I'm betting his parents/family wealth paid for a lot of this collection, or if he bought it all "on his own" obviously secondary sources of income were supporting his primary needs where "normal" people would have had to apply that money to things other than collecting video games.
I think this guy has us all beat
- Thread starter shadyfozzie
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This thread has been stuck in my head all night. When I first saw it, I thought what a waste. As a collector myself (sports memorabilia - San Fran 49ers!), I can understand this one a little better. I've that other people might see as junk (cup from 7-11 with 49ers player featured or small 49ers pin), but they are collectable to me.
Somebody said earlier, some titles are worthless, while others are worth a lot. That may be true if you sell them seperately, but if you were to sell this entire collection, the price would be a little higher.
Somebody said earlier, some titles are worthless, while others are worth a lot. That may be true if you sell them seperately, but if you were to sell this entire collection, the price would be a little higher.
[quote name='salty tbone']A watch is a bad example. If someone bought a $30,000 car, nobody would say a word. A $15,000 car and $15,000 in video games? Well obviously he's a sexless loser worthy of scorn.[/QUOTE]
At least the person is actually going to use the car.
At least the person is actually going to use the car.
I
Indigo_Streetlight
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[quote name='Kaelestis']At least the person is actually going to use the car.[/QUOTE]
I always wondered if it was possible to keep a car sealed in an air-tight environment so one could have a fresh car at the ready in a post-apocalyptic scenario. Buy a car and keep it sealed (in your secret underground garage)!
I always wondered if it was possible to keep a car sealed in an air-tight environment so one could have a fresh car at the ready in a post-apocalyptic scenario. Buy a car and keep it sealed (in your secret underground garage)!
shadyfozzie
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bob, where from?? I'm a 49ers fan myself!
Survivalism
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[quote name='continuegaming']i have no opinion one way or the other about the guy...
why bad mouth him though?
...if he spent $30K on a watch or some other depreciating asset, everyone would be cool.
but since it's video games, people assume he is either a "moron" investor or a hoarder.
jealous much?[/QUOTE]
Why would anyone be jealous of an unusable game collection that isn't worth the collective plastic it's printed on?
why bad mouth him though?
...if he spent $30K on a watch or some other depreciating asset, everyone would be cool.
but since it's video games, people assume he is either a "moron" investor or a hoarder.
jealous much?[/QUOTE]
Why would anyone be jealous of an unusable game collection that isn't worth the collective plastic it's printed on?
elessar123
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I collect sealed games too. I don't see anything wrong with it.
But I don't care about most games. I wouldn't pay $1 for a sealed Barbie game, and the only sports game I've ever bought to play was FIFA World Cup 2010 for like $15.
Is it really that much of someone else's business to spend $20,000 on $20,000 worth of games, and not spending the money driving a Hummer instead, or watching $13 movies every weekend ($1300 a year for 2 people). Did he really waste more time on it than someone playing WoW since launch?
Like someone else said, if I can't make my money back when I'm done with my collection, at least I'll have something to do when I retire. I think video games hold their values better than most things. I knew a guy who had 3000+ DVDs last I talked to him, pretty much all bought at retail, which is probably easily $60,000. How much are those DVDs worth now?
But I don't care about most games. I wouldn't pay $1 for a sealed Barbie game, and the only sports game I've ever bought to play was FIFA World Cup 2010 for like $15.
Is it really that much of someone else's business to spend $20,000 on $20,000 worth of games, and not spending the money driving a Hummer instead, or watching $13 movies every weekend ($1300 a year for 2 people). Did he really waste more time on it than someone playing WoW since launch?
Like someone else said, if I can't make my money back when I'm done with my collection, at least I'll have something to do when I retire. I think video games hold their values better than most things. I knew a guy who had 3000+ DVDs last I talked to him, pretty much all bought at retail, which is probably easily $60,000. How much are those DVDs worth now?
sephiroth61787
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Yes, this is a HUGE waste of money. I never got the point of sealed games, but then again, if he's into it, so be it. There's no way he'll get anywhere near what he paid.
Also, reading the interview he did, he has a wife.
Also, reading the interview he did, he has a wife.
salty tbone
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[quote name='Survivalism']Why would anyone be jealous of an unusable game collection that isn't worth the collective plastic it's printed on?[/QUOTE]
I would argue your point except that games aren't printed on plastic, so who knows what your point is.
I would argue your point except that games aren't printed on plastic, so who knows what your point is.
I agree it's a huge waste of money considering there are tons of shovel ware and sports titles that aren't worth shit now. Probably feeling shame of having them in one's collection.
However, it's his money and he certainly has the right to spend it the way he likes. Whatever that makes him happy. It's still far better than wasting money on gambling or cracks.
However, it's his money and he certainly has the right to spend it the way he likes. Whatever that makes him happy. It's still far better than wasting money on gambling or cracks.
continuegaming
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i love "internet logic"
"i don't understand it" so "it's a huge waste of money"
people who waste their energy judging how other people spend their money often have no money of their own... (jealous.)
"i don't understand it" so "it's a huge waste of money"
people who waste their energy judging how other people spend their money often have no money of their own... (jealous.)
I don't understand the "logic" of the people who think everyone with a negative or disagreeing opinion on the internet are "jealous" of whatever they disagree with.
Its as absurd as that guy in the Off Topic forum who had some absurd definition for "poor" so obviously everyone who didn't agree with his definition was "poor."
Many here have spent thousands on backlogs of video games hundreds deep with at least intentions of playing those games, so they aren't short of money to blow on a hobby others would consider stupid, so I doubt they're jealous this guy has a bunch of sealed games he's never going to play.
IF people are jealous of anything, it's that this kid spent his parents/family wealth to acquire this collection while most other people have to work for their money.
No way at his age has he had a significant opportunity to earn the kind of money required to not only buy all the games, but expend the travel resources and time resources to track them all down, all while living a comfortable life.
He claims to have spent mostly 4 years collecting all these games. That means he purchased slightly more than 1 game PER DAY for four years.
Most 23 year olds (he must have been a TEEN when he began) are either going through college which doesn't afford those kinds of purchasing opportunities, or if the 23 year olds are primarily working, they're probably not making a significant amount of money due to age and experience and without outside support are just looking to pay the rent, not purchase a complete collection of sealed video games.
