When is too many games... too many games?

Roufuss

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I guess I'm inspired by the great Successful Dropout to make this post, who recently decided to purge many of his games and only keep his favorites and the classics, to go ahead and do the same thing.

I'm recently planning on moving, and I realize what a hassle it would be to have to move 1000 games... espically when there is a large large chunk of them I never play. I also realized how awesome it would be to actually sell them, get a ton of money, and be set on rent and the like for a couple of months.

Some of these games I only played once, shelved, and have never played since... some of them I don't ever have the desire to play again. Having an awesome collection is nice, but really, what's the point if I'm just going to stare at it and impress random people on the internet with it?

So I started this last month or so... randomly thinning out the pack. It was hard at first... really hard, but every time I sold something, and saw that money pop into my Paypal, it became just a little bit easier. Now, I don't think I've sold anything truly rare yet, I don't know if I ever will, but getting rid of some of this stuff is more of a relief then sadness.

I can't even remember some of the stuff I've sold. So what about you, CAG? Have any of you hit the point where you have too many games, or are you sastisfied having tons of games you'll probably never get around to playing?
 
I have this debate with myself sometimes (similar sized collection to you), but I haven't done much thinning yet. I don't have much dead weight in my collection... but I sometimes consider a bit of a downsize...
 
I never keep a big collection of games. Being the CAG that I am, I usually buy a game, beat it and then trade it in for something else that I want and so on. I do admit that I'm a sucker for Limited Edition stuff though. Anything that is LE I usually keep.
 
I reached a similar decision about 6 months ago. May be moving at the end of the year and I have a two car garage full of games, systems, etc that I accumulated over the past 6 or 7 years. No way am I moving it all again so I started listing 100 or more auctions every week on ebay. I've actually begun to make some space in the garage and nothing that I've sold have I really missed. Even parted with my brand new Nes and Toploader recently. It really feels good to be getting rid of all this extra stuff now that I've really committed to doing it.
 
[quote name='secretvampire']I have this debate with myself sometimes (similar sized collection to you), but I haven't done much thinning yet. I don't have much dead weight in my collection... but I sometimes consider a bit of a downsize...[/QUOTE]

I don't have much dead weight, but these are some things I look at.

Why do I need to keep Pokemon Red, if I have Pokemon Leaf Green (an updated version).

Why do I need to keep Marvel vs Capcom 2 PS2, when I just have it on my Dreamcast?

Now, I'll never touch my NES / SNES / Genesis stuff since that was pretty much all handpicked by me over the years, but all my PS2 / Gamecube / GBA / PS One stuff has gotten to be a bit too much.

It's really tough at first to downsize... you feel like you'll miss the games, what if you ever want to play through that game again, stuff like that, but after you start selling a few, more often then not you won't even remember what you sold.

Now, I won't sell off stuff I know I will miss, like my Valkyrie Profile or Suikoden 2 (hell, any of my RPG's, really), just junk I picked up, played once, and while good, I'll never play through it again.

Is there really a reason to keep Metal Slug Advance, when soon I'll have all six Metal Slug's on my PSP? ;) And I know I contradicted myself on Valkyrie Profile, I just want to make sure that PSP port is excellent before I commit to selling my prized PS One copy.
 
Did you not sell any games before a month ago? I just don't see the point of collecting games, I buy them to play and I'm willing to sell any I don't play (as well as ones I play for more than they cost to buy another copy).
 
Why do I need to keep Pokemon Red, if I have Pokemon Leaf Green (an updated version).

Why do I need to keep Marvel vs Capcom 2 PS2, when I just have it on my Dreamcast?
I'm totally with you there, I've never really gotten myself in that situation. I have pretty much a single version of the games I enjoy in my collection except for the odd game I wanted to have portable to take on the go. I have Marvel vs. Capcom 2 for the DC, I once got a mint MvC2 on PS2 for $20. Didn't even have to think about it, I sold it for a ton more to finance other games I wanted.

Is there really a reason to keep Metal Slug Advance, when soon I'll have all six Metal Slug's on my PSP? And I know I contradicted myself on Valkyrie Profile, I just want to make sure that PSP port is excellent before I commit to selling my prized PS One copy.
See, now here is a case where everybody has their own opinion. I have the original Metal Slug, Metal Slug 2, and Metal Slug X for my Neo Geo (MVS versions, I'm not made of money!) and the Xbox ports for 4 and 5. But the Metal Slug Advance version is a unique game, not a port, so I wanted it to play through for new content.

