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

[quote name='javeryh']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.[/QUOTE]

QFT.

My collection is fairly small, limited to what I consider to be the best of the consoles I own, unless it's an obscenely expensive game (no Shining Force III, no Suikoden II, for example).

I've found some neat stuff over the years, and what I or my friends will no longer play, goes to CAG or ebay.

The largest collections I have for a given console would be Gamecube (27 games + the Pokemon Colosseum bonus disc) and GB/GBC/GBA (26 games + a wireless adapter).

The games with the highest going value in my collection are Magic Knight Rayearth (Saturn) and Earthbound (SNES). The games I love to play the most are Phantasy Star Online (GC), DDR Mario Mix (GC), Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2), Shin Megami Tenssi Nocturne (PS2), Shining Force II (Genesis), Sonic 3 + Knuckles (Genesis, GC within the Sonic Mega Collection), Nights (Saturn), and Phantasy Star IV (Genesis).

I may be thinning out my GC and GBA games some, possibly parting with the two Pokemon games bestowed upon me by my ex (Sapphire - cart and manual, as the box has mushy bullshit written on it, and Emerald - complete).

I look forward to the virtual console as well...

slightly OT - has anyone tried the GC versions of the latest set of Prince of Persia games? If the controls are good, I'll get them... if not, PS2 versions for me.
 
I too have just recently realized this problem as well. Rather than just let games collect dust, why not let someone else enjoy the game as well?
 
working at a game store really magnifies this problem. Being there most everyday and seeing what comes in so frequently, plus employee discounts makes it real easy to amass a collection that you don't have time for.

I'm proud to say since quitting that job I've slimmed my collection and finished and enjoyed the games I do buy. It's a great feeling to actually sit and enjoy a game (Kingdom Hearts 2 for me) fully, even though it was full price, instead of sorta liking something for 10 min cause it was cheap.
 
For me, I realized I had too many games when some games were unopened for more than a year and some games I only played once. I try to be a lot more selective buying a game (gone are the days of buying a game just because it's $3 - $5 unless I think I really want it), and all of the cheap games I bought just because they were cheap and that I only played once or never oepend. I am trying to get my collection smaller by selling those type of games on EBay. I'd rather take $2 - $3 for an old PS2 game I paid $5 for and played once then have it sitting in a closet collecting dust.
 
I promised myself a long time ago that I would never trade my games into some store that wont take care of them properly and pay me next to nothing for them. Id rather have closets filled to the brim then give them away for nothing. Plus seeing all those games lined up on my shelves along with my dvds gives me some sad sense of accomplishment and makes my room more asthetically pleasing....for me :). So no you can never have too many games.
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']I promised myself a long time ago that I would never trade my games into some store that wont take care of them properly and pay me next to nothing for them. Id rather have closets filled to the brim then give them away for nothing. Plus seeing all those games lined up on my shelves along with my dvds gives me some sad sense of accomplishment and makes my room more asthetically pleasing....for me :). So no you can never have too many games.[/quote]

This man speaks the truth!:applause:
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']I promised myself a long time ago that I would never trade my games into some store that wont take care of them properly and pay me next to nothing for them. Id rather have closets filled to the brim then give them away for nothing. Plus seeing all those games lined up on my shelves along with my dvds gives me some sad sense of accomplishment and makes my room more asthetically pleasing....for me :). So no you can never have too many games.[/QUOTE]

Sadly, this also gives me a sad sense of accomplishment. Whenever I meet someone who doesn't believe that a girl can be such a serious gamer, they come over and see how many games I have and my systems and the piles of games on the floor that haven't been put onto racks yet and they're just amazed. It makes me really happy for some reason :lol:
 
[quote name='vietgurl']Sadly, this also gives me a sad sense of accomplishment. Whenever I meet someone who doesn't believe that a girl can be such a serious gamer, they come over and see how many games I have and my systems and the piles of games on the floor that haven't been put onto racks yet and they're just amazed. It makes me really happy for some reason :lol:[/QUOTE]

See, it's cool when a girl has a ton of games... but it's stupid when a guy has a ton of games.:p
 
For me its a question of money and space. Right now I live in a tiny 1bdr apartment with my wife. I have almost no room to house or display my collection, most of it is in boxes in storage in my basement. Since we want to buy a house eventually, Im selling off alot of my stuff to help finance that.