There's no indication this kid is some kind of "internet start-up" success or a lotto winner. The odds of him doing this mostly on his own is so low. He's spending someone else's money to do this.
If people are jealous of anything, it'd be that. Not the amount of money or the number of games or how he spent the money, but the fact that he's likely done
all to earn that money himself.
Its as absurd as that guy in the Off Topic forum who had some absurd definition for "poor" so obviously everyone who didn't agree with his definition was "poor."
Many here have spent thousands on backlogs of video games hundreds deep with at least intentions of playing those games, so they aren't short of money to blow on a hobby others would consider stupid, so I doubt they're jealous this guy has a bunch of sealed games he's never going to play.
IF people are jealous of anything, it's that this kid spent his parents/family wealth to acquire this collection while most other people have to work for their money.
No way at his age has he had a significant opportunity to earn the kind of money required to not only buy all the games, but expend the travel resources and time resources to track them all down, all while living a comfortable life.
He claims to have spent mostly 4 years collecting all these games. That means he purchased slightly more than 1 game PER DAY for four years.
Most 23 year olds (he must have been a TEEN when he began) are either going through college which doesn't afford those kinds of purchasing opportunities, or if the 23 year olds are primarily working, they're probably not making a significant amount of money due to age and experience and without outside support are just looking to pay the rent, not purchase a complete collection of sealed video games.
There's no indication this kid is some kind of "internet start-up" success or a lotto winner. The odds of him doing this mostly on his own is so low. He's spending someone else's money to do this.
If people are jealous of anything, it'd be that. Not the amount of money or the number of games or how he spent the money, but the fact that he's likely done
all to earn that money himself.
admiralvic
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Maybe it's just me, but I can look past the cost, bad titles, sealed concept, and all that; however the one thing I can't look past is the side costs! The money to display these items, find a place for them, etc. You figure 1 game case is around 2 inches and all of the items (not counting CE's) would be around 300 ft. No matter how you look at it thats a LOT of wasted space!
In the end as a collector I can see the basic concept, but this is never going to be something extremely impressive. I know another person who collects items from niche games he likes and will spend 400 usd + shipping for the japanese link standee for the LoZ OoT 3D edition.
In the end as a collector I can see the basic concept, but this is never going to be something extremely impressive. I know another person who collects items from niche games he likes and will spend 400 usd + shipping for the japanese link standee for the LoZ OoT 3D edition.
continuegaming
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i'll give credit where credit is due, the guy has a collection many people would be envious of...
if collecting sealed games isn't your thing... fine
if collecting entire collections isn't your thing... also fine
$30K isn't that much money if you compare collecting video games with other forms of collecting (stamps, coins, comics, civil war memorabilia) to put it in perspective, (30K or whatever) would buy a single mid-to-high-tier silver age comic.
if his parents bought him a primo stamp/comic/coin collection worth 30K would you still feel the need to judge him? (why does it matter whether he worked for it or not?)...
who knows, in the future games could go the way of comics where he could have the equivalent to the White Mountain Collection on his hands.
while collecting catalogs of sealed games is not my thing, im glad someone is doing it... it'll be great to go to museums and reminisce about the old days when we had physical media with box art.
...you could spend 30K on far worse things than video games (hookers, coke, coked up hookers)
if collecting sealed games isn't your thing... fine
if collecting entire collections isn't your thing... also fine
$30K isn't that much money if you compare collecting video games with other forms of collecting (stamps, coins, comics, civil war memorabilia) to put it in perspective, (30K or whatever) would buy a single mid-to-high-tier silver age comic.
if his parents bought him a primo stamp/comic/coin collection worth 30K would you still feel the need to judge him? (why does it matter whether he worked for it or not?)...
who knows, in the future games could go the way of comics where he could have the equivalent to the White Mountain Collection on his hands.
while collecting catalogs of sealed games is not my thing, im glad someone is doing it... it'll be great to go to museums and reminisce about the old days when we had physical media with box art.
...you could spend 30K on far worse things than video games (hookers, coke, coked up hookers)
blueshinra
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[quote name='admiralvic']Maybe it's just me, but I can look past the cost, bad titles, sealed concept, and all that; however the one thing I can't look past is the side costs! The money to display these items, find a place for them, etc. You figure 1 game case is around 2 inches and all of the items (not counting CE's) would be around 300 ft. No matter how you look at it thats a LOT of wasted space![/QUOTE]
Really? Display cases and/or storage accessories are simply a necessary evil when you're a collector.
Really? Display cases and/or storage accessories are simply a necessary evil when you're a collector.
[quote name='continuegaming']if his parents bought him a primo stamp/comic/coin collection worth 30K would you still feel the need to judge him? (why does it matter whether he worked for it or not?)...[/QUOTE]
Like I said above, if there is any jealousy, its because probably a lot of people would have to work on their own for that $30K, rather than have it handed to them. It doesn't matter what he spent it on. But all around America the wealthy just hand money to their kids to do stuff. I guess most of what they use the money for isn't newsworthy like this collection apparently is.
It would probably be a hell of a story if this kid worked his ass off in some crazy way to support himself, contribute to his family, and safely have the excess to have such a collection. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
Its sort of like being happy for a friend that they worked hard and saved up to go on a great vacation somewhere even if you'll never get to do the same versus some rich kid you went to high school with take their 10th vacation of the year to somewhere exotic. You're inclined to give a shit less about the latter.
And I think people have a valid opinion in saying that a sealed complete collection of video games is stupid. A lot of traditional collectors items are meant to just be tucked away for limited viewing like stamps, coins, easily breakable objects, etc.. Even with collecting action figures, once you open the package, the package is essentially ruined for collecting purposes. You can't re-put an action figure back in the packaging once you've ripped the plastic shell from the cardboard backing and have it all still be near mint.
But with video games, if you open them and play them, you can essentially keep the collection in near mint condition if you're careful and if your CD tray doesn't scratch the game up. So I think its a sense that the majority of people perceive little value or joy out of seeing sealed video games sitting there unplayed, versus other collector items which are essentially designed to sit there unused (ie even true for stamps and coins, because if you're going to use stamps or coins, that means mailing a letter or circulating the coin, at which point its out of your hands and you therefore have nothing, new or used, to "collect").