On the Valkyrie Profile front, I'll pass on the PSP version, I'd rather play my PS1 version on the big screen. Somewhat related to the topic, I'm considering selling my native 1.5 firmware PSP as I'm not using it for much right now and buying some superior version down the way. That's kind of a big step for me since I have almost every console and handheld in the past 20 years. I guess that tells you how shitty I think the PSP game lineup is right now, I've hardly bought a game since launch.

On another note, I'm not one of those collectors that collects sealed games either, that is fucking STUPID in my opinion.
 
Well my collection's on a much smaller scale than what a lot of CAG's are working with, but I think that thinning your collection out is the best thing that you can do for your collection. I basically evaluate a game on 2 things:

1) Would I play it again?
2) Was it truly great, or just decent or good?

If a game isn't great, what's the point of even bothering with it? I've got enough of a backlog as it is and I don't want to be tied down by a mediocre game that eats away time that could be better spent elsewhere. So yeah, I keep my collection reduced and I don't see any games in my collection right now leaving. What this does is it leaves me with a superior collection and a collection that's not outrageously large. You basically can't lose.
 
Dammit Roufuss, if this influences me to sell off some of my collection I'm going to drive down to Tampa and be very curt with you.
 
I also don't have the collection most of you CAGs do. I'm a youngin compared to a lot of you guys. BUT, I had about 90 or so GCN/Xbox/and PS2 games about a year and a half ago. I decided that I didn't even put half of them into a system, and all I really did was play Halo2. So, back when GR had all its good trade in deals, I turned 60 or so games into about 10 new titles. But those eventually lost their value anyways. So, I have told myself, that from now on, if I buy a game, I keep the game.
 
I've had the exact same dilemma recently. My collection has just grown so big to the point where I can’t keep really keep it all in good condition anymore. I wanted to have a complete GC/Xbox collection but it just got insane trying to buy doubles on both consoles, especially when the ps2 version is usually the cheapest. When one of my shelves broke, I traded in tons of lesser games to fye and Blockbuster. When EB/GS had that extra $10 credit bonus last month, I pretty much called it quits. Every old sports game, generic fps, Jampack/Exhibtion and Drake had to go, along with a bunch of other titles I've finished and will probably never play again.

I found it hard parting with most games but in the end, I only miss about 3 or 4 of them and it's not like I couldn't ever get them back eventually. My collection is still too big as it is and soon as I learn how to properly package games, I'm ditching a whole bunch more. I love games and loved having shelves littered with titles for ‘reference’ or ‘just in case I’m ever interested’ but not having the time or space just kills the interest factor eventually.
 
Every old sports game, generic fps, Jampack/Exhibtion and Drake had to go, along with a bunch of other titles I've finished and will probably never play again.
Hey, I think you definitely did the right thing. Along with collecting sealed games, collecting every game for a certain system is fucking stupid in my opinion. 90% of the stuff put out for every platform is absolute crap.
 
I dont keep a big collection...as soon as I beat a game I sell it...unless there is other stuff to do in it after beating it. Keeping it while it depreciates in value is a bad idea IMO.
 
Keeping it while it depreciates in value is a bad idea IMO.
Of course, then you are assuming we buy games at launch for $50-60. A lot of us buy games when they are $5-10 (or at least after its market value has been established) and will never be worth any less. I can't remember the last time I bought a game at launch for anywhere NEAR the MSRP.
 
I know I have too many games because I haven't touched 3/4 of my collection yet and I haven't finished 3/4 of the 1/4 that I have played.

I'm saying this as I am checking out DDR Ultramix 2 on Amazon....
 
LOL Sevdust, like I do now with my former Genesis and PS1 collections that I stupidly traded away to EB?

Most of the titles I had for PS1 and Genesis that I traded away are now impossible to find. Go figure.

I've tried finding certain ones, but now it seems like some of these are 'rare'.

Every game shop I've been to has only ever had ONE copy of the PS1 'Cool Spot' game. Even the best source for my rarer games nowadays, this one local indy shop, has only ever had ONE copy in stock.

