that is what makes you happy.

[ViolentLee]

The reason I have sealed games? Because I haven't opened them up to play them yet. I don't see a point in opening them for no reason. Whether I plan to put it in a museum, give it to the bum on the corner, or play it for 48 hours straight starting in 15 minutes, it doesn't matter.

Your question is kind of asinine to me. What is the alternative you're seeing? You're saying collectors doing the exact same thing players/traders are doing doesn't make sense? Uh....what?

[captainfrizo]

The reason I have sealed games? Because I haven't opened them up to play them yet. I don't see a point in opening them for no reason. Whether I plan to put it in a museum, give it to the bum on the corner, or play it for 48 hours straight starting in 15 minutes, it doesn't matter.


Bingo. I don't open my games until I want to play them. If a game isn't being played it doesn't matter if it's open or sealed, it's still sitting on a shelf. However, if you ever want/need to sell some games, a sealed game is almost always worth more than an open one.

I just did a quick scan of my games and found 9 that are still sealed. Of those 9, I see myself eventually opening and playing 8 of them.

The only one that will remain sealed is the Zelda Collector's Edition because I already have the games on the disc and I got it free from Nintendo, so there's no pressure to play it and get my money's worth, so to speak. It's also actually worth something if I ever did decide to sell it.

And even if I don't open and play the majority of my sealed games, they will remain sealed until someone plays it or I sell it, in which case being sealed works to my advantage.

The OP doesn't see the reason for keeping a game sealed for no reason, I don't see a reason why a game should be opened for no real reason.

[sqyxzylyx]

I can understand if you want a sealed version of game so its mint when you open it and play it or if you want to re-sell it, but whats the point of keeping a game sealed strictly for your collection? I dont understand whats so great about keeping a game in plastic for no reason....

I don't get this. Do you have a proof for this?

[Graystone]

I get you a 100%... seriously...

I remember this issue during the days of the comic book (like the 2nd poster)

The difference; some people need to fill the gap in their life with things of worth because their life is worthless. And some people enjoy these works of art for what they are.

And you don't fill any "gaps" in your life with stuff. How about smoking that fulfills an oral fixation "gap."

[Vinny]

The only reason I don't open games is so I can get more if I plan to sell them rather than play them. A long while, I knew I might not get to all of my games so I decided to keep most of them sealed unless I bought that at full price. If I bought them at full price, I usually open them right away to play.

[xghostsniperx]

Basically, people who buy a game and leave it sealed in hope that in two years it'll triple in value are pathetic. Games are not an investment, that $50 could be much better spent going into mutual funds.

But if people are buying the game simply because they like to have them in their collection, I don't see a problem with keeping it sealed.

[tehweezner]

i think the gaming world is still a tad young to be saying it has no investment possibliites. i don't think people back in the day with superman #1 ever thought it would be worth over a hundred grand today. or baseball cards, guitars, etc.

[Rozz]

i think the gaming world is still a tad young to be saying it has no investment possibliites. i don't think people back in the day with superman #1 ever thought it would be worth over a hundred grand today. or baseball cards, guitars, etc.

Considering how often games get reprinted nowadays I wouldent really reccomend keeping games sealed for dozens of years hoping to make a profit in 2050.

[lokizz]

what kinda gamer are you if you really have to ask such a question. you have to have at least 4 copies of every game to be considered a true gamer. 1 to play, 1 to keep in mint condition and then you must buy any rereleases of the same game should it come out in a gamers choice edition with extra features or hell even if the box looks diff you have to buy it again pluss another copy of that to keep in mint condition so you can show it off and let everyone around you know how inferior their collection is compared to yours.......


honestly im not one of those gaming nutters who gets into that i only need one copy of any game and it doesnt have to be brand new especially for older harder to find titles. sometimes it is good to wait for a diff or better version of a game to come out like with DMC 3 the DMC 3 special edition had alot more in it than the original version not to mention a hell of a lower price which makes it the better version although i still dont get how the gold mode is easy and yellow is hard youd think it would be the other way around.


thinking about that now i bet a seald copy of the first run of gta san andreas for the ps2 would be worth alot because of the recall and subsequent rerelease of a diff version without hott coffee in it and with an easier airplane side mission.

[Dr Mario Kart]

Considering how often games get reprinted nowadays I wouldent really reccomend keeping games sealed for dozens of years hoping to make a profit in 2050.
While its not a good long term investment, its an excellent short term one. I think the proper term is flipping, when you only buy what you can get rid of for a profit immediately.

Like with regular investments, insight into the market is required. Check the street price of Mario DDRs. Go ahead. I'll wait. Now, this got reprinted earlier this year which crashed the skyrocketed price from the previous Christmas. Will this get reprinted again? I bet on no, because both Nintendo and Konami have better things to do right now, and for $50 a huge box and pad + game is not worth the effort.

I have well over 100 of them that I've unloading for over double. I've been buying them slowly ever since the reprint. A 6 month investment that the stock market cant touch.

[Rags]

While its not a good long term investment, its an excellent short term one. I think the proper term is flipping, when you only buy what you can get rid of for a profit immediately.

Like with regular investments, insight into the market is required. Check the street price of Mario DDRs. Go ahead. I'll wait. Now, this got reprinted earlier this year which crashed the skyrocketed price from the previous Christmas. Will this get reprinted again? I bet on no, because both Nintendo and Konami have better things to do right now, and for $50 a huge box and pad + game is not worth the effort.

I have well over 100 of them that I've unloading for over double. I've been buying them slowly ever since the reprint. A 6 month investment that the stock market cant touch.

Final Fantasy Tactics is another one. Super Puzzle Fighter for PS dropped quite a bit after the GBA version too. It's really risky getting games just to make money in the future.

[eaglebeak]

Bingo. I don't open my games until I want to play them. If a game isn't being played it doesn't matter if it's open or sealed, it's still sitting on a shelf. However, if you ever want/need to sell some games, a sealed game is almost always worth more than an open one.


And even if I don't open and play the majority of my sealed games, they will remain sealed until someone plays it or I sell it, in which case being sealed works to my advantage.

The OP doesn't see the reason for keeping a game sealed for no reason, I don't see a reason why a game should be opened for no real reason.

Same here. I think all gamers are collectors at one time or another without realizing it...a person tends to amass more games than he can play in a reasonable amout of time anyway and will keep buying them when something comes out that peaks his interest. And as mentioned above, should it become necessary to sell a game that he doesn't expect to play, there is more value to a sealed game, than an opened one. Just as in anything you buy second hand, the better the condition...the more value. Plus, should a game you own become rare...such as the "Holy Grail" of gaming Metal Gear Solid for the PS1 it will be in your favor having held on to a sealed copy.

[Quackzilla]

I don't collect at all, I own about 10 Gamecube games and 25 PS2 games.

GBA and PSP is a little different, though, I have like 40 GBA games and 30 PSP games. I still sell them, but not as often.

[Vinny]

Final Fantasy Tactics is another one. Super Puzzle Fighter for PS dropped quite a bit after the GBA version too. It's really risky getting games just to make money in the future.

It's very risky these days... you had a better chance last generation but now they reprint games all the time.