[quote name='continuegaming']who knows, in the future games could go the way of comics where he could have the equivalent to the White Mountain Collection on his hands.[/QUOTE]
Video games are already like comic books. Certain ones will be valuable to collectors always, the rest are in the dollar bin. The rare PS2 games in this guy's collection are probably going to be worth quite a bit sealed, just like certain old comic books. No one is ever going to give a shit about some sealed Barbie game, just like all the holographic "1st Edition" comic books from the 1990s in dollar long boxes.
IF he were to sell the collection, either one of two things will happen:
1) The completeness of the collection will make the rare games worth more. Think of it like a collector seeing it and thinking "Holy shit, I've always wanted a complete sealed PS2 collection. And here it is, entirely in front of me. Now I don't have to track down rare games or the Barbie Quadrilogy on my own. Every game in this collection is worth $ to me, so I will pay you an amount that gives every game some reasonable value."
2) The completeness of the collection will actually make it worth less. Think of it like "Your collection is primarily valuable because A, B, and C are rare games in sealed condition. You want me to have the burden of transporting this whole pile of games where the so many of these of these aren't worth much. I'd give you X amount for a lot of these games including A,B, and C as a package, but if I have to take all of it off your hands including the complete Barbie Quadrilogy and mediocre Madden titles, I can only offer you the lesser amount of Y."
And regardless of if 1 or 2 were to happen, there is no telling if whatever amount he receives for it will be worth at least as much as he paid, adjusting for inflation at the time of sale. So in that regard, the whole collection might become as worthless as a complete collection of comic books published in the same 4 year span as all of these PS2 games were purchased.
And lets not forget digital distribution. Obviously the vast majority of these games will never see legitimate digital distribution, but if some of the rare titles are popular enough that they get a digital (HD) re-release (with bonuses), it effectively sinks the value of physical copy (which has already been happening), and now your buyer's market is limited to serious collectors.
I think its somewhat interesting that this kid has a complete sealed collection of PS2 games and indeed the collection is notable for being complete and sealed.
But past that, I personally don't find it very impressive since I'm sure the vast majority of that money didn't come from his own pockets. Give me $30K or whatever he spent and ensure my basic life necessities are handled too like I'm betting his were, and I'd wager I could probably accomplish the same feat in a similar amount of time. It's not like there was a skill involved in this. Its just money and free time, which are infinitely easier to come by when you don't have to work for the first which almost necessarily cuts down on the latter. Anyone can buy any pile of anything with a giant lump of cash. I'm much more impressed if a friend works his ass off to buy a vintage sports car he's always wanted than if some millionaire's socialite son wakes up one morning and decides he's going to spend pop's money on the same car. And don't take that as anything against the rich - if Bill Gates wants to wake up and buy an entire fleet of sports cars, great, because at least he earned his money through hard work and means that aren't criminal or a harm to society. Just don't expect me to think its awesome if Bill Gates had a 16 year old son who spent Bill's money to buy the same fleet of sports cars.
Like I said above, if there is any jealousy, its because probably a lot of people would have to work on their own for that $30K, rather than have it handed to them. It doesn't matter what he spent it on. But all around America the wealthy just hand money to their kids to do stuff. I guess most of what they use the money for isn't newsworthy like this collection apparently is.
It would probably be a hell of a story if this kid worked his ass off in some crazy way to support himself, contribute to his family, and safely have the excess to have such a collection. But that doesn't seem to be the case.
Its sort of like being happy for a friend that they worked hard and saved up to go on a great vacation somewhere even if you'll never get to do the same versus some rich kid you went to high school with take their 10th vacation of the year to somewhere exotic. You're inclined to give a shit less about the latter.
And I think people have a valid opinion in saying that a sealed complete collection of video games is stupid. A lot of traditional collectors items are meant to just be tucked away for limited viewing like stamps, coins, easily breakable objects, etc.. Even with collecting action figures, once you open the package, the package is essentially ruined for collecting purposes. You can't re-put an action figure back in the packaging once you've ripped the plastic shell from the cardboard backing and have it all still be near mint.
But with video games, if you open them and play them, you can essentially keep the collection in near mint condition if you're careful and if your CD tray doesn't scratch the game up. So I think its a sense that the majority of people perceive little value or joy out of seeing sealed video games sitting there unplayed, versus other collector items which are essentially designed to sit there unused (ie even true for stamps and coins, because if you're going to use stamps or coins, that means mailing a letter or circulating the coin, at which point its out of your hands and you therefore have nothing, new or used, to "collect").
[quote name='continuegaming']who knows, in the future games could go the way of comics where he could have the equivalent to the White Mountain Collection on his hands.[/QUOTE]
Video games are already like comic books. Certain ones will be valuable to collectors always, the rest are in the dollar bin. The rare PS2 games in this guy's collection are probably going to be worth quite a bit sealed, just like certain old comic books. No one is ever going to give a shit about some sealed Barbie game, just like all the holographic "1st Edition" comic books from the 1990s in dollar long boxes.
IF he were to sell the collection, either one of two things will happen:
1) The completeness of the collection will make the rare games worth more. Think of it like a collector seeing it and thinking "Holy shit, I've always wanted a complete sealed PS2 collection. And here it is, entirely in front of me. Now I don't have to track down rare games or the Barbie Quadrilogy on my own. Every game in this collection is worth $ to me, so I will pay you an amount that gives every game some reasonable value."
2) The completeness of the collection will actually make it worth less. Think of it like "Your collection is primarily valuable because A, B, and C are rare games in sealed condition. You want me to have the burden of transporting this whole pile of games where the so many of these of these aren't worth much. I'd give you X amount for a lot of these games including A,B, and C as a package, but if I have to take all of it off your hands including the complete Barbie Quadrilogy and mediocre Madden titles, I can only offer you the lesser amount of Y."
And regardless of if 1 or 2 were to happen, there is no telling if whatever amount he receives for it will be worth at least as much as he paid, adjusting for inflation at the time of sale. So in that regard, the whole collection might become as worthless as a complete collection of comic books published in the same 4 year span as all of these PS2 games were purchased.