So yeah, unless you live in a woefully small apartment, don't trade in your games because you will regret it later on down the line. Trust me on this.
 
even though I have thinned out my collection a whole lot in the last 5-6 months, I do have games (like the rest of you) that I haven't started yet, have yet to finish and or kept sealed.

it has gotten better though. when I first joined this site, I would buy games that looked sort of interesting that I hadn't heard a lot about, just because they were really cheap. I ended up not really playing them and wasting money in the process. I sold off a lot of the stuff I don't play anymore and haven't regretted anything I let go recently. I kept stuff I knew I would play very often and made it a habit to only buy stuff I'm interested in from now on and not JUST because it's cheap. I guess you just have to set limits for yourself sometime.

still could use extra shelf room for my games though.
 
[quote name='sevdustflyer']Don't sell games you'll only regret it later.[/QUOTE]

Yep, I'm sure regretting selling Azurik and Turok, let me tell you.

Whatever will I do now that Space Raiders has left my life :(

It's not like I'm thinning down my collection by selling all of my Suikoden titles :p Or deciding it's time to dump all my complete / mint SNES RPG's ;)
 
I don't even bother collecting game,just to satsify your ego and impress other people.The main goal of video games is to enjoy them and fun rather then starring at empty box.Not to mention,you have to collect horrible games as well.

When a game is beaten,I will sell it immediately.I don't want to redo the same things over and over again.I never regret selling my games.Some strange reason,once I sell a game it has some strange way to find me back.I sold valkyrie profile,lunar,phoenix wright,legend of mana and final fantasy 7.A few months later I got back 3 valkyrie profile,3 lunar,2 phoenix wright,7 legend of mana and 10 final fantasy 7(most during the buy 2 get 1 free sale).
 
[quote name='sevdustflyer']Don't sell games you'll only regret it later.[/QUOTE]

That is your opinion.

Personally, I could never collect video games. In fact, I don't think I can really collect anything. The only sort of medium I've ever collected was sports cards, and that ended about when I was about 10 years old. I've come to the conclusion that collections, quality collections, cost a lot of $$$, take up a lot of space, and in order to hold value must be either mint or unopened.Now that is not to say that collections are a waste of time, money, effort, space, etc. far from it. It just requires the right mentality, one that understands the concept of buying something with the intent of showing it off and never really using it.

I would much rather just enjoy games for what they are and eventually sell them off. Of course that would mean I could never come back to the game again, but there is always the knowing that future games will be as good or better than those that came before it. If this were not the case, then the gaming industry would become stale and die.

I have to appologize because I am about to contradict myself, there are a couple games I own and will NEVER get rid of: Deathrow (Xbox), for the simple reason that the game is totally unique and it is very possible that nothing like it will ever come again, Pigskin Footbrawl (Sega Genesis), for similar reasons, and finally the complete Diablo series (PC), the game that got me into gaming. However I don't know whether or not to call this a collection because it spends very little time sitting, being admired.
 
I've always liked the idea of having my own library of games. I could start my own rental store, though I wouldn't stack up too well with current gen stuff, especially stuff released over the past 2 years. Though people used to tell me to do that in the NES days. I can't remember if it's 2 or 3 thousand games, but I did catalogue it in excel.

Still, I like the feeling of walking into the next room and going through thousands of games to pick the one I want. Though I don't like the fact that I used up a third of a room to store the stuff (and a couple hundred to purchase shelves and build wall shelves). I sometimes go in there trying to find a game play, looking around for 20 minutes, and end up watching tv instead.

The worst part is the allotted space for SNES, genesis, SMS, ps2, gc, gb, gba, nds, tg16, n-gage, game.com, game gear, ps1, 32x, jaguar, atari and intellivision ran out only a few months after I set everything up.

I think collecting is just something that's been ingrained in me. My father loves antiques and I was born into understanding that old things had value. Then my family became heavily involved in sports cards and even opened a sports card store. Collecting seems natural to me, getting rid of stuff is what's strange. For example, any game that has been in my system I keep. Any game that I've had for a few years I keep, unless it's sealed and valuable. In that case I sell it and buy a complete used one for much less (did that with suikoden, castlevania sotn etc.).

