That's strange that you guys' GameCube just plain stopped working like that. I've had mine since launch and it still works just as well as it did when I got it. How often did you clean it?
I've heard something about how the laser on certain systems can become misaligned over time, I wonder if that's what happened. I don't know if there's a fix for that or not.
UncleBob: Quit hogging all of those Game Boy Players, share the wealth! Sell them to some people who want one to make them happy. You remind me of this miser I saw on GameFAQs who has six Broadband Adapters just because he can.