And lets not forget digital distribution. Obviously the vast majority of these games will never see legitimate digital distribution, but if some of the rare titles are popular enough that they get a digital (HD) re-release (with bonuses), it effectively sinks the value of physical copy (which has already been happening), and now your buyer's market is limited to serious collectors.
I think its somewhat interesting that this kid has a complete sealed collection of PS2 games and indeed the collection is notable for being complete and sealed.
But past that, I personally don't find it very impressive since I'm sure the vast majority of that money didn't come from his own pockets. Give me $30K or whatever he spent and ensure my basic life necessities are handled too like I'm betting his were, and I'd wager I could probably accomplish the same feat in a similar amount of time. It's not like there was a skill involved in this. Its just money and free time, which are infinitely easier to come by when you don't have to work for the first which almost necessarily cuts down on the latter. Anyone can buy any pile of anything with a giant lump of cash. I'm much more impressed if a friend works his ass off to buy a vintage sports car he's always wanted than if some millionaire's socialite son wakes up one morning and decides he's going to spend pop's money on the same car. And don't take that as anything against the rich - if Bill Gates wants to wake up and buy an entire fleet of sports cars, great, because at least he earned his money through hard work and means that aren't criminal or a harm to society. Just don't expect me to think its awesome if Bill Gates had a 16 year old son who spent Bill's money to buy the same fleet of sports cars.
continuegaming
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lots of assumptions...
who are you or i to say he didn't "earn" his collection?
did we really need a diatribe about the state of "spoiled american kids"? life isn't fair, some people are going to be born with a golden ticket, some not... deal with it. if you are bent out of shape over how someone decides to spend $30K you are either jealous or have too much time on your hands.(but hey it's the internet)
you are misrepresenting the majority opinion by using your own.
go to amazon.com or ebay and find a game that costs more used than new/sealed.
people by and large value games more new/sealed than "newish".
hopefully we can all agree that there is some value in the preservation and archival of games. doesn't matter if this gets done by a a dedicated group, or private collectors like this guy. all this negative energy could be directed at someone other than a person of means who happens to like video games and cares for them enough to archive them.
who are you or i to say he didn't "earn" his collection?
did we really need a diatribe about the state of "spoiled american kids"? life isn't fair, some people are going to be born with a golden ticket, some not... deal with it. if you are bent out of shape over how someone decides to spend $30K you are either jealous or have too much time on your hands.(but hey it's the internet)
you are misrepresenting the majority opinion by using your own.
go to amazon.com or ebay and find a game that costs more used than new/sealed.
people by and large value games more new/sealed than "newish".
hopefully we can all agree that there is some value in the preservation and archival of games. doesn't matter if this gets done by a a dedicated group, or private collectors like this guy. all this negative energy could be directed at someone other than a person of means who happens to like video games and cares for them enough to archive them.
[quote name='continuegaming']
you are misrepresenting the majority opinion by using your own.
go to amazon.com or ebay and find a game that costs more used than new/sealed.
people by and large value games more new/sealed than "newish".[/QUOTE]
Of course sealed costs more than like new, but the question is, what really sells? Sellers on Amazon and Ebay list sealed copies of shit at sky high rates, that doesn't mean other people are buying those games and therefore making the same valuation. Just look at the sales of used games. A hard to find but complete like new game for $20 will sell more copies (assuming more are available) at a much higher rate than sealed copies for $60. I think its entirely fair to say that the vast majority of people would prefer that complete like new game to the higher priced brand new game. I'd wager the number of sealed game collector completists is super low and rare in and of itself. That's why GameStop B2G1 threads for on for so many pages. That's why used game sales are a huge industry. Those older sealed new games for high prices are simply targeted at the wealthy who don't care how much they spend, or the sealed collectors which is a niche group.
As for this whole "jealousy" argument, who wouldn't want $30K free and clear to do whatever they wanted with? That opens worlds of possibilities for anything, whether you want to use it selfishly for yourself or simply to give that $30K away to whoever you want.
Yes its an assumption this kid didn't pay for most of this himself, but look at the facts. He's 23, married, accomplished this collection in mostly 4 years time. For him to do this on his own (including support himself/his family) would put him in the absolute top wage earners aged 19 to 23 years old. He was buying at a rate of over 1 game per day over 4 years. Like I said, wealthy rich spoiled kids is nothing new to America. No diatribe needed.
BUT I think its totally reasonable to say that his "feat" of obtaining this sealed complete collection is less impressive because of it. When judging if I'm impressed with something, I think its fair to assign value to the "journey." I'm going to be more impressed by someone who spent 25 years collecting baseball cards than by the person who buys that very same baseball card collection in one fell swoop. That's not so say there isn't a degree of interest or impressiveness in the collection, but it certainly increases my own opinion of an "Eh, so what?" when viewing the collection. And like I said above, if Bill Gates buys that baseball collection in one fell swoop, good for him, he earned his money. That's part of my valuation of the "journey" for a lack of a better term. But if Gates' kid uses Gates' money to buy that collection? Now I really don't give a shit about it past the fact of "Hey, its a complete collection. Moving on..."
Or think of it like baseball... many people dislike high spending organizations, like the Yankees, because they essentially try to "buy" the championship by acquiring all of the top players they can. That's why when an underdog team comes from no where to claim victory, people really buy into that story and it makes unforgettable moments. Whereas if the Yankees win, yeah, they've won the World Series again, but it wasn't anything special or out of the ordinary. The opposite is usually true if the underdog wins the series. The end result is the same, someone walks out world champion, and that has SOME degree of value. But the journeys to getting there and making it "special" or "memorable" are entirely different, and thus can increase or decrease the value of winning.