I think the fact that I got stuck in 8/16 bit gaming makes it worse. I did get into the 32/64 bit generation, but I lost interest in much of that, excluding the first half of it (earlier n64/saturn). I only have moderate interest in current stuff, but I seem to collect guides like sports cards. To me, the old stuff is the best of gaming. The new stuff has been going downhill. I'm unlikely to find new games that I feel are superior to the old stuff. Essentially, unlike a previous poster, I don't look forward to future games very much.
 
buy only the stuff you will play. If you have a stack of games that you have never even put in your console then you have too many games. I've hit this wall and put a freeze on my purchases and that's why I'm not getting a xbox 360 for some time.
 
Well, I have a decent-sized collection, especially PS2 games. But I'm not trying to get every game on the system or anything silly like that - all of the games I have, I have them because I think they're really good games that I enjoy. I do thin out the herd from time to time, getting rid of games I just simply didn't enjoy or don't want anymore. But for the most part, if I enjoyed it I keep it. For one thing, most of them aren't worth that much anyway, and the ones that are are the ones I would really miss if they were gone.

The other thing is that most of the time when I have gotten rid of a game I enjoyed but thought I wouldn't miss, I ended up trying to find it again later.

I know some would call my collection excessive, but that's ok. I don't collect games to impress others or for any kind of "ego boost" like some here are saying. I collect them because I enjoy gaming, and I enjoy owning the games I really like. I see it like this: some people read a lot, but either just check out books from a library or trade them back to a used book store when they're done. Others like to keep them on a shelf to both look at & remember the story, and to have them available should they choose to re-read them. Neither approach is right or wrong, just preference. :)
 
[quote name='zionoverfire']Too many games is when you start creating a list of what order you're going to play them in.[/QUOTE]

Too many games is when you keep a drawstring pouch with game names on it to 'pick' a new title, becuase a list would be too long. :bouncy:

As of right now, I have no real intent of selling anything-but then again, my total collection has yet to break the 300 mark, so I'm not exactly strapped for space. (I may, at some later time, go pull the liscensed things I got for free and never play- like the Lion King and stuff.)
 
I promised myself this year that I was only going to buy games that I actually want to play, & that I would trade games after I beat them unless they have kick ass multiplayer on LIVE. I even started renting games instead of buying which is something I have never done before & I have been gaming since the 2600.I still pick up the old Dreamcast & SNES stuff though . If you do start to thin your collections, don't trade off your system's unless you have a few of the same. That is what I have regreted in the past .
 
I had about 150 DC games at one point, all complete in great condition. I sold them all on ebay so i could have some more money to finish off my basement. The basement is nice but it was a stupid decision to sell those. I wouldn't do it again.
 
Funcoland/Gamestop is the Devil. I remember when that evil store first opened. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. "Oh you can trade in games, how awesome!" 10+ years later, and they probably raped me of $1000 or more dollars. Don't trade your games in. They rip you off! Unless, of course, you can turn the tables on them, and get more credit than what you payed for a particular product. If you're going to thin a collection, definitely sell, don't trade to the devil!!!
 
I've been debating this recently. Granted, my current gen collection only consists of maybe 150 games. To some that's a lot, some it's not much. But as the next gen approaches for me (Wii at launch, one of the other some time later) and I realize that, space aside, I'm not going to have time or money to play the next-gen games with all my current-gen backlog, I'm considering selling stuff. My fiancee is only a slight factor in this, more from a money standpoint ;) The problem there is that I haven't yet played half of what I have bought. So eventually (maybe this summer, even though summer has no meaning when you work), I will have to just start plowing through games. Play for a couple hours, if it's not really good, pack it up and see about selling/trading, move on to the next.

I've also started to be a little more selective in what I buy - I've had a list of games I'm interested in, and haven't bought anything outside of that list in the last few months, "just because it's cheap." Not to mention preordering from GR helps you slow down your purchases, since you don't get the games til a month after release.

My classic games will never get sold. I don't have a ton, but I have some great ones and some mediocre ones, but they're good enough to keep.
 
Yep, I'm sure regretting selling Azurik and Turok, let me tell you.

Whatever will I do now that Space Raiders has left my life :(
Well, you should have put in the first post you were selling off CRAP games from your collection. :) It's a no brainer.

I avoid this by not buying the crap to start with, I don't try to boost the size of my collection just for the sake of doing so. I really laugh at some of the people I see in the deals forum who will buy ANY piece of junk just because it's $3-10.
 