Its a catch 22 for me. I need a big house so I can collect and display all my crap. But I'm not gonna get there unless I sell this stuff now. So one day I'll have a nice house full of nothing. lol

Its also a financial issue. Its easy to collect when your still in school, live at home, and most of your income is disposable. Its also easy to collect when your established, make six figures, and have a nice 3bdr house with a 2 car garage. Its hard when your inbetween like I am, newly married, not making a whole lot of money, living in an apt, etc...

So for now I try to collect only games that I want to play. And I try to get them dirt cheap.
 
i usually only buy games when i find them cheap or i've never seen them before and are cheap.. usually most games hit the pawn shop here so i can usually get really good deals (8 dollars for any game they put in there) and i used to buy at EBgames.com 25% and freeshipping definately a bonus even if i don't play most of those games again. now since they are gone.. and the pawn shop is always a hit or miss.. i never buy new games anymore unless they are on clearance at BB or something.
 
Within the past month I've slimmed down my Dreamcast collection from 60 to just under 50. Some of the games I have on other systems like Garou, and Last Blade. Even with my PSone collection I now own 3 games: Lunar SSC, Castlevania SotN, and Xenogears. Everything will get ported eventually and so there is really no need for super duper rare games in a collection cause they will hit other systems (like Ikaruga, MvC2, CvS2). Look at those FF collections on PS, now you can get them (or eventually) on GBA with faster load times. Even SNK games will hit the US eventually, either another year or two for them on PS2 or soon on 360 (NeoGeo Battle Coliseum). If Mars Matrix, KoF 98, Bangai-O, and Zero Gunner get ported I will have no need for a Dreamcast.

Lately I've been waiting for massive price drops before getting games, just recently I've picked up and played through God of War and now I'm working on X-Men Legends 2. I just feel that games don't deliver anymore and the $50-$60 price range is just to much for what 5-10 hours of game play if your lucky.

Just when you go through your collection, alway check the average price on eBay, most of the time you will get more then what EB or Gamestop will give you for a trade in.
 
Insomnia would ensure that I get around to playing every game I own, but I only own around 300.

How much is just enough? One of every game for every system from the US marketbase. Beyond that, and you're getting ridiculous.
 
For me it ends up being when my shelf space at home has to be reorganized for several hours every few months in order to fit all of the games I have in that space. Couple that with a backlog of around 300 games that I'll probably never, ever get a chance to catch up on...well, it doesn't bode well for me.

Then again, my backlog means everyone else's gains. Guess I'll be putting up a list of miscellaneous games, mags, and other crap soon over in the appropriate forum. No need to sit on all of this stuff when someone else could be enjoying it, eh?
 
I have a huge collection (around 800 games give or take) and there are many I havent even begun to play yet, but closer inspection revealed that I VERY high percentage of my games were bought for 5 dollars and under, over 120 games in my collection were acquired free (not just most of my nes and SNES games but some gems like Magna Carta) My wife and I live in a 3 BR house, one room dedicated to my dvds and games... I still have boxes in the attic...we do plan on building in about 4 or 5 years weve already outgrown this one... no matter what size house you buy, you will fill it up... its crazy but true

As for my collection of games, I currently only keep the nes titles in the attic thanks to my psp emu but Im not looking to trade off too many of my games at this moment, I am proud of my collection and enjoy it
 
Well, as I just found out I have to buy 20 Wii games, give or take, in November, and I'm getting a little more interested in a 360, my threshold for how many games I keep is going to start lowering, I believe. This summer might involve playing lots of video games and selling a sizeable chunk of crap. Some to fund my future purchases and some just to clear up space.
 
You know, I really debated upon keeping my Playstation 2 copy of Marvel Vs Capcom 2... I own it for Dreamcast, I got it for PS2 because it was "rare" and a "collectible".

I realized that if I ever did want to play it, I should just hook up the DC, since it's the same damn game, so I sold the ps2 one on Ebay for $85. I'm almost tempted to just start throwing up other games, because getting damn near $100 from one game is such a great feeling, alot better then "the game will set on my shelf so random people will be impressed".