And I really think if this kid had a good story for how he was able to do this, we would have heard it. He's probably wiser for saying nothing about how he was really able to do this because I'm sure people would have thread-crap even more if he just said something like "Yeah my dad is a wealthy Wall Street CEO, so I pretty much had a blank check to get this collection done."
you are misrepresenting the majority opinion by using your own.
go to amazon.com or ebay and find a game that costs more used than new/sealed.
people by and large value games more new/sealed than "newish".[/QUOTE]
Of course sealed costs more than like new, but the question is, what really sells? Sellers on Amazon and Ebay list sealed copies of shit at sky high rates, that doesn't mean other people are buying those games and therefore making the same valuation. Just look at the sales of used games. A hard to find but complete like new game for $20 will sell more copies (assuming more are available) at a much higher rate than sealed copies for $60. I think its entirely fair to say that the vast majority of people would prefer that complete like new game to the higher priced brand new game. I'd wager the number of sealed game collector completists is super low and rare in and of itself. That's why GameStop B2G1 threads for on for so many pages. That's why used game sales are a huge industry. Those older sealed new games for high prices are simply targeted at the wealthy who don't care how much they spend, or the sealed collectors which is a niche group.
As for this whole "jealousy" argument, who wouldn't want $30K free and clear to do whatever they wanted with? That opens worlds of possibilities for anything, whether you want to use it selfishly for yourself or simply to give that $30K away to whoever you want.
Yes its an assumption this kid didn't pay for most of this himself, but look at the facts. He's 23, married, accomplished this collection in mostly 4 years time. For him to do this on his own (including support himself/his family) would put him in the absolute top wage earners aged 19 to 23 years old. He was buying at a rate of over 1 game per day over 4 years. Like I said, wealthy rich spoiled kids is nothing new to America. No diatribe needed.
BUT I think its totally reasonable to say that his "feat" of obtaining this sealed complete collection is less impressive because of it. When judging if I'm impressed with something, I think its fair to assign value to the "journey." I'm going to be more impressed by someone who spent 25 years collecting baseball cards than by the person who buys that very same baseball card collection in one fell swoop. That's not so say there isn't a degree of interest or impressiveness in the collection, but it certainly increases my own opinion of an "Eh, so what?" when viewing the collection. And like I said above, if Bill Gates buys that baseball collection in one fell swoop, good for him, he earned his money. That's part of my valuation of the "journey" for a lack of a better term. But if Gates' kid uses Gates' money to buy that collection? Now I really don't give a shit about it past the fact of "Hey, its a complete collection. Moving on..."
Or think of it like baseball... many people dislike high spending organizations, like the Yankees, because they essentially try to "buy" the championship by acquiring all of the top players they can. That's why when an underdog team comes from no where to claim victory, people really buy into that story and it makes unforgettable moments. Whereas if the Yankees win, yeah, they've won the World Series again, but it wasn't anything special or out of the ordinary. The opposite is usually true if the underdog wins the series. The end result is the same, someone walks out world champion, and that has SOME degree of value. But the journeys to getting there and making it "special" or "memorable" are entirely different, and thus can increase or decrease the value of winning.
And I really think if this kid had a good story for how he was able to do this, we would have heard it. He's probably wiser for saying nothing about how he was really able to do this because I'm sure people would have thread-crap even more if he just said something like "Yeah my dad is a wealthy Wall Street CEO, so I pretty much had a blank check to get this collection done."
[quote name='kodave']
No one is ever going to give a shit about some sealed Barbie game, just like all the holographic "1st Edition" comic books from the 1990s in dollar long boxes.
[/QUOTE]
*cough*
As much as you want to come back and say no one will ever pay those prices, they likely will. A lot of older people buying gifts will buy new - regardless of the price difference because they just don't like giving used gifts. I sold a new copy of Zoo Tycoon 2 for the Mac for $175, among a number of other things that are just as seemingly ridiculous.
You just can't predict what games will become valuable. Flintstones 2 for the NES isn't a great game, I don't even think it is very good, and a sealed copy of that would probably fetch several thousand dollars. It wouldn't be insane if the one PS2 game that becomes super valuable to collectors is the one no one else thought to keep sealed.
The difference between a Barbie game and the comics you mentioned is that the entire reason those comics are worthless is because people bought them in droves as "investments" hoping they would become rare and valuable (which they didn't because too many people did the same exact thing). No one is buying Barbie games with the intent of them being investments - very few, if any, will remain in new condition in the future because of that.
Sealed game collecting is in its infancy right now, just like comic collecting was in the early half of the 1900s. Only a handful of people are doing it, so it isn't insane to think that this guy's sealed collection will be akin to 1960s and prior vintage comics. Yes, like you said there will be a ton of crap titles that remain worthless but he WILL have the one that goes on to become the Stadium Events of the PS2 library and that title (along with the rest of the collection's combined value) will easily make the collection worth more than his initial $20k - $30k investment.
I will say buying most of these at retail price is pretty stupid since it would be common knowledge that a Barbie game will bottom out in price before going OOP... I can't really defend that logic too much. My main point is that you just can't call what game will become valuable in the future. Most sealed collectors right now are only picking up JRPGs and other "proven" genres. I'm almost certain that the real rarities will be the stuff that you and everyone else dismiss (like the aforementioned Barbie games) exclusively because the good titles are the ones that will be available in the highest quantity in the future (because more people are keeping them around with hopes of an increased value).
No one is ever going to give a shit about some sealed Barbie game, just like all the holographic "1st Edition" comic books from the 1990s in dollar long boxes.
[/QUOTE]
*cough*
Nope... no one will ever pay a lot for a sealed Barbie game.
As much as you want to come back and say no one will ever pay those prices, they likely will. A lot of older people buying gifts will buy new - regardless of the price difference because they just don't like giving used gifts. I sold a new copy of Zoo Tycoon 2 for the Mac for $175, among a number of other things that are just as seemingly ridiculous.
You just can't predict what games will become valuable. Flintstones 2 for the NES isn't a great game, I don't even think it is very good, and a sealed copy of that would probably fetch several thousand dollars. It wouldn't be insane if the one PS2 game that becomes super valuable to collectors is the one no one else thought to keep sealed.
The difference between a Barbie game and the comics you mentioned is that the entire reason those comics are worthless is because people bought them in droves as "investments" hoping they would become rare and valuable (which they didn't because too many people did the same exact thing). No one is buying Barbie games with the intent of them being investments - very few, if any, will remain in new condition in the future because of that.