[quote name='secretvampire']Well, you should have put in the first post you were selling off CRAP games from your collection. :) It's a no brainer.

I avoid this by not buying the crap to start with, I don't try to boost the size of my collection just for the sake of doing so. I really laugh at some of the people I see in the deals forum who will buy ANY piece of junk just because it's $3-10.[/QUOTE]

Nah, there is some good stuff that's going too that I'll never play again, but it's nothing I'm going to look back and be like "Wow, I can't believe I sold this incredibly rare and hard to find game".
 
I had this problem about a year ago. Was losing self control over buying up lots of games when I could find them at very good prices. So, one day I looked over my collection, looked over my bank account, and came to the conclusion that I'll start finishing my backlog before I start spending money better utilized elsewhere for things other than games.

There ARE exceptions, backlog or not... the AAA titles like MGS3 Subsistence, GRAW, Oblivion. But for the most part, I'm playing my backlog and getting that satisified feeling of completing games that I remember so fondly when I was a kid and such.

Oh, worse case, if I have too many games and sick of all the space they take up? I'll start cramming them, disc only, into 200+ CD binders and trash/sell the cases. MAYBE keep the manuals somehow, but that's it.

That binder solution helps A LOT though, for any sort of optical disc based media.
 
I'll start cramming them, disc only, into 200+ CD binders and trash/sell the cases. MAYBE keep the manuals somehow, but that's it.

That binder solution helps A LOT though, for any sort of optical disc based media.
If you ever decide to do this, let me know and I'll pay you to ship them all to me since you are literally throwing money away. :)
 
I'm hoping to eventually hold over about 15 games per current gen system into the next generation, give or take a few. It doesn't make much sense to me to hold over more, since I probably won't ever get the time to play them again. So like others have said already, by the end of the game, I'll ask myself if I'd ever want to revisit the game, and dump it if the answer is no. Same goes even for rarities... I have no interest in holding onto games solely for collector's value, so I'll trade it to someone that does.
 
I figured out about 6 months ago that I was gaining a big gaming collection and playing less. So I am being a lot more selective about the games I buy. There are still a lot of games I'm interested in but I'll try and read a review or see how I feel a little while after its out. I'm also now selling off what I beat unless I know I will always play it again.

Castlevania Circle of The Moon...great game...will I play it again? Probably not especially since I still have HOD, AOS, and DOS still waiting to be played...so I sold it off. I really like Zelda but I just recently sold off Link's Awakening...great game but I figure if I really wanted to go back to a classic Zelda game it would most likely be 1 or LTTP so I let it go. I do keep some games...like Metal Gear, Zelda, Mario, POP, RE but the rest of what I have will go once I'm done with them. I am working on a backlog. I think this mentality is helping me beat more games as well.

I think the Virtual Console is going to be something great because it will allow for a big collection without all the clutter. It's funny though to because I at one point re-bought a Genesis and all the games I use to have only to watch it collect dust...so I re-sold it. I'm starting to realize nostalgia can be great and fun but I'm no longer chained to it.
 
[quote name='savestheday888']Funcoland/Gamestop is the Devil. I remember when that evil store first opened. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. "Oh you can trade in games, how awesome!" 10+ years later, and they probably raped me of $1000 or more dollars. Don't trade your games in. They rip you off! Unless, of course, you can turn the tables on them, and get more credit than what you payed for a particular product. If you're going to thin a collection, definitely sell, don't trade to the devil!!![/quote]

When funcoland opened around here, every single employee advised me against trading games in there. They thought the trade in values where a joke. This was when they had all those "we give you real money" commercials on TV.
 
I've paired my collection down to a selection of fighting games, DMC3, MGS3:S, POP:Sands, and Nocturne. I get basically unlimited fun out of the fighters, Nocturne and DMC 3, and I'm still working on POP and MGS. Once I finish those two, I'll trade them for other adventure games or Ebay them.

I collect a bit, but I mostly re-sell and trade.
 
At one point, I had 40 PSP games. I collected just for the hell of it. I've since realized that it's pretty stupid, and have since trade 4 PSP games for two xbox360 games, and dealt another 4 or so towards a 4 gig HD for my psp. I'm trying to cut down more and get rid of the crap, but i always tend to get crap in trades that looks koo, but ive yet to play.
 