Maybe I'll even take some of that and get New Super Mario Bros, a game I'll actually play through and enjoy.

Plus, with the next gen interesting me more and more, I'm never going to play half these games when all the new systems hit anyways.

I'm really tempted to sell Valkyrie Profile on Ebay next (please, don't start sending PM's saying you'll pay for it, hassle of Ebay, blah blah blah, I want top dollar since it's very mint), espically since I already have VP: Lenneth on preorder for PSP.
 
Bump... now that I'm finally selling off all the excess junk, it amazes me to see how many people just buy shit that's on sale simply because it's on sale. I'd rather one awesome game at $60 then 10 shitty games, 8 of which will stay sealed, or buy 3 handheld systems in a day just because it's on sale.

It's not a good deal if you don't ever plan on getting your money's worth and using it, whether it's $5 or $50.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Bump... now that I'm finally selling off all the excess junk, it amazes me to see how many people just buy shit that's on sale simply because it's on sale. I'd rather one awesome game at $60 then 10 shitty games, 8 of which will stay sealed, or buy 3 handheld systems in a day just because it's on sale.

It's not a good deal if you don't ever plan on getting your money's worth and using it, whether it's $5 or $50.[/QUOTE]
Spoken like a true addict in rehab ;)
 
[quote name='botticus']Spoken like a true addict in rehab ;)[/QUOTE]

Hey, I try ;) Now if only others would see the light ;)

I'm moving pretty soon, so I know that once I'm actually packing all these games, holding each one, looking at each one invidiually, that I'll be able to part with a lot more.

With Wii, PS3, and I'm getting a small interest in the 360, the backlog I have NOW will just never get played... I might as well give someone else a chance.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Hey, I try ;) Now if only others would see the light ;)

I'm moving pretty soon, so I know that once I'm actually packing all these games, holding each one, looking at each one invidiually, that I'll be able to part with a lot more.

With Wii, PS3, and I'm getting a small interest in the 360, the backlog I have NOW will just never get played... I might as well give someone else a chance.[/QUOTE]
Exactly how I'm feeling, just on a smaller scale... considering I had at most a fifth of the games you have/had. For me it's just mowing through my backlog or just not even bothering with it entirely depending on the game and how much I paid for it. For example, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a decent game, but after playing it for an hour, I'm not altogether wowed by it, so it's probably going on my TL or eBay soon. Figure I can get one more game off my want list or get at least the small amount I paid for it back.

I'm actually moving tonight through Sunday (only up three floors though), but my one unit of games shouldn't be too difficult.
 
[quote name='botticus']Exactly how I'm feeling, just on a smaller scale... considering I had at most a fifth of the games you have/had. For me it's just mowing through my backlog or just not even bothering with it entirely depending on the game and how much I paid for it. For example, Viewtiful Joe 2 is a decent game, but after playing it for an hour, I'm not altogether wowed by it, so it's probably going on my TL or eBay soon. Figure I can get one more game off my want list or get at least the small amount I paid for it back.

I'm actually moving tonight through Sunday (only up three floors though), but my one unit of games shouldn't be too difficult.[/QUOTE]

900 + games across the city, and most of them I haven't even touched or played, and STILL won't touch or play when I get to the new place is a huge eye opener ;)

Plus, with my time getting limited, I really don't want to spend time with subpar or average games anymore. I'd rather pay $50 for Kingdom Hearts 2 and really get my money's worth, then 95% of that crap that goes on clearance. Quality over quantity!
 
I'm starting to not buy games just because they are cheap. Although the Amazon sale today kinda spoiled me. My problem is if I have a game from a series, I must have them all. For example, I have and got halfway through VJ, then I bought VJ2, and now I bought VJ: Red Hot Rumble to complete the collection. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time is another. I beat that one, so now I have to ge the next two.

I've started taking down games from my shelf I don't think I'm going to get to. I've thought about selling them but then I realized I would only get a couple of dollars for some of them so why bother.
 