Sealed game collecting is in its infancy right now, just like comic collecting was in the early half of the 1900s. Only a handful of people are doing it, so it isn't insane to think that this guy's sealed collection will be akin to 1960s and prior vintage comics. Yes, like you said there will be a ton of crap titles that remain worthless but he WILL have the one that goes on to become the Stadium Events of the PS2 library and that title (along with the rest of the collection's combined value) will easily make the collection worth more than his initial $20k - $30k investment.
I will say buying most of these at retail price is pretty stupid since it would be common knowledge that a Barbie game will bottom out in price before going OOP... I can't really defend that logic too much. My main point is that you just can't call what game will become valuable in the future. Most sealed collectors right now are only picking up JRPGs and other "proven" genres. I'm almost certain that the real rarities will be the stuff that you and everyone else dismiss (like the aforementioned Barbie games) exclusively because the good titles are the ones that will be available in the highest quantity in the future (because more people are keeping them around with hopes of an increased value).
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continuegaming
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i for one would love to have Ahans76 to be an active member of cag
...of the people who posted spiteful comments about this guy...how many actually read the interview?
it was an interesting read, and i find it highly probable that he's come to CAG on at least a few occasions to try to complete his collection. as far as him spending full retail, i think people are reading that wrong... He said:
unfortunately there seems to be a vocal and contentious group of "anti-game-collector" CAGs who have a flippant, arrogant, and spiteful attitude towards anyone who doesn't value games the way they do, and get especially perturbed when someone has the gall of collecting sealed games (ohh the horror)
so Ahans76 if you are out there and reading this, let the haters hate, i'd direct you to other forum posts (specifically this one) since (I hope) this discussion is not necessarily indicative of the CAG communities attitude towards collectors.
...of the people who posted spiteful comments about this guy...how many actually read the interview?
it was an interesting read, and i find it highly probable that he's come to CAG on at least a few occasions to try to complete his collection. as far as him spending full retail, i think people are reading that wrong... He said:
...and
unfortunately there seems to be a vocal and contentious group of "anti-game-collector" CAGs who have a flippant, arrogant, and spiteful attitude towards anyone who doesn't value games the way they do, and get especially perturbed when someone has the gall of collecting sealed games (ohh the horror)
so Ahans76 if you are out there and reading this, let the haters hate, i'd direct you to other forum posts (specifically this one) since (I hope) this discussion is not necessarily indicative of the CAG communities attitude towards collectors.
shadyfozzie
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I read the interview, and it's pretty amazing... however, I was looking at his pictures of other parts of his collection.. Did you guys see that he had like 20+ of some PSP game?? Does anyone know what it is??
Just depends on the person. I can't believe people are debating this. I think it's a waste of money because I would like to play my games, look through the manual, see the disc art perhaps? I keep my stuff all perfect, but it is indeed usable.
Others, however, get off on the fact that it's "OMG teh factory sealeD!!!111" Sarcasm aside, we're all spending money and time on video games. It's silly to bicker over a difference of preference. This is a situation where there is no "right" answer.
Others, however, get off on the fact that it's "OMG teh factory sealeD!!!111" Sarcasm aside, we're all spending money and time on video games. It's silly to bicker over a difference of preference. This is a situation where there is no "right" answer.
DarkRider23
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[quote name='exceed19']This is awesome. I totally get it. Some people are collectors by nature, and some are dedicated. Like, for example - I cant own marvel zombies, with out owning every single book in the collection. I wonder what his hardest game to obtain was?[/QUOTE]
I feel the same way about comics. If I'm going to start collecting Green Lantern comics monthly, then I want every comic dating back to the current volume/series. Exceptions have to be made for comics like Captain America, Journey into Mystery, Detective Comics & others that have been around forever.
I'm loving all the jealousy this guy is getting on this forum, of all places. We get it. You don't have the $30k he does to spend on video games. Cry me a river. You ever think that the money he spent on video games is probably nothing compared to what he makes?
[quote name='kodave']I'm betting his parents/family wealth paid for a lot of this collection, or if he bought it all "on his own" obviously secondary sources of income were supporting his primary needs where "normal" people would have had to apply that money to things other than collecting video games.[/QUOTE]
Your jealousy knows no bounds. You're insulting him because he has the money to build up a collection. I find that funny. You ever think he might be living below his means and not pay check to pay check like most of society does? Living below your means creates quite a bit of wealth that you can either invest or use it on whatever the hell you want.
I feel the same way about comics. If I'm going to start collecting Green Lantern comics monthly, then I want every comic dating back to the current volume/series. Exceptions have to be made for comics like Captain America, Journey into Mystery, Detective Comics & others that have been around forever.
I'm loving all the jealousy this guy is getting on this forum, of all places. We get it. You don't have the $30k he does to spend on video games. Cry me a river. You ever think that the money he spent on video games is probably nothing compared to what he makes?
[quote name='kodave']I'm betting his parents/family wealth paid for a lot of this collection, or if he bought it all "on his own" obviously secondary sources of income were supporting his primary needs where "normal" people would have had to apply that money to things other than collecting video games.[/QUOTE]
Your jealousy knows no bounds. You're insulting him because he has the money to build up a collection. I find that funny. You ever think he might be living below his means and not pay check to pay check like most of society does? Living below your means creates quite a bit of wealth that you can either invest or use it on whatever the hell you want.
continuegaming
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he's probably got mad dups for buying out the inventory of closing game stores.
perdition(troy
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pretty sweet collection, I can't even imagine having half the amount of titles he has.
[quote name='DarkRider23']I'm loving all the jealousy this guy is getting on this forum, of all places. We get it. You don't have the $30k he does to spend on video games. Cry me a river.[/QUOTE]
I'm not jealous at all but I do think it is a complete waste of time and money. If I had $100,000,000 just burning a hole in my pocket I'd never ever ever buy a sealed PS2 collection like that guy has assembled (or any other collection). I just think the whole thing is completely insane but to each their own.
My guess is that he enjoys the act of tracking them down more than actually owning them.
I'm not jealous at all but I do think it is a complete waste of time and money. If I had $100,000,000 just burning a hole in my pocket I'd never ever ever buy a sealed PS2 collection like that guy has assembled (or any other collection). I just think the whole thing is completely insane but to each their own.
