Topic: Are you more of a gamer or a collector?

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

I started out as a big time gamer, playing everything I could get my hands on. Then I turned into a massive collector trying to own everything I could get my hands on. Recently I have thinned things down a lot and try to focus more exclusively just on the games I think I will enjoy and not buy games just to own them.

There are some times where I think maybe if I had more space, money, time, etc, then I would get back into collecting. Sometimes I wish I would just sell everything off and only buy one game at a time, play that game, beat it and then buy the next game. I tried doing this before but I couldn't decide where to start.

[Evan_B]

I have hit sort of a middle ground. I did a lot of experimenting with different genres while I was in college, but I've sort of settled into my specific tastes and now I try to play what looks good to me, personally.

That being said, I'm a sucker for special editions.

[NWR_insanolord]

I only buy games that I intend to play, but I have a whole lot of things I haven't touched or barely touched. Also, I'm digital-only this generation, which may or may not disqualify me from being considered a collector.

[Adrock]

Gamer and not even much of one because I buy games then don't play them. I'm making a concerted effort to go back and actually play through my backlog. I almost bought a PS4 before deciding that I already have too many video games to play.

I tried collecting back in 2007. It's too expensive. I would like to collect most Nintendo hardware, but I'm not obsessed with it. Collecting to me these days mostly involves not trading in games or hardware.

I used to like collecting special editions, but 2010 put an end to that. Both God of War III and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow special edition boxes were lame. Between the two, I wasted about $60 which is an entire new video game. I had to stop though I bought the Super Smash Bros. for Wii U bundle though that wasn't really a special edition. Limited runs that are the same price are fine. Code of Princess had a soundtrack and an underwhelming art "book." It didn't cost extra, but it was one of the few games I bought new because it was an Atlus game and may become impossible to find.

I talked myself out of buying the Xenoblade Chronicles X special edition.

[Ian Sane]

I think you can make an unintentional transition from gamer to collector.  I first started really buying games when I got my first job and suddenly had disposable income.  I started getting a lot of used SNES games (this is in 2001 so these weren't really retro yet, seen more as just old).  I had a SNES as a kid but since I was relying on acquiring games as birthday and Christmas presents there were lots of titles I always wanted but didn't have.  Some of the first games I got were ones my brothers and I had rented as kids and I wanted to own them to play at any time.  SNES games were also cheap at the time.  I got Super Metroid with box and manual in fantastic condition for $15.

So around the same time I was also buying current games and some used ones that I had heard good things about.  At this point I was putting a good amount of time into playing these games.  But over time things kind of got more about collecting.  The older a game is the less likely you are to find a copy in the wild so even though I would have stuff I'm playing currently Game X showed up at a used game store and I might never find it again so I would buy it.  Also when you're online and on gaming forums and stuff everyone is talking up this game or that and you want to see what the fuss is about so you get it but don't get around to playing it right away.  Oh and my personal life is much more busy then it was in my teens so now I don't have as much TIME to play all these games and suddenly you realize you're collecting stuff you never play.  Ooops.

I've really changed my approach this generation.  I don't have that many 3DS games.  I've cherry picked the ones I KNOW I will really get into, rather than accumulate all the major titles that review well.  Same with the Wii U.  I try to put off new game purchases if I'm currently invested in another game and it's working quite well.  The only flaw in my plan is my birthday is in December so with that a Christmas I tend to get a glut of games as gifts and then I suddenly have a backlog.  And usually I want to play all of them so I end up bouncing between multiple titles and then lose interest in this one or that one.  But that's minor compared to what I was like before.  The key is to accept that you can't play everything.  So narrow in on the titles that really interest you and avoid buying a new game until you're done with the one you're currently playing.

[Soren]

I think if you're a Wii U owner with more than 10 games you qualify as a collector. This is coming from someone who's seriously thinking about spending actual money on a copy of Devil's Third.



I'm not interested in going back and collecting games from previous console generations. I won't do it because I don't have the time to play the game or the money to acquire them. But if I can get my hands on some current gen games which might have a chance of going out of print soon, yeah. It's why I bought Rodea The Sky Soldier.

[ejamer]

I'm a collector, but I only collect games that I actually want to play eventually.


(Or, I'm a gamer who is planning out his future gaming many years in advance. At this point, I might never need to buy another game.)

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

I think if you're a Wii U owner with more than 10 games you qualify as a collector. This is coming from someone who's seriously thinking about spending actual money on a copy of Devil's Third.



I'm not interested in going back and collecting games from previous console generations. I won't do it because I don't have the time to play the game or the money to acquire them. But if I can get my hands on some current gen games which might have a chance of going out of print soon, yeah. It's why I bought Rodea The Sky Soldier.

Well retail I fall short by two games. Digital is a different story but can you really be a collector of digital stuff?

[ThePerm]

Really good thread. I would say in the n64 era I was a gamer and then somewhere in the gamecube era I switched to more of a collector. I however usually play the games I buy again. For the gamecube I had 10 or so games I opened and played once only to never touch again. During that era I bought a bunch of n64 games when they were cheap.

