Leaving this site!

I often get the same feeling. Good luck with your decision. 

I'm not in debt per se, unless you count my home mortgage, but I have alot less money than I probably should because of my video game spending, which is definitely excessive. While I'm constantly striving to do better with my self-control, I look at it optimistically from these 2 viewpoints:

1) I'm a collector and I'm always going to be collecting something, it's just my nature/hobby to do so. Video games don't necessarily have a great ROI, but they do have some, in terms of certain games. While some SNES games I bought 25 years ago are worthless now, others have doubled or tripled in value. I'm glad I've been playing and collecting video games over something like beanie babies, which are worthless at this point and cannot be resold for anything now if I needed to. 

2) Video game playing and collecting has kept me from indulging in some of the more destructive habits I would partake in from about age 18-23, which included excessive drinking, partying, and screwing around, both literally and figuratively. 

Hope that helps add some positive perspective. 

I'm not in debt per se, unless you count my home mortgage, but I have alot less money than I probably should because of my video game spending, which is definitely excessive. While I'm constantly striving to do better with my self-control, I look at it optimistically from these 2 viewpoints:

 

1) I'm a collector and I'm always going to be collecting something, it's just my nature/hobby to do so. Video games don't necessarily have a great ROI, but they do have some, in terms of certain games. While some SNES games I bought 25 years ago are worthless now, others have doubled or tripled in value. I'm glad I've been playing and collecting video games over something like beanie babies, which are worthless at this point and cannot be resold for anything now if I needed to. 

 

2) Video game playing and collecting has kept me from indulging in some of the more destructive habits I would partake in from about age 18-23, which included excessive drinking, partying, and screwing around, both literally and figuratively. 

 

Hope that helps add some positive perspective. 

Yeah, but you're justifying a BAD habit - that is, as the OP stated, spending more than you should on a hobby you don't have time for. Collecting video games is such an odd thing. You're essentially displaying pieces of media you will never actually play (maybe even ever open!).

It's a good thing to take a step back, and if I had but one suggestion to give? GET A NEW HOBBY.

Sure, you can justify your "collecting tendencies", but I'm sure the majority of us are out of shape, too! And what's the justification for that? "I don't have enough time to exercise..." So I suggest switching to more positive/healthy hobbies (such as getting in better shape), rather than explain that collecting video games is better than smoking dope! 

Don't get me wrong, it is! But as benign as this hobby may seem, it shouldn't put anyone into debt. And those of us that are NOT in debt are still suffering (as you mentioned) from expenditures that affect our standard of living (either you'll own a smaller home because you don't have the cash AND/OR you will clutter this home with tons of collector junk). They say "Less is more!"

After my first black market kidney sale to cover last Black Friday's sales I realized I too have a problem, and it isn't just the bloody urine either. Godspeed WakaBrea...........

Yeah, but you're justifying a BAD habit - that is, as the OP stated, spending more than you should on a hobby you don't have time for. Collecting video games is such an odd thing. You're essentially displaying pieces of media you will never actually play (maybe even ever open!).

 

It's a good thing to take a step back, and if I had but one suggestion to give? GET A NEW HOBBY.

 

Sure, you can justify your "collecting tendencies", but I'm sure the majority of us are out of shape, too! And what's the justification for that? "I don't have enough time to exercise..." So I suggest switching to more positive/healthy hobbies (such as getting in better shape), rather than explain that collecting video games is better than smoking dope! 

 

Don't get me wrong, it is! But as benign as this hobby may seem, it shouldn't put anyone into debt. And those of us that are NOT in debt are still suffering (as you mentioned) from expenditures that affect our standard of living (either you'll own a smaller home because you don't have the cash AND/OR you will clutter this home with tons of collector junk). They say "Less is more!"

Oddly enough, I'm in pretty good shape for a 40 year old man. Just finished my 4th marathon in May and did it in under 4 hours so it was a pretty big accomplishment. I guess if anything suffers it's probably my family life as I don't pay attention to my wife as much as she would like between gaming and distance running. So there's that.

You are correct though in that the "at least its not cocaine and hookers" (what my Father used to say) excuse isn't really valid to justify another behavior you want to change. I guess what it comes down to is whether a person wants to change something enough based on how urgently it needs to change and how destructive it is. Some people drink a 6 pack a day and manage as functioning alcoholics for their entire life. If that's what makes them happy and they manage to do it without causing problems for themselves or their families, I don't want to judge them or tell them to change, even though I don't agree. The OP here said he did want to change, so the advice is welcome, I guess that's the difference. Personally, I want to keep buying games but probably not as many. Lol.