My guess is that he enjoys the act of tracking them down more than actually owning them.
GreenSpark
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[quote name='continuegaming']unfortunately there seems to be a vocal and contentious group of "anti-game-collector" CAGs who have a flippant, arrogant, and spiteful attitude towards anyone who doesn't value games the way they do, and get especially perturbed when someone has the gall of collecting sealed games (ohh the horror)[/QUOTE]
Couldn't have said this better myself. A lot of people in this forum waste tons of time, effort, not to mention money as well, buying shipping supplies, searching for coupons, going to post office, calling/driving to multiple stores, trading games via forum or store, buying multiple copies to flip, praying for deal exploits and though it's not my thing, I don't think any less of them for their habits or ways.
But mention "sealed game collecting" and the 24/7 game players/flippers/haters come out in droves claiming how it's a waste of money and time when they share the same practices, just on a different scale. There's no way to know for sure what anyone here "wastes" money on besides games, so why hate on this guy for spending his, the way he likes? I'd bet some people on this forum have nice cars, beautiful homes, fancy clothes, love to travel, etc., all of which requires money! I don't own a home, have a big family, drive a nice car, because to me, those things are wastes of money and I'd much rather blow my $30,000 on collecting sealed games and eating what I want to on a daily basis. This lady at my job drives a 2008 Murano, yet mentioned she was using her bonuses and saving everything to trade that in for a Porsche Cayenne, because that's what she wants to do with her hard-earned cash. Not my thing, but I sure don't think any less of her for pursuing her dreams or desires, it's HER chips to blow how she feels!
I just feel some people should look in the proverbial mirror so to speak, before judging this guy, or anyone who uses their money as desired. Sealed game collectors are not crazy, unworthy of respect or admiration and contrary to popular belief, DO know what a vagina looks like on a daily basis\\
Couldn't have said this better myself. A lot of people in this forum waste tons of time, effort, not to mention money as well, buying shipping supplies, searching for coupons, going to post office, calling/driving to multiple stores, trading games via forum or store, buying multiple copies to flip, praying for deal exploits and though it's not my thing, I don't think any less of them for their habits or ways.
But mention "sealed game collecting" and the 24/7 game players/flippers/haters come out in droves claiming how it's a waste of money and time when they share the same practices, just on a different scale. There's no way to know for sure what anyone here "wastes" money on besides games, so why hate on this guy for spending his, the way he likes? I'd bet some people on this forum have nice cars, beautiful homes, fancy clothes, love to travel, etc., all of which requires money! I don't own a home, have a big family, drive a nice car, because to me, those things are wastes of money and I'd much rather blow my $30,000 on collecting sealed games and eating what I want to on a daily basis. This lady at my job drives a 2008 Murano, yet mentioned she was using her bonuses and saving everything to trade that in for a Porsche Cayenne, because that's what she wants to do with her hard-earned cash. Not my thing, but I sure don't think any less of her for pursuing her dreams or desires, it's HER chips to blow how she feels!
I just feel some people should look in the proverbial mirror so to speak, before judging this guy, or anyone who uses their money as desired. Sealed game collectors are not crazy, unworthy of respect or admiration and contrary to popular belief, DO know what a vagina looks like on a daily basis\\
DurbanBrown
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none open? wack!
GreenSpark
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[quote name='Javery']Google Images doesn't count you know. 
[/QUOTE]
Nor do they work for me, which is why i prefer streaming sites better
o
[/QUOTE]Nor do they work for me, which is why i prefer streaming sites better
o
continuegaming
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i choose to pleasure myself in front of my homemade jukebox:
...then i go online and chastise "nerds" for collecting sealed video games.
...then i go online and chastise "nerds" for collecting sealed video games.
[quote name='continuegaming']i choose to pleasure myself in front of my homemade jukebox:
...then i go online and chastise "nerds" for collecting sealed video games.[/QUOTE]
Is it just me or is this slightly disturbing? Why would any of my posts in this thread lead you to believe that I jerk off in front of my jukebox?
I never chastised anyone - I don't "get" it and I think it is a colossal waste of time and money but I've been clear that I don't give a shit what other people do with their time or money and that I have hobbies that others might think are crazy. However, that still doesn't change the fact that collecting sealed video games is a colossal waste of time and money, you nerd.
...then i go online and chastise "nerds" for collecting sealed video games.[/QUOTE]
Is it just me or is this slightly disturbing? Why would any of my posts in this thread lead you to believe that I jerk off in front of my jukebox?
I never chastised anyone - I don't "get" it and I think it is a colossal waste of time and money but I've been clear that I don't give a shit what other people do with their time or money and that I have hobbies that others might think are crazy. However, that still doesn't change the fact that collecting sealed video games is a colossal waste of time and money, you nerd.
Rave Child
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This is a very impressive collection, to say the least, but I agree that collecting dumb games is... dumb. Of course, there's hundreds of people who are going for the "every PS2 RPG" or similar collections, so going the extra mile to get all the shovelware has its own merits. No one else in the world has accumulated the collection he has, and I'm sure there's a lot of satisfaction in that. Just about everybody is obsessive about something, so all the power to him to be obsessive about his collection.
Also, I don't think it's so unreasonable to think a 23 year old could have $30K to spend on video games and still live comfortably. I feel like this could be pretty easily accomplished on a salary of $60K+ as you are diligent about your spending. This is a pretty realistic salary range for some fields to pay right out of college. Plus he has a wife who may also earn comparable, or at least decent, income which can help go towards rent/mortgage, groceries, gas, etc. There's no need to assume that this guy had everything handed to him.
On the other hand, I think that $30K is probably too of an amount for how much he spent on his collection. Two Uncharted 2 Fortune Hunter's Editions and an Elemental Gearbolt Assassin's Case are probably $4-5K right off the bat. Plus he has "about 430 PSP titles." Plus look at all that other swag he's got lying around. It's probably closer to $40K or even $50K. Of course, this is still possible for his to afford on his own, albeit much less likely.