[quote name='encendido5']
I've started taking down games from my shelf I don't think I'm going to get to. I've thought about selling them but then I realized I would only get a couple of dollars for some of them so why bother.[/QUOTE]

Hey, that couple of dollars adds up ;)

Just save them for the next big EB / Gamestop trade - in deal. When they just had a trade 5, get $10 extra credit, I bought in 20 games that didn't sell worth crap on Ebay, I got about $85 worth in credit, and I walked out with Beatmania and a Shadow Hearts: From the New World guide for $4 out of pocket.

I took in another 10 games a little later and get close to $50 in credit, and got Atelier Iris 2 and the guide for roughly $11 out of pocket.
 
You're right... I never really took advantage of those deals before. The only ones I did were the trade in 5 current gen games for Zelda: TP and trade in 4 GBA for Nintendogs. I'll have to keep an eye out though.
 
I don't have too much of a problem. I don't have much money usually, so I try to limit purchases to games that I want or might want. I don't buy them just because they are cheap. Most of my PS1 and PS2 games are RPGs so I'm not going to get rid of them. I

I'm having more of a problem with classic games. When I go garage saling, I pick up almost anything that interests me. Finding classic games stuff in this town is not very common, so I have to grab what I can. I just wish I could find some more sega stuff.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']
Plus, with my time getting limited, I really don't want to spend time with subpar or average games anymore. I'd rather pay $50 for Kingdom Hearts 2 and really get my money's worth, then 95% of that crap that goes on clearance. Quality over quantity![/QUOTE]

That's how I feel, both my time and funds are limited, so I look only for good games on sale. I just picked up minish cap for like 12 bucks, and I have been playing it non stop since I got it.

I am ashamed to say that this will be the 1st zelda game I will have beaten/played all the way though ever!

I even owned the the 1st Zelda back in the day but I was to young to really understand it.

But back to the topic, I only "collect" the games that I really enjoyed so that they will passed down to my kids, so that they can have a chance to enjoy them at some point as well.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']You know, I really debated upon keeping my Playstation 2 copy of Marvel Vs Capcom 2... I own it for Dreamcast, I got it for PS2 because it was "rare" and a "collectible".

I realized that if I ever did want to play it, I should just hook up the DC, since it's the same damn game, so I sold the ps2 one on Ebay for $85. I'm almost tempted to just start throwing up other games, because getting damn near $100 from one game is such a great feeling, alot better then "the game will set on my shelf so random people will be impressed".

Maybe I'll even take some of that and get New Super Mario Bros, a game I'll actually play through and enjoy.

Plus, with the next gen interesting me more and more, I'm never going to play half these games when all the new systems hit anyways.

I'm really tempted to sell Valkyrie Profile on Ebay next (please, don't start sending PM's saying you'll pay for it, hassle of Ebay, blah blah blah, I want top dollar since it's very mint), espically since I already have VP: Lenneth on preorder for PSP.[/QUOTE]

Just as a heads up, read some the import impressions for the PSP port. Apparantely its a rush job with stretched textures/portraits, un-upscaled cinematics, and slow down where there was none originally.

I'd keep the PS1 iteration.
 
[quote name='taiidanx']Just as a heads up, read some the import impressions for the PSP port. Apparantely its a rush job with stretched textures/portraits, un-upscaled cinematics, and slow down where there was none originally.

I'd keep the PS1 iteration.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads up.

Maybe they'll clean it up for the US release when they translate it, hopefully.
 
So... this is still going on for me, but I'm nowhere near TSD levels yet, though I'd like to be. It looks like he's already cleaned out half of his collection!

I'm starting to look at things more objectively now... its strange how I noticed tonight my entire Dreamcast collection is worthless, as 80% of the awesome games got ported to different systems (and I own some of those ports!!).

I also don't know why I thought it would be great to get every 2k2 sports game for the system, espically since they are outdated in rosters AND in gameplay.
 
So, just wanted to update this, but I finally dove into this head on... I've made over 1,200 so far just selling DC / Saturn stuff with a sprinkling of other systems.

I've trimmed it down from over 1000 to 830... I feel ALOT better about my collection now.

Went from 120 Dreamcast games to 38 or so, and 20 or so Saturn games to I think 8 or 9 (and two more are leaving soon).
 
