Game Collecting

[Anders]

There have probably been other topics about this before, but I figure another couldn't hurt.

Are y'all into collecting video games, or do you just buy your games digitally nowadays?

Personally I do of course occasionally buy digital games, but there really is something about having physical copies. I've also gotten way more into going back and buying old games and consoles over the last few years. For example, I never had an N64 growing up, we had a PS1 instead. So a few years ago, I bought an N64 with a few games from my sister in law, and that set of a chain reaction that ended up with me owning about 30 N64 games a year later. I've also bough a lot of PS2 games the last few years. It's one of my favorite consoles of all time, and I think now is a great time to collect for it, since it's not quite old enough where people realize some games might have value, so you can usually pick them up quite cheap. 

I also love collecting any old consoles, handhelds and accessories, sometimes to the frustration of my wife. Somewhat understandable when I own two, three or even four of some consoles. 

What is your favorite thing to collect?

[The Blackangel]

I've been gaming since the days of the Atari 2600. In those 40+ years, I've got more than 2000 games in my library, not counting DDL's. The systems I play the most are NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and Atari. I also have every PlayStation with the exception of the PS Vita. We have every Xbox, but don't play them near as much as we do our other systems. There's a few systems I don't really play anymore. Wii, Game Cube, and PS2 being the top 3. I hated the Game Cube, and the Wii was just uncomfortable as hell and a pain in the ass to try to play. The only game I found that was worth having the system was Mario Kart. The reason I'm not on the PS2 so much, is because I missed the entire era, for a few reasons.

Am I a collector? Maybe, once in a while, if I find something I think is neat or just want for whatever reason. But as for my games, I don't buy them to be pretty. I buy them to play. There is one game I can think of that I would buy as a collectable instead of to play. That's Little Samson. I would buy a repro if I wanted to play the game, but the authentic one would never even be opened for obvious reasons.

[killamch89]

You have quite of number of collectors on this forum. I'm not one of them but you have others like @The Blackangel, @Rain Dew and others who have extensive collections of various consoles dating back to the 80's. Personally, I'd do it if I had the space to keep them and the time to search around for consoles.

[Shortie]

Before digital games became more popular I used to buy video games physically and I would collect them. I remember as a kid, me and my brothers had a lot of video games that we collected as we were all big gamers from a very young age. 

Nowadays though, with digital purchases being like the new normal, I tend to go that route now and very rarely buy physical games. I guess you could say I do have a collection but it is connected to my game account now which is my Xbox account. 

[Ravenfreak]

I've been collecting video games since I was young, so I prefer to have physical games than digital ones. There's just something about seeing the case on my shelf that makes me happy. Also I can just pop in the disc whenever I feel like playing a game or the cartridge and don't have to worry about losing access to the game. I've seen it numerous times where games got delisted from digital stores for whatever reason and the value of physical games go up because there's no easy way to play it unless you own a physical copy.

[Shortie]

19 hours ago, Ravenfreak said:

I've been collecting video games since I was young, so I prefer to have physical games than digital ones. There's just something about seeing the case on my shelf that makes me happy. Also I can just pop in the disc whenever I feel like playing a game or the cartridge and don't have to worry about losing access to the game. I've seen it numerous times where games got delisted from digital stores for whatever reason and the value of physical games go up because there's no easy way to play it unless you own a physical copy.

I actually never thought of that but when I do think about it there have been instances where this has happened and unless as you say, you have the physical copy, you can no longer play that game due to it being delisted. 

I guess that is one of the reasons why people would hate to see digital take over completely. 

[The Blackangel]

Also, you have to remember that a lot of times special content is limited only to physical copies of games. For example, there’s a lot of special content in RDR2 that is only available through either the special edition or ultimate edition. It’s the only way to get the code that unlocks it.

[Bizdustry]

I don't personally collect video games. People collect video games for different reasons. Some collectors hold onto games from their childhood because they have sentimental value and bring back happy memories. Others appreciate the historical and artistic aspects of gaming, seeing it as a way to experience unique forms of entertainment and cultural expression. Many enjoy the thrill of searching for rare or limited-edition releases. They eagerly scour online marketplaces, visit retro game stores, or go to gaming conventions in hopes of finding special gems. The excitement of discovering these treasures makes collecting even more enjoyable.

[Scorpion]

Collecting physical games feels rewarding for me, especially old consoles like N64 and PS2. Digital's convenient, but nothing beats the nostalgia!