Also, I don't think it's so unreasonable to think a 23 year old could have $30K to spend on video games and still live comfortably. I feel like this could be pretty easily accomplished on a salary of $60K+ as you are diligent about your spending. This is a pretty realistic salary range for some fields to pay right out of college. Plus he has a wife who may also earn comparable, or at least decent, income which can help go towards rent/mortgage, groceries, gas, etc. There's no need to assume that this guy had everything handed to him.
On the other hand, I think that $30K is probably too of an amount for how much he spent on his collection. Two Uncharted 2 Fortune Hunter's Editions and an Elemental Gearbolt Assassin's Case are probably $4-5K right off the bat. Plus he has "about 430 PSP titles." Plus look at all that other swag he's got lying around. It's probably closer to $40K or even $50K. Of course, this is still possible for his to afford on his own, albeit much less likely.
continuegaming
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creating a homemade jukebox is an incredible waste of time and resources. if i had $10,000,000.00 i wouldn't create a homemade jukebox. what's even worse is people who do this kinda thing are proud of themselves, like they accomplished something. they need to get a life, seriously, what a bunch of nutjobs...
bet they go to bars and try to pick up chicks talking about their homemade jukebox.
... pathetic.
...truth be told, i'm not proud of that post, but the desired effect was achieved. people don't come here to be mocked, or be judged by people. if you have a divergent opinion, a single post about how you don't get it will suffice, but when you persist, how is that not trolling? if you don't care, fine... i personally don't care for creating a jukebox... it totally doesn't interest me.
the only thing you show by coming on here and inferring that people who have a hobby are sexless losers is that you get your jollies getting a rise out of people, how do any of your posts contribute to the conversation? doesn't feel so good when the shoe is on the other foot.
salty tbone
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[quote name='Javery']I never chastised anyone - I don't "get" it and I think it is a colossal waste of time and money but I've been clear that I don't give a shit what other people do with their time or money and that I have hobbies that others might think are crazy. However, that still doesn't change the fact that collecting sealed video games is a colossal waste of time and money, you nerd.[/QUOTE]
You have an odd way of expressing how you don't give a shit.
You have an odd way of expressing how you don't give a shit.
[quote name='continuegaming']
creating a homemade jukebox is an incredible waste of time and resources. if i had $10,000,000.00 i wouldn't create a homemade jukebox. what's even worse is people who do this kinda thing are proud of themselves, like they accomplished something. they need to get a life, seriously, what a bunch of nutjobs...
bet they go to bars and try to pick up chicks talking about their homemade jukebox.
... pathetic.
[/QUOTE]
This thread may have begun as a discussion about what people do or don't value about sealed game collecting, but it's gone to a very strange place...
bet they go to bars and try to pick up chicks talking about their homemade jukebox.
... pathetic.
[/QUOTE]
This thread may have begun as a discussion about what people do or don't value about sealed game collecting, but it's gone to a very strange place...
anotherpoorgamer
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I don't see what the problem is here. This person collects video games and keeps them sealed, no different from any other collector of collectibles. I buy my games to play and have many sealed that will eventually be opened.
I don't mind greatest hits/platinum hits versions of games. I just separate the two from each other on a shelf. Over all, I'm impressed this person was able to get all of/most of the PS2 games available to the U.S. region.
I wonder if Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo have a collection/copy of every single game they've released on their respective consoles? I mean, every version like collector's editions/limited editions/original release version/budget priced version.
How about developers/publishers like Sega/Konami/Square Enix/Namco/Atlus/Aksys/Natsume/Rock*/EA/Capcom/etc.?
I don't mind greatest hits/platinum hits versions of games. I just separate the two from each other on a shelf. Over all, I'm impressed this person was able to get all of/most of the PS2 games available to the U.S. region.
I wonder if Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo have a collection/copy of every single game they've released on their respective consoles? I mean, every version like collector's editions/limited editions/original release version/budget priced version.
How about developers/publishers like Sega/Konami/Square Enix/Namco/Atlus/Aksys/Natsume/Rock*/EA/Capcom/etc.?
[quote name='anotherpoorgamer']
How about developers/publishers like Sega/Konami/Square Enix/Namco/Atlus/Aksys/Natsume/Rock*/EA/Capcom/etc.?[/QUOTE]
I know that some companies will have a bunch of their old games, but just hand them out to employees when it gets too much. Take-Two did just that recently.
How about developers/publishers like Sega/Konami/Square Enix/Namco/Atlus/Aksys/Natsume/Rock*/EA/Capcom/etc.?[/QUOTE]
I know that some companies will have a bunch of their old games, but just hand them out to employees when it gets too much. Take-Two did just that recently.
[quote name='anotherpoorgamer']
How about developers/publishers like Sega/Konami/Square Enix/Namco/Atlus/Aksys/Natsume/Rock*/EA/Capcom/etc.?[/QUOTE]
Most developers keep copies of all their games in display cases - I worked at Epic bak in 2008 and they have an impressive collection of their history - including the scraps of paper Tim Sweeney designed ZZT on. I know Bethesda has a similaly impressive collection.
As far as publishers go, they don't typically hang on to stuff - Sega has an archive but it is far from complete and is maintained by employees, not the company itself. Back in March, I was able to buy a bunch of games and items from a closing Destineer branch, they had no formal colection of games, they just had stuff scatterred everywhere around the office.
How about developers/publishers like Sega/Konami/Square Enix/Namco/Atlus/Aksys/Natsume/Rock*/EA/Capcom/etc.?[/QUOTE]
Most developers keep copies of all their games in display cases - I worked at Epic bak in 2008 and they have an impressive collection of their history - including the scraps of paper Tim Sweeney designed ZZT on. I know Bethesda has a similaly impressive collection.
As far as publishers go, they don't typically hang on to stuff - Sega has an archive but it is far from complete and is maintained by employees, not the company itself. Back in March, I was able to buy a bunch of games and items from a closing Destineer branch, they had no formal colection of games, they just had stuff scatterred everywhere around the office.
On another note, i think everyone whose dissing the guy should grow up and stop judging someone you don't know. For all you know, he could be a billionaire, or some super model, or one of the coolest and nicest person you'll ever know. Who knows. I'm sure everyone here is a collector of some sort, even if you don't know it yourself. So how would you feel if some random dude started dissing you because you have a strange hobby? Not good i'm sure. Let's show some respect people.
bread's done