[Adrock]

This is coming from someone who's seriously thinking about spending actual money on a copy of Devil's Third.

I thought about it, but from all the bad press and the fact that I'm not going to play it, I opted against it.

It's why I bought Rodea The Sky Soldier.

Another game I keep convincing myself not to buy. I've seen it for like $35 with the Wii disc new, and I have to keep reminding myself not to spend money on things I don't need or even particularly want. Rodea: The Sky Solider is a passing curiosity to me. I hear good and bad about it.

[Evan_B]

I think if you're a Wii U owner with more than 10 games you qualify as a collector. This is coming from someone who's seriously thinking about spending actual money on a copy of Devil's Third.

I haven't done it yet, but I've considered it. However, the bottom line is, if there's performance issues with the game that hurt its playability, I think I'm going to pass on it. I thought, at first, it was just a mechanically broken affair, but I've heard that the game crashes and has severe framerate issues, which is unacceptable to me.

Also, I wouldn't consider myself a collector just because I have more than 10 Wii U games. I love Nintendo games, and I also missed out on some quality titles from xBox and Playstation that got director's cuts and definitive versions on Wii U. So I think I'm justified.

It's why I bought Rodea The Sky Soldier.

Yeah, big mistake. Coming from someone who bought, played, and returned the game.

As long as I play through each new game I buy, I don't care what people prefer to label me as- I am a gamer. I collect titles that I think are worth keeping around, either for my kids someday or because they hold special value to me. Those that I buy and don't enjoy are traded in. With digital it's a bit different, but since they're so much lower in price and often a nice satisfying 4-10 hours of gameplay, I feel like I can deal with that purchase.

[Soren]

The "more than 10 Wii U games" comment was made more in jest given the release schedule and the frequency of restocks.

Another game I keep convincing myself not to buy. I've seen it for like $35 with the Wii disc new, and I have to keep reminding myself not to spend money on things I don't need or even particularly want. Rodea: The Sky Solider is a passing curiosity to me. I hear good and bad about it.

Yeah, big mistake. Coming from someone who bought, played, and returned the game.

I have a lot of thoughts on Rodea as a game but I need a while to write it all out on its thread. I will clarify that I had genuine interest in playing the Wii version, which was an unfortunate victim of Kadokawa's waffling of the 3DS version. I paid a premium(I'm almost treating it as an import purchase) for something that may or may not have added value in the future but I feel I got my money's worth on the game side.

Devil's Third is almost a hate-play at this point. But I don't see myself paying full price for that. I'm also not looking for stuff like Funky Barn or Hello Kitty Kruisers.

I guess I'm not really a die hard collector but I do like to have an interesting game or two that was overlooked and soon to be out-of-print.

[Evan_B]

I only played the Wii version, which was mediocre.

I heard that the Wii U/3DS version was even worse, and I didn't really want to take my chances. Nothing lost, really.

[ejamer]

... With digital it's a bit different, but since they're so much lower in price and often a nice satisfying 4-10 hours of gameplay, I feel like I can deal with that purchase.

When you say digital is cheaper, how do you justify that?


I assume you are talking about smaller games that are only available digitally. In that case it seems reasonable, because paying under $20 for an interesting game (even if a bit shorter than other experiences) can be pretty reasonable.


But between trade-in or resale value, and the fact that retail sales are consistently lower than digital sales, I think this continue to be one of the greatest fallacies around digital content when a game is available both ways. Other platforms might be a bit different - when you compare sale pricing for the same games on PSN and eShop it's common to see PSN being much lower, for example.

[Triforce Hermit]

I'm a gamer mostly, but that saddled me with over a 100+ games so partial collector and amiibo (when I get around to it). When games I'm interested in has a special edition then I go and get it as long as the content is fine. XCX Special Edition....the jump drive killed it for me so I bailed on that.

[Evan_B]

I guess I should have clarified. I was talking about indie/small titles on the eShop, though to be honest, I have picked up a few retail titles on the eShop for drastically reduced prices (mostly Atlus titles). While I can't trade those in, I find that full-length RPGs balance things out from a price-playtime perspective.

[lolmonade]

Gamer, although my gaming time has dwindled as I now have two kids under the age of 4.


I personally wouldn't see the point of collecting games unless it was from systems I had growing up (NES, SNES, Sega Genesis), but that has become trendy to the point where the prices of games for those systems have skyrocketed.

[Stratos]

I want to be a gamer, but between work and school I have little time to actually play what I buy. So I focus on my favorite series and genres while sprinkling in some purchases of games I know will eventually become hard to find and that I do want to eventually play. I think of it as an investment. I know I will enjoy this game at some point in my life and once things settle down I'll be able to dig into a number of them. At the very least, I'll be able to play them later with my kids or when I retire.


I remember going through a couple of my Dad's old boxes that had a lot of classic rock cassettes and classic books. I had a blast discovering these things my Dad loved as well and I like to think that I'll share similar experiences with my kids when they get to dig through my old CDs, books, and games.