[quote name='argyle']Well, I have a decent-sized collection, especially PS2 games. But I'm not trying to get every game on the system or anything silly like that - all of the games I have, I have them because I think they're really good games that I enjoy. I do thin out the herd from time to time, getting rid of games I just simply didn't enjoy or don't want anymore. But for the most part, if I enjoyed it I keep it. For one thing, most of them aren't worth that much anyway, and the ones that are are the ones I would really miss if they were gone.

The other thing is that most of the time when I have gotten rid of a game I enjoyed but thought I wouldn't miss, I ended up trying to find it again later.

I know some would call my collection excessive, but that's ok. I don't collect games to impress others or for any kind of "ego boost" like some here are saying. I collect them because I enjoy gaming, and I enjoy owning the games I really like. I see it like this: some people read a lot, but either just check out books from a library or trade them back to a used book store when they're done. Others like to keep them on a shelf to both look at & remember the story, and to have them available should they choose to re-read them. Neither approach is right or wrong, just preference. :)[/QUOTE]

excellent post.
like many others after joining this site i was so enamored by being able to buy a game at
 
Two rules I try and go by:

1. There is no point to collecting games you aren't going to play.
2. There is no point keeping games you will never play again.
 
i plan on passing my collection, along with much goodness, onto my children.

maybe even play some in retirement with the grandkids.
 
I'm still thinning it down... its getting easier the more I go through it. Find a game I haven't played in, let's say 2 to 3 years, play it for a few minutes, I either realize why I haven't touched it or realize I won't touch it another few years, and off it goes.

I figure when I'm financially stable in a few months hopefully, if there are any games that I am REALLY missing I'll just go back through and pick them up. But so far, nope, nothing.

Not to mention with the Wii's virtual console, the PSP downloadable PS 1 games, and all the remakes and ports these days, I figure in a few years my entire collection will be available through cheaper and easier means.
 
[quote name='Aleryn']

Oh, worse case, if I have too many games and sick of all the space they take up? I'll start cramming them, disc only, into 200+ CD binders and trash/sell the cases. MAYBE keep the manuals somehow, but that's it.

That binder solution helps A LOT though, for any sort of optical disc based media.[/QUOTE]

Anyone who gets an urge to do this should put the cases in a box in their attic . . . don't toss em . . . this is good stuff.
 
[quote name='schultzed']Anyone who gets an urge to do this should put the cases in a box in their attic . . . don't toss em . . . this is good stuff.[/QUOTE]

i have done this.. keeps it nice and easy.. i put the cases (as most of my games are complete..all have original boxes) into boxes and packed them up but all the physical games are in a 200+ cd case.. easier to find games you want that way
 
[quote name='schultzed']Anyone who gets an urge to do this should put the cases in a box in their attic . . . don't toss em . . . this is good stuff.[/quote]

Also, if you ever want to sell them, you're going to kill yourself when you realize the games that would have got 1000 are now only getting 200 or 300.
 
[quote name='argyle']Well, I have a decent-sized collection, especially PS2 games. But I'm not trying to get every game on the system or anything silly like that - all of the games I have, I have them because I think they're really good games that I enjoy. I do thin out the herd from time to time, getting rid of games I just simply didn't enjoy or don't want anymore. But for the most part, if I enjoyed it I keep it. For one thing, most of them aren't worth that much anyway, and the ones that are are the ones I would really miss if they were gone.

The other thing is that most of the time when I have gotten rid of a game I enjoyed but thought I wouldn't miss, I ended up trying to find it again later.

I know some would call my collection excessive, but that's ok. I don't collect games to impress others or for any kind of "ego boost" like some here are saying. I collect them because I enjoy gaming, and I enjoy owning the games I really like. I see it like this: some people read a lot, but either just check out books from a library or trade them back to a used book store when they're done. Others like to keep them on a shelf to both look at & remember the story, and to have them available should they choose to re-read them. Neither approach is right or wrong, just preference. :)[/QUOTE]

QFT!:)

95% of the time that I sell or trade a game, I end up wanting it again even if I enjoyed it the slightest bit (like P.N.03 or Rogue Ops). Now I'm trying to buy back all those GC games I traded/sold...:whistle2:(
 
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