One of these days you'll have to post before and after pics and lists. I'm curious just how much of what you're getting rid of is pure crap and how much probably made you think a while.

I've gotten rid of 6 games for $36 so far, thanks to EB :D It's a start!
 
[quote name='botticus']One of these days you'll have to post before and after pics and lists. I'm curious just how much of what you're getting rid of is pure crap and how much probably made you think a while.[/QUOTE]

I never took before pics, sadly enough... everything is all kind of spread out so it never would have worked. Haha, the before list is gone since I'm just updating it on IGN as I take it off, but you can look through my recent completed auctions and see what I've sold if it gives you any indication.

Surpringsly, it was hard at first, but it gets ALOT easier... alot of stuff has been ported, or just hasn't aged well at all. Anything I'm unsure about I play it before I list it, and 9 times out of 10 it gets sold.

Plus, all these games are going to finance games I'm actually going to play... so far I've bought Gradius Collection (awesome), Big Brain Academy (awesome), and some others. Sometimes I slip, and buy more shit then I want to (Circuit City clearance) but I either take it or back or ebay it.
 
i'm well on my way back to owning to too many games. actually i'm already there, but I have a low threshold. but I'll do another clearance this winter...
 
[quote name='Apossum']i'm well on my way back to owning to too many games. actually i'm already there, but I have a low threshold. but I'll do another clearance this winter...[/QUOTE]

I'll never let this happen again, I think.

The only time I'll own too many games is when I've played and beaten the ones I do own.
 
a few shining examples from my collection that i've sold:

3 complete copies of Sega CD Snatcher
2 complete copies of Secret of Mana
1 complete FFIII
1 complete Chrono Trigger
2 complete Shining Force II
1 Sampler/Demo cartridge Zelda: Ocarina of Time


and quite literally, dozens more of highly sought-after junk. when i first got into collecting, the idea of selling the above titles would've given me a heart attack. now i don't regret it for one second. it was nice gawking at them on the shelf, as you said, but ultimately i wasn't playing them, and the only people who seemed to care were folks on the internet. that's fine, but i have other hobbies, and my wife was ready to stab me.

i parried down my collection from about 1200 games to about 600 now, over the last 4 years (most of that is bare cart NES and complete Genesis now, but if you can name it, i've got more than a stack of games for it).

i wish i could reduce it further, and quickly, but selling on Ebay is slow and a bit of a hassle for those not-so-hot games we all have lying around. trading is an option for the newer stuff, but the trade-in prices are so bad, it's almost better to keep the stuff than give it away for a dollar here or there. i thought when my wife and i bought a house, that i'd be able to keep my collection going, but it just isn't so: i'd rather have the living space!
 
[quote name='Roufuss']When is too many games... too many games? [/QUOTE]
A) When a collection or just an accumulation of stuff overtakes not just shelving, but your walking and living space. It isn't healthy to live in clutter. Just as children need boundaries growing up, we too need to keep our lives in order, and without established areas (this is carpet, we don't store stuff here, we walk on it. This is my bed, I sleep here, I don't store stuff on it. this is a cabinet/trunk/shelf/closet/et cetera, I store stuff HERE) for work, play, walking, sleeping, whatever, mentally we get overwhelmed and our lives reflect the chaotic nature of our territory.


(bear in mind, I'm a slob. do as I say, not as I do.)


B) When collecting/buying/having an item or items is what we take pride in... not in our work or our relationships. I love stuff more than the next guy, but when my self esteem is in direct proportion with how much I've accumulated, then I've got real issues. And very likely, the focus I'm putting on said items is keeping me from dealing with the issues I need to address.


C) When it's more than you can afford. If your collection is paid for by your credit card, and that card isn't paid off, that bank owns your stuff. And lets face facts, they own you. We are selling ourselves to banks (credit cards), retail shops (or where ever you shop), and those manufacturing what we're purchasing (heck, even concert or movie tickets count) when we charge something that we're not paying off at the end of the month.

Our society, especially my generation (gen-Xers) and younger are SO incredibly in debt, it's frightening. Are you about buying stuff because you really really want it and signing the next weeks/months/years of your lives to your credit agency, or are you about owning your own future by paying your bills, saving for the years ahead, and treating yourself with what's left over on [item of choice]?


D) When your collection contains Dr Muto.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']So, just wanted to update this, but I finally dove into this head on... I've made over 1,200 so far just selling DC / Saturn stuff with a sprinkling of other systems.

I've trimmed it down from over 1000 to 830... I feel ALOT better about my collection now.

Went from 120 Dreamcast games to 38 or so, and 20 or so Saturn games to I think 8 or 9 (and two more are leaving soon).[/quote]
Man, I don't think I've even got 200 games total, and that's across several consoles (Atari 2600/DC/GC/PS1/PS2/XB/GBA/NDS). I still feel like I've got too many. If I had over 800 games, I doubt I'd get to play even half of them. I'm not even sure where I'd put them.

Sometimes it's hard to pass up those $2-$5 games, though. I know I'll probably never get around to playing them, but they're so cheap...I feel like I should pick them up just in case I decide that I want to play them later. So far I'm mostly resisting that urge. So far.
 
i finally decided that i may get rid of my Genny and my NES.. i haven't touched those games in years and with emulators (on the Wii and computer) its hard to keep the games around, even for collectors and nostalga values... i'm hoping to get about 150 out of my stuff but thats probably being a little too optimistic..

but i do have around 300 games though, played through most of them too..
 
Common games I'll sell or trade away, if I know I won't play them again. If theres the slightest doubt I'll replay the game I keep it. All rare/LE stuff I usually keep unless theres a huge demand for it on ebay (recent Silent Hill fiasco, I dumped 3 copies)

Right now I probably have around 15 Gamecube games and 20-30 PS2 games, 20 PSX games (though nearly all are rare). I feel really bad about having that many, I really need to get rid of some.

I guess I'll never understand you guys with 500+ collections. I guess it's the nerdy thing to have them proudly displayed on the wall and stuff eh?
 
[quote name='urzishra14']i finally decided that i may get rid of my Genny and my NES.. i haven't touched those games in years and with emulators (on the Wii and computer) its hard to keep the games around, even for collectors and nostalga values... i'm hoping to get about 150 out of my stuff but thats probably being a little too optimistic..

but i do have around 300 games though, played through most of them too..[/QUOTE]

Alot of the best Genny / NES stuff got / is getting ported anyways, and you're right, the virtual console should fill in the rest of the gaps.
 
I'm just going to say this first......... we all have different opinions.
Personally I hate to get RID of ANYTHING I own. I still wish I had kept my catapult from Physics class.......it was so BRILLIANT. None the less I'm in a minority. Clearly most people want to get rid of their stuff. You'd think I would be sad that you guys dont think twice before selling your games........BUT

If you guys are the majority and I'm the minority.......then when I'm looking to buy games for my collection......there will actually be a market for me to buy from.

SO I think MORE people should sell their games. For us who still cry for having been stupid enough to have sold their SNES and its games.

Yes 5 or less games but I miss my SNES, my Ultimate MK3, Primal Rage, that one game with the scope (though I might ahve that one, I'm not sure), and I can't even remember the rest. I'd pay good money for that SNES and those games. I want THAT SNES, not another one.

I dont like to think of myself as a collector, who cares if it's gh, player's choice, or what not, factory sealed? mmmm but I want to play the game......... but I do like to think of myself as a historian.

One day my media library will have all my favorite (and even the ones I shouldn't have bought, after all, all families have their black sheep, I'm looking at you Aidyn Chronicles the First Mage) games, movies, books and tv shows.......... its exactly like collecting art.

So what if I dont play those games, often not I see the box and remember many a fond memories.

So again I say, for those that like to keep games....... good for you.
For those that dont....... remember that I'll be the market you want to sell to........
 
I think it's too many games when you can't enjoy them anymore. I try not to get rid of games, but if it's something I know I'm not going to play anymore, then it should go. As much as I'd like to keep Phoenix Wright for collector's purposes, I can get a pretty good value for it right now and it has no replay value to me.
 
I've started selling off/trading in my backlog, I just have waaay too many games that I will never open/play. I already have my wii paid for with some recent trade ins. I haven't touched the DC or PS1 games yet.
 
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